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This super easy, three ingredient strawberry jam recipe is a no pectin jam that with a little patience and love, creates a lovely fresh strawberry flavor locked into a canning jar and store on your shelf for months to come.  The best strawberry jam doesn’t have a dump truck full of sugar in it and actually tastes like the fresh fruit you put in it.  Try this no pectin recipe soon during strawberry season as it’s a great way to preserve a lot of strawberries.  

This is also a nice beginner canning recipe that doesn’t require any special equipment and since it is high acid, you will be water bath canning, and you can get your feet wet in the world of home preserving!  Check out the printable recipe where I give you step-by-step instructions on how to make small batches of strawberry jam that will always taste better than the store-bought version.  Ditch that expensive store-bought jam and make your own with simple ingredients, a small amount of sugar, and enjoy it piled on top of homemade sourdough english muffins.

Jam making has been an adventure for me.  And not a good one.  I am absolutely terrible at it and the store bought powdered pectin has become my mortal enemy.  It doesn’t matter what brand I use, even Pomona’s, I screw it up so bad the jam doesn’t set up.  It’s a me thing, I’m well aware, because many folks have success making jam with powdered pectins.  I am just one of those people that is a skimmer.  I don’t read the directions beforehand.  I read them as I’m doing or even after I do because I get in my head what I want to do and I do that… not what the instructions tell me.  Thus, I have ended up with a lot of “syrup” and “sauce” over the years due to my defiance to follow instructions.

I started researching and testing out just boiling the devil out of the fruit to the gel stage on a candy thermometer.  About 220F is the sweet spot for me and it’s been working fabulously.  Is it more time consuming?  Absolutely.  But you know what?  It’s worth it because I can make jam with any fruit with no sugar or honey or maple syrup and just boil it to death and it makes a jam that actually tastes like… the fruit I put in it.  I cannot stand jams that have 8 cups of sugar added to 5 cups of fruit.  It is far too sweet and doesn’t good to my old lady taste buds any more.  Homemade strawberry jam should taste like strawberries, ya know?

Many fruits, including strawberries contain natural pectin.  Pectin is a carbohydrate that is present in fruits and the amount they contain varies based on ripeness and variety.  I have found that strawberries are on the lower end which means making jam without additional fruit pectin does take a bit longer to coax it to thicken up.  No big deal, though!  I’ve read some posts where they claim strawberry jam will not set up without added pectin because they are so low, but this hasn’t been my experience.  Especially if you add a couple partially ripe ones to the pot!  If you want to add extra pectin in a natural way, consider a green apple, as they’re naturally very high in pectin and grate that in.  

Best Pot for Jam Making

I prefer to use either my stainless steel 6 quart stock pot or my small dutch oven.  I usually use my stainless stock pot over the latter due to being able to control the heat to it better.  Dutch ovens like to hold onto heat and make it easier to burn the berries to the bottom.  Don’t ask me how I know.  You already know anyway!  LOL.  Really any pot you have can work, I just wouldn’t use aluminum or even cast iron as they can impart some metallic flavor to your jam and that just isn’t the profile I’m going for.  Aluminum ain’t very good for your brain either…. You don’t need any fancy equipment!

Let’s make some pectin free jam!

Equipment You May Want:

• Steam canner
• Half-pint jars
• Lids & Screw Bands
• Jar Funnel
• Jar Lifter
• Candy Thermometer

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds strawberries
• 1 cup honey
• 2 Tbs bottled lemon juice

Step 1:  Prep Strawberries

Select good quality ripe berries for jam making.  Cut off any bruises or bug spots.  Wash fresh strawberries in cold water and remove tops.

Add strawberries to a large pot and measure in honey.  Add honey to taste according to sweetness of the berries.

Stir and allow strawberries to sit and macerate with the honey for several hours or even overnight in the refrigerator if you choose.

Place a dinner plate in the freezer for testing the thickness of your jam later on.

Step 2:  Cook Jam

Over medium low heat, stir strawberries and honey til the strawberries start to soften and bubble.  You need to stir pretty frequently so the honey and berries do not burn.

Once the strawberries are softened, mash with a potato masher into small chunks or even puree with an immersion blender depending on your preference.  I enjoy a more “preserves” style jam, so we leave it chunky.  It’s really good!

Increase to medium heat and bring strawberry mixture to a boil.

Once at a full rolling boil, continue to stir frequently and place a candy thermometer on your pot.  You want to boil the jam until it reaches between 218-224F.  This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour.  The jam will appear thickened and sheet from the spoon slowly and when you run your finger down the back of the coated spoon, the jam will stay fixed.  I also like to take a drop of the jam once it hits about 218F and put a blob on the frozen plate out of the freezer, let it sit 30 seconds or so to cool and test the consistency.  If it’s to my liking, it’s ready to can.  If it’s not, put the plate back and boil it a little longer.  The frozen plate taste seems to be the best indicator for thickness and jam set as opposed to sheeting or drawing a line on the spoon.

Add in 2 tablespoons of bottled or fresh lemon juice and boil for 1 minute longer.

Step 3:  Canning

Wash half pint canning jars in lids in hot soapy water.  Rinse well and set aside.

Once the jam is thickened, ladle into clean half pint jelly jars to 1/4 inch headspace.

Wipe the rim of the jar well and add a clean lid to the top of the jar, securing with a screw band.

Place half-pint jars or smaller into your water bath canner or steam canner and process for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time for elevation if needed.

Once processing time is complete, shut off heat, and remove jars from canner to a heat proof surface lined with a clean towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours. 

Step 4:  Storage

Once cooled, remove rings, test for a good seal, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures.  Any jars that did not seal can be reprocessed, transferred to a freezer-safe container and frozen for later, or stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Shelf life is ’til you eat it.  Aim to rotate canned foods out every 2 years for best quality and nutritional benefit, but if the seal is good, they’re good.

Notes:

If you don’t want to use honey, you can use sugar or maple syrup.  Whatever you want.

I hope you enjoy this easy strawberry jam recipe.  Happy canning!

Easy No Pectin Honey Strawberry Jam Canning Recipe

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Canning Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 half-pint jelly jars

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• steam canner
• 5 half pint jelly jars
• stock pot
• canning lids and bands
• jar funnel
• Lar lifter
• Candy Thermometer

Ingredients

• 4 pounds fresh strawberries hulled
• 2 Tbs bottled lemon juice
• 1 cup honey adjust amount to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Add strawberries to a large pot and measure in honey.  Add honey to taste according to sweetness of the berries.
• Stir and allow strawberries to sit and macerate with the honey for several hours or even overnight in the refrigerator if you choose.
• Place a dinner plate in the freezer for testing the thickness of your jam later on.
• Over medium low heat, stir strawberries and honey til the strawberries start to soften and bubble.  You need to stir pretty frequently so the honey and berries do not burn.
• Once the strawberries are softened, mash with a potato masher into small chunks or even puree with an immersion blender depending on your preference
• Increase to medium heat and bring strawberry mixture to a boil.
• Once at a full rolling boil, continue to stir frequently and place a candy thermometer on your pot.  You want to boil the jam until it reaches between 218-224F.
• Take a drop of the jam once it hits about 218F and put a blob on the frozen plate out of the freezer, let it sit 30 seconds or so to cool and test the consistency.  If it's to your liking, it's ready to can.
• Add in 2 tablespoons of bottled or fresh lemon juice and boil for 1 minute longer.
• Wash half pint canning jars in lids in hot soapy water.  Rinse well and set aside.
• Once the jam is thickened, ladle into clean half pint jelly jars to 1/4 inch headspace.
• Wipe the rim of the jar well and add a clean lid to the top of the jar, securing with a screw band.
• Place half-pint jars or smaller into your water bath canner or steam canner and process for 10 minutes, adjusting processing time for elevation if needed.
• Once processing time is complete, shut off heat, and remove jars from canner to a heat proof surface lined with a clean towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours. 
• Once cooled, remove rings, test for a good seal, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight and extreme temperatures.
• Any jars that did not seal can be reprocessed, transferred to a freezer-safe container and frozen for later, or stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Notes

If you don’t want to use honey, you can use sugar or maple syrup.  Whatever you want.

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