My kids LOVE this easy recipe for freezer strawberry jam. It has no pectin, no sugar and it’s great for beginners. We tried others, but this is the best!
I’m starting to think you need a certain gene in your DNA to make strawberry jam, and that I don’t have that gene.
Every attempt I’ve made at making strawberry jam has gone terribly wrong. Maybe that’s why I tend to stick to making fruit butter instead…
In any case, I desperately want to be in the “I can make jam” club, so I found a cheater’s way to make jam: easy no-cook freezer strawberry jam!
Now, if you can make strawberry jam the traditional way, my hat goes off to you. My mother-in-law makes THE BEST homemade jam from fruit she grows in her very own garden. She gives us pints as stocking stuffers and packs some in the kids’ suitcase when they’re done visiting in the summer.
I want to be able to do that. I want to give jam to other people. And I want other people to smile and feel special when they open a jar of strawberry jam that I gave them. I’ve been on the recipient end, and now I want to be on the giving end!
There’s one catch though. I can’t make strawberry jam.
I can’t make any jam really, and it doesn’t matter what recipe I follow. It doesn’t work.
- It burns.
- It’s not sweet enough.
- It doesn’t gel.
- It’s TOO sweet.
For a long time, I’ve resigned to just being content with eating other people’s jam and doing other things with the strawberries from the u-pick farm, like dehydrating strawberries for snacks, making a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette for summer salads, strawberry chocolate granola for breakfast or homemade ice pops for dessert.
Or even strawberry pancakes. Everyone loves strawberry pancakes (and no one likes burned jam).
But I really, really, REALLY want to make strawberry jam!
I’m hoping I’m not the only one who can’t make jam, so I’m going out on a limb here and sharing my cheater’s version of homemade strawberry jam.
This CRAZY easy strawberry freezer jam recipe requires:
- No intense cooking (there is a smidge of warming, but we can handle warming)
- Zero canning (via pressure cooker OR water bath)
- No pectin (because I normally don’t have it, since I’ve given up on traditional jam…)
- Zero sugar (only natural sweeteners here!)
In short, it’s a strawberry freezer jam recipe. Except it’s BETTER than every other freezer jam recipe because it actually gels like jam should gel!
You know how most freezer jam recipes don’t gel? And you’re really spreading a glorified syrup on your sandwich?
That’s not the case here. Really, truly, I promise you that you can scoop and spread your no-cook freezer strawberry jam onto any toast, bagel or cracker and it will stay in place WITHOUT pectin or tons of sugar.
Doesn’t that sound lovely?
Oh my, it is!
Easy No-cook Strawberry Freezer Jam
Let’s discuss a few tidbits about this recipe before we dive in.
Strawberries
It’s important that you use good-tasting strawberries you’re making jam. If you wouldn’t eat the strawberry plain (you know the kind I’m talking about), then save them for something else or give them to the kids.
Don’t make strawberry jam with bad strawberries.
On the other hand, you CAN make strawberry jam with jam berries.
“Jam berries” are the not-so-pretty berries that you can find at farmer’s markets. They’re also known as “seconds,” and they’re PERFECT for strawberry jam.
If you’re new to shopping farmer’s markets, check out my Ultimate Guide to Shopping the Farmer’s Market. It will help you get the best quality for the best price, year-round!
Also, my “buy price” for strawberries is $1/lb for conventional or $2/lb for organic. If we’re picking locally, I aim for around $1.50/lb.
Anytime you can shop around and get the rock bottom price, you are making the most of your budget! This is one of my core principles in Grocery Budget Bootcamp. It has helped me keep my family’s grocery budget at $330/month for many years!
Lemon
Don’t let the amount of lemon in this recipe deter you – I promise you won’t notice.
Remember how this recipe doesn’t have pectin? Well, you do need something to help the strawberry jam actually become jam, and citrus is a good natural source of pectin. Specifically, the zest and the pulp.
I HIGHLY recommend using a zester (a.k.a. microplane) and a juicer. I just recently added this zester to my kitchen (despite me saying it was a kitchen appliance you didn’t need), and I’m so glad I did! I’ve been “making do” with the small holes of a cheese grater and a kitchen knife for quite some time, but having a zester makes ALL.THE.DIFFERENCE.
Add it to your Christmas list, borrow one from a neighbor or get free 2-day shipping via Amazon Prime (which you can try for FREE for 30 days!) – trust me when I say a zester makes your strawberry jamming life wonderful.
You also want to use a cheap juicer like this one. I got mine at the dollar store ages ago and it’s absolutely perfect for the job. This cheapy doesn’t do any straining, which is good. You actually WANT a little bit of the pulp, because you get an extra bit of natural pectin there.
It’s fine if your juicer does strain out the pulp. Don’t go out to get a cheap juicer just for this recipe.
(But DO consider the zester!)
I also used my Blendtec (like this one) in this recipe, but you can use any blender and/or a food processor. I’ve used this small food processor for years and love it.
Gelatin
Aside from the lemon zest and pulp, gelatin is the secret ingredient to making your no-cook strawberry freezer jam recipe gel!
Typically gelatin is associated with making jello, and I have it in my pantry because it’s a treat to make our own homemade gummies, but we’re not making jello in this strawberry jam recipe. We’re using a small amount AND when you combine it with lemon juice and lemon zest, it creates the perfect amount of jam-gel.
Gelatin comes from animals, and you should be able to find mainstream gelatin in typical grocery stores. Ideally though, since it is an animal product, you want to buy the best gelatin you can afford.
I’ve tried two different types of grass-fed gelatin before. One tasted like nothing (which is good) and the other had a slight hint of beef.
The beef flavor isn’t a big deal if you’re thickening up gravy or a stew, but I certainly don’t want my strawberry jam tasting like hamburger. Do you?
This is the gelatin I use and recommend. It’s not “cheap,” but this one container will make a lot of jam! You end up using about 1 tsp of gelatin per pint of jam, so this container makes 192 pints of jam. It comes out to just 11¢ per pint, and I consider that a good deal for a far better product.
Honey
We’re skipping the white sugar in this recipe (one small step towards quitting sugar) and going au natural with one of my favorite sweeteners, honey!
Anytime you bake with honey, I recommend NOT using raw honey since the heat will kill all the good and beneficial enzymes that come from raw honey.
But since this is a no-cook recipe, this is IDEAL for using raw honey!
We use raw honey as a way to manage seasonal allergies naturally, so for us, this is a super-easy way to continue the low daily dosage.
If you are interested in raw honey, I recommend contacting the 4-H club in your county OR ordering from Tropical Traditions. Their raw honey is from Canada, so it won’t help with seasonal allergies as much, but you’ll still get all the other beneficial enzymes.
Storage
If the name “easy no-cook freezer strawberry jam” didn’t give it away, this is not a shelf-stable recipe. This is a store-in-your-fridge-or-freezer type of recipe… which comes with a few perks.
First, you can re-use old jars.
If you were canning this strawberry jam, like you would can homemade applesauce or make homemade canned diced tomatoes, I’d recommend using new lids to ensure your jam actually cans properly. But since you’re NOT canning, you can use any jar you want (as long as it has a lid). Here’s my method for taking old labels off jars with just one ingredient.
I still used these cute pint canning jars for one of the batches I made, because I’m giving the kids’ teachers jam as an end-of-the-year gift. My other batches though, I put in re-used coconut oil jars!
If you’re going to freeze this strawberry jam, this post on how to freeze in glass jars without breaking them is a MUST read.
Second, you’re not heating up the house in the summer.
Your jam will be good in your fridge for at least a week. I’m sure it’ll last longer thanks to the honey and lemon (both are natural preservatives), but my kids gobble this strawberry jam up pretty fast.
In the freezer, your strawberry jam is good for up to a year. To thaw, move one from the freezer to the fridge and let it slowly warm (from freezing to cold) overnight.
Alrighty then – IT’S TIME TO JAM!
Watch How to Make Easy No-cook Freezer Strawberry Jam
- 5 cups strawberries, cut into 1” pieces (about 2 ½ lbs strawberries washed, hulled and cut up – measure after cutting)
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest (the zest from about 1 large lemon)
- ¼ cup lemon juice (the juice from about 1 large lemon)
- 3½ tsp gelatin
- ¼ cup honey
- Prep all the strawberries. Place 1 cup of strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree until mostly smooth.
- Pour lemon juice into a medium-sized stockpot. Sprinkle gelatin on top of the lemon juice. Set the timer for 2 minutes.
- Pour the pureed strawberries into the pot and turn the stove on medium-low. (You are NOT cooking the mixture. This is merely to warm the gelatin so it is not lumpy and will dissolve evenly among the jam.)
- Warm the mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring often until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
- Remove from the heat.
- If you want a smooth jam, pulse the remaining strawberries in a food processor or blender until desired texture. If you want a chunky jam, add the remaining strawberries to the pot and mash with a potato masher or the bottom of a glass.
- Add the lemon zest and honey and stir well to combine.
- Carefully pour the jam into pint glass jars and place in the fridge overnight. Jam is good for at least a week in the fridge. Store in the freezer for long-term storage.
I also have a mother-in-law who can make the best strawberry jam! Will she be offended when I try your recipe? She’ll never know … 😀
LOL – I love your philosophy on this! 🙂
Hi ,
Thank you for all your homemade recipes. I really appreciate the effort 😀😀. I wanted to ask if there are any plant based sources of gelatin or from fish?
You’re very welcome! Here’s a post on vegan alternatives for gelatin. I haven’t experimented with any of them, but you’re welcome to!
http://www.thekitchn.com/vegetarian-and-vegan-substitutes-for-gelatin-tips-from-the-kitchn-189478
Hi Tiffany! You may want to check out something I switched to a couple of summers ago! It’s called chilling powder and it’s all plant based gelatin from Mary Jane Farms. Really great sub for animal based.
Thanks Susan!
I just made this, I love it! I think this will be my go-to recipe for strawberry jam 🙂
I did bring my strawberries to boiling temperature first since they weren’t the freshest thinking it’ll help a jar last longer in the fridge, and it didn’t affect the consistency at all.
Also, as I was juicing my lemons I went ahead and juiced oranges and thought, Why not use orange zest? It has a really nice flavor and pairs well with the strawberry 😉
Wonderful news Brittany! I’m so glad you like it. It is super easy, isn’t it? I love the idea of adding orange zest too. I bet it has a super “fresh” taste, right?
Is the gelatin the same as the boxes of unflavored gelatin in the Jello aisle?
Yes it is Victoria, except the quality of grass-fed gelatin is better. Use what you have and what you can afford!
Tried this recipe. While it’s good, the lemons mask the flavor of the strawberries. It’s more like a strawberry lemonade jam instead of strawberry. Kind of disappointed in flavor however most of my kids give it a thumbs up. So all in all I’m glad I tried it because it’s something new and different and healthy 🙂
Hi Amber! I appreciate your thoughts on this recipe! I’m thinking our palates may be different, or perhaps your berries weren’t very sweet in the first place? I tried this a couple times to ensure the lemon wasn’t overpowering, and I didn’t think it was. In either case, I’m glad the kids enjoyed it!
Would the recipe still work if you did the lemon juice but omitted the zest? I love the lemon but for those who don’t really like it.
The zest has the most pectin and I haven’t made this without it, so it may or may not work. Worst case though, you have delicious strawberry syrup. 🙂
I thought the same thing. It gelled really nicely though. Just wondering if you could use more gelatin and less to no lemon and still get jam results.
Really enjoy the taste of this jam.
Do you have a similar recipe for raspberries? I loved the ease of your strawberry jam recipe and that I could use honey. My husband is a diabetic and honey is better for him than sugar.
Hi Debbie! I completely missed raspberry season here in Georgia, so I haven’t tested that yet. With that said, you could swap raspberries for strawberries in this recipe and come out with something pretty good! Taste before you’re done, since raspberries can vary significantly in sweet/tart flavor. The lemon would stay the same (since it’s for pectin, not flavor). Let me know if you give this a shot!
I tried this jam and my kids love it! I love that it has no sugar and no Pectin. It looks and smells great! I like it, but I kinda felt that you could taste the lemon a little too much. Didnt have a very strong strawberry flavor, like the lemon kinda masked that. But still, I definitely want to make it again!
Same here. Very lemony! We liked it, but heads up to anyone who might not.
Yep, very lemony! I was trying to be super careful to with measuring my strawberries
Does this thicken as it cools? Wondering if I should add more gelatin? Mines soupy.
Katrina, it does thicken as it cools and as it’s in the fridge. I don’t remember mine being soupy, but it wasn’t super thick on the stove. Once it cools and is in the fridge/freezer, it’s perfect spreading consistency.
Could I use this recipe with other fruit? Also could I use other sweeteners like Stevia?
I see that the recipe calls for gelatin. could I use KNORR Unflavored gelatin?
Hi Linda – I’m sure you can use the same premise for other fruits and sweeteners, but I haven’t tested anything other than this particular recipe. For gelatin, the KNORR brand should work – but again – I haven’t tested it myself.
My husband has to go on the FODMAP elimination diet, which eliminates store bought jam, so I’m going to try this but I’ll have to sub out the honey with regular sugar, since honey is high FODMAP. Hoping it still turns out ok 🙂
Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome!
I made this jam it’s delicious, a little lemony but my family liked it! I was wondering could I use coconut sugar instead of honey? Have you tried it?
I haven’t tried it Stephanie, but I bet it would be good!
Awesome! I tried to make this same thing last week, but without your recipe, so I left out the lemon and probably used different proportions of the other ingredients.
My daughter doesn’t care for strawberry chia seed jam that I make, so I was hoping gelatin would work. I can’t wait to try your jam!
I hope you like it as much as we do Rachel!
Do you think this would freeze well? I love making freezer jam and would love to try this, but we just don’t eat it enough and I know we wouldn’t get it eaten before is spoiled if I can’t freeze it.
Yes and no… It freezes great, but I thought that the jam lost it’s “gel” factor quicker when it thawed compared to the freshly made batch. I’d flash freeze the strawberries instead to make a smaller batch up front. 🙂
So can you do this with frozen berries? Are does it make it too juicy and soupy?
It might work with frozen berries, but you’d want to thaw and drain them. Jam is typically made with fresh so it might take a little experimenting.
Wow, I am so impressed by this recipe! My husband and I have eliminated sugar from our diet and have not had a good jam until now. I substituted 1/2 cup of truvia for honey and it turned out perfect! thank you so much Tiffany.
You’re very welcome Susan! Thanks for sharing the substitution idea!
Thank you for this recipes – and will explore your site more fully – I posted this on fb with the following I made this today, with a couple of alterations – I couldn’t use lemon juice and no lemon zest – allergies, so I used balsamic strawberry vinegar (you can use vinegar to sub out the lemon juice)- half the amount of lemon juice and because I didn’t read all directions carefully, I crushed all the berries and added them and the honey to the pot – and It all Worked out – very good and just the honey – Delicious
I’m glad you enjoyed this Anna! Great substitution with the balsamic strawberry vinegar, too!
I was inspired to try this today after looking at the cost of Smucker’s fruit spread I have been buying for years, and also for a great deal on strawberries. I added a bit more honey after tasting to cut the tart from the lemon. I’m excited to try this with blueberries next…after buying more jars and lemons. 😆
Thanks, Tiffany!
Yay! I’m so glad you’ve switched over Lisa. Your family is going to love the homemade version!
Jam was a bit lemony but good. I’m interested in how will the jam hold up if shipping to my family. What is the life span of this jam, 6 month to a year or less. Will definitely make again.
We’re still eating our jam from last year, Scottie! If kept in the freezer, you have some time. I don’t know about shipping though, as it wouldn’t keep cold enough.