Easy Strawberry Jam (No Pectin)

During my pregnancy, I was so into carbs!! Actually, scratch that… I’m always into carbs, but here I’m talking over-the-top-obsession with buttered toast smeared with jam. I literally went through and cleaned out my stash of jams. And since I needed to re-stock my pantry, I made a new batch of strawberry jam (my husband’s favorite) over the weekend, which prompted me to update this post with new photos and additional tips on making this fantastic, yet easy jam.

Update on October 25th, 2019: Plus, did you know you can make strawberry jam in an Instant Pot? It’s true, and super easy too! I’ll include the directions in the recipe card below.

WHAT CONSISTENCY THIS STRAWBERRY JAM HAS?

This recipe produces thick, yet slightly runny, soft jam that you can easily smear on your toast, croissant, or crepes. For reference, see the photo below.

4 TIPS TO MAKE THIS NO PECTIN STRAWBERRY JAM:

• Strawberries are naturally rich in pectin, that’s why I don’t add any additional commercial pectin. To clarify, there’s nothing wrong with pectin itself, I just don’t think it’s necessary in this recipe.
• Don’t reduce the sugar amount, as I call for absolute minimum amount for proper consistency and preserving. If you use less than specified amount of sugar, the mixture won’t reach 220°F no matter how long you cook it. Also, you’ll have to cook the jam longer to thicken it, which darkens the color and could burn the jam altogether.
• Don’t skip lemon juice, as acidity combined with sugar is crucial for proper set.
• Mashing the strawberries upfront helps release the natural pectin. Mash the fruits to the consistency you like. Since I like bigger fruit pieces in my jam, I leave some fruit slices in the mixture.

HOW TO CAN STRAWBERRY JAM:

• First, you’ll need to sterilize the jars by washing them in a soapy water and then dropping them in boiling water in a canning pot. (I don’t have a canning pot, so I use my deepest stock pot.) Make sure you use a canning rack on the bottom, or at least put a kitchen towel rag on the bottom of the pot, as I used to do back in 2013. If you set the glass jars directly in contact with the pot without a rack or rag, then the jars will break as they touch the hot bottom of the pot. If you’re doing lots of canning, you can sterilize the jars in a boiling water, and then arrange them on a baking sheet and transfer them into preheated oven (300°F) until ready to use.
• Place the lids and rings in a boiling water and turn the heat off. Don’t boil the water with the lids, as it reduces the quality of sealing rubber. Use a magnetic wand (it’s so cheap!), to fish out the lids when ready to seal the jars.
• Run a knife along the inside edges of the jar to remove the air bubbles in the jam. Be careful not to touch the bottom of the jar if using metal utensils, as one of my readers warned, it could scratch the glass, which could break the jar when heated. (Thanks, Jenn, for the tip!)
• Before placing the lids, wipe the edges of the jars with a wet towel/paper towel to clean any drips.
• Place the jars in a boiling water in a canning pot with a rack on the bottom. Make sure the jars are covered with at least 4 inches of water. Boil for 10 minutes, then turn the heat off and let them sit for 5 minutes before transferring the jars to a cooling rack.
• As the jars cool down, you should hear popping sounds. It’s a sign that the jars are being sealed.

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY JAM IN INSTANT POT:

As it turns out, you can make amazing strawberry jam in an Instant Pot. It’s truly a fuss-free method to turn loads of fresh strawberries into a sweet jam! No thermometer required!

1. Slice the strawberries and place them in inner pot of your Instant Pot along with sugar and lemon juice. Mix well and let it sit for 30 minutes to macerate.
2. In 30 minutes, the mixture will be saucy and with plenty of liquid to turn on the Instant Pot without adding any water.
3. Then you’ll set the Instant Pot for only 1 minutes on high pressure, followed by natural pressure release, which basically means leave it untouched to let all the pressure come out naturally, about 20 minutes. (If you’d like to learn more about natural pressure release vs quick release, this Instant Pot Guide is pretty helpful!)
4. Once the pressure pin drops, carefully open the lid. Jam will super liquid-y, but don’t worry, it’s totally normal. We’ll cook it down in the same pot. Hit “cancel” button and then set it to “saute”. Cook the jam, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes, or until the jam is nicely thickened.
5. Pour into a jar and cool completely. Jam will thicken more as it cools.

HOW TO STORE STRAWBERRY JAM:

• Store uncanned jams in the fridge for up to 1 month. (I have to admit I’ve had some jams longer though. It all depends how you handle it. If you only use clean utensils and open the jar infrequently, you won’t have problem storing it longer.)
• Store the sealed jars at room temperature for up to 1 year for best quality. Then again I’ve had some jars for over a year, the quality won’t be the same though.