Make the most of the strawberry season with this delicious strawberry freezer jam recipe. It’s perfect for those summer picnics with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or to throw on top of warm biscuits in the middle of winter. Whatever the season or the reason, this easy homemade strawberry jam recipe is the perfect way to get that fresh strawberry flavor you love.
Strawberry season is here (and about to go) and I’ve been enjoying all sorts of strawberry goodies with my family!
We’ve tried out everything from strawberry lemonade, strawberry danishes, strawberry shortcake, and strawberry salad even to this delicious strawberry soup.
But sometimes you just can’t get through all of those strawberries before they go bad so my recommendation? Make strawberry freezer jam you can enjoy all year round with fresh fruit you made into jam yourself!
Or if you don’t want to use the end of the batch, you can always buy or pick your own strawberries just to make this jam!
This is not only the easiest strawberry jam recipe ever, but it also freezes well for months which means you get the freshest tasting jam all year round. It’s perfect for topping off a bowl of vanilla ice cream, eating with waffles, or on a slice of homemade bread.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick – this great recipe can be done in twenty minutes but makes enough jam to last months, or days if your name is Joey Tribbiani. Pretty sure this jam would be one of the best Friends themed foods!
- Simple ingredients – it uses only three ingredients – fresh berries, sugar, and a thickening agent. That’s it, just three simple ingredients that can all be found at your local grocery store.
- Shareable – nothing says I love you quite like a jar of homemade strawberry freezer jam. This recipe makes it easy to divide up and gift others. Give it out with some of these berry gift tags (to be punny) or with one of these thank you tags!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Strawberries – you’ll want to use fresh strawberries for this recipe. Local strawberries, fresh picked strawberries, or store-bought ones all work great for this. Unfortunately, using frozen ones will alter the consistency of the jam and likely make it more watered down than you want.
- Sugar – this recipe is intended to have less sugar than a traditional jam recipe, which also means it will be a little thinner than normal. If you are wanting a thicker, sweeter jam, simply add more sugar. You can add up to four cups of sugar in total if you want a sweeter version.
- Fruit Pectin – for anyone who is buying this for the first time, you’ll find it in the baking section of most grocery stores. Get the pectin box that says “real fruit” or mentions freezer jam on it. Make sure you check the ounces when you get to check how many ounces are in a box of pectin. You’ll need at least four ounces in total. If you’re planning to make a lot of jam, you can get a bulk pack on Amazon too.
How to make Freezer Jam
This might be the easiest recipe I have on my site (okay well maybe not, this homemade fruit punch really is the easiest).
It really is just a matter of mashing, mixing, and freezing. It’s perfect recipe to make when your strawberries are about to go bad and you don’t want them to go to waste.
I have the full instructions listed below along with helpful pictures and the printable recipe card at the bottom.
1 – Prep The Strawberries
As with any fresh fruit, you’ll want to make sure the fruit is clean and dry.
I like to soak my strawberries to make sure they are extra clean, but you can just wash them with water as well. This is also the best time to sort through and make sure you are using ripe strawberries and toss out any that are gross.
Once you have your strawberries, cut all the tops off. I’d suggest buying a strawberry huller if you eat a lot of strawberries. It saves a ton of time.
2 – Make The Jam
The next step to making delicious strawberry jam is to mash strawberries. The easiest way to do this is to place them in a food processor and pulse them just a few times. You can also use a potato masher if you prefer.
Once the strawberries are mashed, whisk together the sugar and pectin until combined in a separate bowl.
Add the berries you just mashed into the mixing bowl and stir until the mashed strawberries are coated in the sugar and pectin.
Stir for three minutes to make sure it gets fully incorporated into the strawberries. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl as you mix so you fully incorporate all the sugar crystals.
Ladle the strawberry mixture into freezer-safe containers and freeze. If you are looking to share the delicious jam with others, make sure to divide it here before you freeze it. I find that half-pint jars are a great way to store and share them.
3 – Freeze And Serve
Place the freezer-safe jars into the freezer until solid. When ready to serve, allow to unthaw for an hour at room temperature until you are ready to spread. Enjoy on your favorite bread, muffins, English muffins, or pretty much any way you want.
This would also be a great option to add to one of these breakfast charcuterie boards!
Expert Tips & Storage Info
Mash in other fresh types of fresh berries to make a mixed berry jam. Simply add them to the mashing step and make sure to keep the overall quantity the same.
Any freezer-safe container will work to store this. I prefer glass, but it works in plastic as well.
Store in smaller containers so you can use them throughout the year. Once the jam is unthawed, you don’t want to freeze it again, so you’ll want to use containers small enough that you can use it up before it goes bad.
Store the containers of jam in the freezer for up to a year or store the jam in the fridge for four weeks after thawing.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! This recipe requires the use of pectin since it doesn’t use any heat. The pectin allows this strawberry freezer jam recipe to be as easy as it is!
Freezer jam uses uncooked fresh fruit while regular jam requires the fruit to be cooked.
To make this thicker (and sweeter), you can add sugar, up to four cups total. Don’t go over four cups or the consistency of the jam will be off.
More Easy Strawberry Recipes
If you love strawberries like me, you have to try out these other delicious strawberry recipes!
- Strawberry shortcake dip – this dip tastes just like strawberry shortcake but in dessert dip form!
- Strawberry muffins – light and fluffy strawberry muffins that would be perfect for this strawberry jam!
- Strawberry kool aid cake – this delicious strawberry poke cake is made with the help of kool aid!
- Strawberry mocktail – this is one of the best mocktail recipes that combines strawberry and citrus flavors!
- Strawberry cheesecake bars – graham cracker crust, strawberry filling, and an oatmeal crumble make these a summer must-try!
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Ingredients
- 2 quarts fresh strawberries rinsed and stemed
- 2 cups sugar
- 6 Tbsp fruit pectin
Instructions
- The first step to making freezer jam is to mash the berries. Pulse a few times in a food processor or by hand.2 quarts fresh strawberries
- Next in a large bowl whisk together the sugar and pectin until combined.2 cups sugar, 6 Tbsp fruit pectin
- Add in the berries you just mashed into the mixing bowl and stir until the strawberries are coated in the sugar and pectin. Stir for 3 minutes.
- Ladle the Jam into containers and freeze.
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