Capture summer in a jar with this Homemade Strawberry Jam canning recipe made with fresh, ripe strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice with no preservatives.
Homemade Strawberry Jam is where my canning season starts every year. It’s the first recipe I make each summer, and it’s a good one to start with if you’ve never canned before. It’s easy to follow, the batch is small, and the odds of making a mistake are quite low.
This recipe makes just three half-pints, which is plenty for most households. It’s adapted from Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard’s Small Batch Preserving, a book I’d recommend to anyone who doesn’t need pints and pints of jam to get through the year. Double it if you do.
There’s nothing in these jars but strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. No preservatives of any kind.
Recipe Snapshot: Homemade Strawberry Jam
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Inactive Time: 1 day, 8 hours
Total Time: 1 day, 9 hours
Servings: 24
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Stovetop (Waterbath canning)
Primary Ingredients: Strawberries, sugar, lemon juice
Skill Level: Easy
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For readers who enjoy the stories that often surround traditional recipes, I’ve written more about my personal memories over on my Substack, Notes From the Kitchen.
Learn the Basics of Canning Before You Start – It’s Important!
If you’ve never tried canning anything before, please (I’m begging you) educate yourself on the correct procedure before you start. It is imperative to properly sterilize your jars and to use an approved canning recipe.
And the technique is critical. Old techniques such as the inversion method (turning the jars upside down to seal rather than processing in a water bath) and melted paraffin seals are no longer used. They’re downright dangerous. And, just because “Mama always did it that way and we never got sick” is NOT justification for using incorrect and outdated canning techniques.
Know Your Sources
For a beginning canner, if you purchase nothing else, the best money you can invest is in getting a copy of the Ball Blue Book. It’s put out by the people who make Ball canning jars and is considered the “canning bible.” It’s cheap, easy to read, and simple to follow.
A couple of other good resources are the Ball website and the experts-of-all-experts at the University of Georgia. They know their stuff. They are home to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Trust them.
I have lots of canning and preserving books. And I use all of them. Really I do. I might even need one or two more. Maybe.
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Ingredient Notes
- Fresh strawberries
- Granulated sugar
- Lemon juice
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Homemade Strawberry Jam
Hull and Halve the Strawberries
Pro Tip
For this recipe, you’ll need 4 cups of halved fresh strawberries. I purchased two baskets to make sure I had enough, and we had leftovers for several strawberry shortcakes.
Mix the Berries with Sugar
- Mix the berries with the sugar in a non-reactive pan (stainless or enamel). Cover the pan and let the berries stand for 8 hours. Stir the mixture occasionally just to distribute the sugar through the berries.
Boil the Berries and Sugar
- After the 8 hours of standing time, transfer the berries and sugar to a non-reactive pan (stainless steel or enamel) and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the lemon juice, return to boiling and allow to boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and let stand for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, place the pan back on the stove and bring the mixture to a full boil over high heat. Add the butter if using, and boil rapidly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
Pro Tip
The butter is simply to prevent the jam from foaming up so much. If you don’t want to add it, you can skip it, but you’ll need to skim the foam from the jam while it’s boiling. Much simpler for me to just add that smidgen of butter.
Process the Jam
- Ladle into sterile jars. Wipe the jar rims with a damp paper towel. Apply caps and rings. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
- Remove the jars and place them on a kitchen towel until cooled completely (about 24 hours). Listen for the “music” of the lids pinging. Makes 3 half-pints.
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Recipe
Homemade Strawberry Jam
Ingredients
- 4 cups firm strawberries halved or quartered (depending on size)
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon butter optional
Instructions
- Mix the berries with the sugar and let stand for 8 hours. Stir occasionally to distribute the sugar through the berries.4 cups firm strawberries, 2 cups granulated sugar
- Place the berry and sugar mixture in a medium non-reactive pan (stainless steel or enamel) and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the lemon juice, return to boiling and allow to boil rapidly for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 24 hours.¼ cup lemon juice
- After 24 hours, bring the mixture to a full boil over high heat, add butter (optional but recommended), and boil rapidly for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.½ teaspoon butter
- Ladle into sterile jars. Apply caps and rings and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath..
- Remove the jars and place them on a kitchen towel until cooled completely (about 24 hours).
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Hi Lana!
I was wondering if the strawberry and sugar would be the same for blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and peaches? Thank you for your recipes and posts!
This recipe is specifically for fresh strawberries. I’ve never tested it with other fruits.