Strawberry Freezer Jam

This easy strawberry freezer jam comes together quickly, with just 4 simple ingredients, no fruit pectin, and no refined sugar! Perfectly sweet and spreadable, you’ll want to have multiple batches in your freezer.

If you’re like me and have always wanted to be a member of the “I can make jam” club, but seem to be missing the jam gene, THIS is the recipe for you.

My Fruit Butter is delicious, and now I have a jam recipe that officially makes me The Lady That Makes Jam.

Hats off to my mother-in-law, who makes the full-blown real-deal jam and cans it and makes it look easy. This recipe is for the rest of us mere mortals who aren’t quite ready for those extra steps.

If you need an easy recipe for strawberry freezer jam, you’re in the right place!

STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

This CRAZY easy strawberry freezer jam is amazing because of all of the things you DON’T need:

• No intense cooking. There is a smidge of warming, but we can handle warming.
• Zero canning. No pressure cooker OR water bath canning. Once the jam is in the jars, you’re finished!
• No pectin. Because I normally don’t have it, since I’ve given up on traditional jam…
• Zero refined sugar. Only natural sweeteners here!

STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM RECIPE INGREDIENTS

This strawberry freezer jam recipe has just 4 simple ingredients: strawberries, lemon, gelatin, and honey. That’s it!

FRESH STRAWBERRIES

It’s important that you use sweet-tasting ripe strawberries when you’re making jam. Since we aren’t adding sugar, some of the sweetness of the jam will come from the berries themselves (and some from the honey).

To keep your costs down, consider using ”jam berries”, the not-so-pretty but oh-so-delicious berries that you can find at farmer’s markets (check out my Ultimate Guide to Shopping the Farmer’s Market).

I always shop around for the best prices and take advantage of seasonal sales – one of the foundational principles of my eCourse Grocery Budget Bootcamp. Grocery Budget Bootcamp enrollment is currently closed, but you can join my FREE 5-day Crush Inflation Challenge and start saving money on groceries tomorrow!

Strawberry freezer jam lasts up to a year in the freezer, so you can make enough for quite a while when berries are at their lowest price!

LEMON

Don’t let the amount of lemon in this recipe deter you – I promise you won’t notice the flavor.

Remember how this is a no pectin strawberry freezer jam recipe? 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 from a lemon.

GELATIN

Aside from the lemon zest and pulp, gelatin is the secret ingredient to making your no-cook strawberry freezer jam without pectin still get that wiggly jiggly texture!

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 this time. When you use a small amount of gelatin AND when you combine the gelatin 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 some brands of gelatin in typical grocery stores, usually in the baking aisle. Ideally though, since it is an animal product, you want to buy the best gelatin you can afford.

This is the gelatin I use and recommend. It’s not the cheapest brand you’ll find, but this one container will make a lot of jam, and it won’t leave any ‘beef’ flavor either.

HONEY

We’re skipping the white sugar in this recipe (one small step towards quitting sugar) and going natural with one of my favorite sweeteners, honey!

Since this is a no-cook freezer strawberry jam recipe, it’s IDEAL for using raw honey!

I recommend contacting the 4-H club in your county for a source of local raw honey. If you don’t have raw honey locally available, this is my recommended go-to raw honey brand.

EQUIPMENT FOR MAKING FREEZER STRAWBERRY JAM RECIPE

Zester. I HIGHLY recommend using a zester (a.k.a. microplane), despite my saying it was a kitchen appliance you didn’t need. In this case, it makes life much easier. Add it to your Christmas list, borrow one from a neighbor, or get free 2-day shipping via Amazon Prime (here’s a link to try Amazon Prime FREE for 30 days!) To sign up for the Prime free trial, go to Amazon Prime. Then, select Start your free trial and follow the on-screen instructions if prompted. While you won’t be charged for your free trial, you’ll be upgraded to a paid membership plan automatically at the end of the trial period. – trust me when I say a zester makes your strawberry jamming life wonderful. You can also use the side of a box grater with the smaller holes.

Juicer. You also want to use a cheap juicer like this one. This cheapy doesn’t do any straining, which is good. You actually WANT a little bit of the pulp in your jam, because then you get an extra bit of natural pectin.

Blender. I also used my Blendtec (like this one), but you can use any blender or food processor. I’ve used this small food processor for years and love it.

HOMEMADE STRAWBERRY JAM INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1. Prep all the strawberries. Place 1 cup of strawberries in a blender or food processor and puree until mostly smooth.

Step 2. Pour the lemon juice into a medium-sized stockpot. Sprinkle gelatin on top of the lemon juice. Let it sit for 2 minutes.

Step 3. 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.)

Step 4. Warm the mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat.

Step 5. If you want a smooth jam, pulse the remaining strawberries in a food processor or blender until the desired consistency is reached. If you want chunky jam, add the remaining strawberries to the pot and mash them with a potato masher or the bottom of a glass.

Step 6. Add the lemon zest and honey and stir well to combine.

Step 7. Carefully pour the strawberry mixture into pint glass jars, leaving a bit of room at the top for expansion in the freezer, let it cool, and place it in the refrigerator overnight. Keep it in the fridge to use right away or move it to the freezer for longer storage.

Strawberry freezer jam is good for at least a week in the fridge, and up to a year in the freezer.

STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM RECIPE TIPS

If the name “easy no-cook strawberry freezer jam” didn’t give it away, this is NOT a shelf-stable recipe. This is a cold storage recipe…which comes with a few perks.

Perk #1: You can reuse old jars.

If you were canning strawberry jam like you would can Homemade Applesauce or Homemade Canned Diced Tomatoes, I’d recommend using new lids to ensure your jam jars actually seal properly.

But since you’re NOT canning, you can use any jar you want (as long as it has a lid). Here’s my easy method for taking old labels off of jars.

I still used these cute pint canning jars for one of the batches I made, because I’m giving the kids’ teachers jam as a gift. However, the batches going in my own freezer I put in reused 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.

Perk #2: You’re not heating up the house in the summer.

Your jam will be good in your fridge for at least a week, and probably longer.

In the freezer, your strawberry jam is good for up to a year. To thaw, move one jar from the freezer to the fridge and let it slowly warm (from freezing to cold) overnight.

TO SERVE STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

The most obvious way to enjoy this no pectin strawberry freezer jam is on a PB&J sandwich, but it’s also yummy:

• Spread on toast: Sourdough Bread or Biscuits
• On Pancakes or Waffles
• Mixed into Yogurt
• Stirred into Oatmeal
• Added to a batch of Vanilla Ice Cream to make a strawberry-flavored treat!
• In a batch of Jam Oatmeal Bars or on top of Chocolate Chip Scones

STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM FAQS

OTHER YUMMY WAYS TO ENJOY STRAWBERRIES

• Dehydrate Strawberries for snacks
• How to Freeze Strawberries for smoothies
• Strawberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
• Strawberry Chocolate Granola
• Homemade Ice Pops
• Strawberry Pancakes

WATCH HOW TO MAKE EASY STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM