Strawberry Freezer Jam Recipe – An Easy Small Batch Recipe

If you have never made homemade jam because the entire process seems too difficult and time consuming, you are going to love this Strawberry Freezer Jam recipe. It is not only super easy to make, it requires only 4 ingredients.

And because this is not a canning recipe there is no special equipment required. All you need is a knife, a saucepan, and a freeze safe storage containers.

With less than an hour in the kitchen, you will have 5 cups of jam made and ready for the refrigerator or freezer. Best of all, because this recipe is so easy to make you can multiple batches throughout the year so you will never need to buy store-bought jam again!

Jam vs. Jelly

Whenever I share a jam recipe, I always get the question about what the difference is between jam and jelly. In the most simplest explanation, jam is made with fresh fruit and jelly is made from the juice of the fruit, not the fruit itself.

Although they both have the similar flavor, the texture between the two is quite different. Jam is thicker and it has small chunks the fruit scattered throughout.

On the contrary, jelly is more smooth in texture and contains no actual pieces of fruit. Jelly is somewhat transparent and is known for its gelatinous consistency.

Therefore, because this recipe uses fresh strawberries, it is considered strawberry freezer jam and not jelly. However instead of using the traditional method of making and canning jam this process is much easier.

Preserving jam typically involves boiling fruit with pectin. Then the jam is put into mason jars and boiled in a hot water bath so that it can have a shelf stable life for up to a year.

However, that takes a lot of time and effort. So instead, this small batch recipe focuses on an easier way to make jam that requires no cooking of the strawberries, and no canning equipment!

Small Batch Strawberry Jam Recipe

*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups crushed strawberries, approximately 1 quart of strawberries
• 4 cups granulated white sugar*
• 1 box (1 3/4-ounce) SURE-JELL Premium Fruit Pectin
• 3/4 cup water

*Use the exact amount of sugar listed in this recipe. I have tried to decrease the amount, however the jam won’t set up properly. If you prefer to make sugar free strawberry jam, you can follow this recipe: Sugar-Free Strawberry Jam.

INSTRUCTIONS

The first step in making homemade strawberry freezer jam is the prepare the strawberries. You will need 2 cups of crushed strawberries.

Most often times, 1 quart of strawberries will equal 2 cups of crushed berries. However, I prefer to have extra strawberries on hand just in case a few of them have bad spots that must be removed.

Start by washing the strawberries, then pat them dry. Use a strawberry huller to remove the stem and hull.

If you don’t have a strawberry huller, use a small paring knife. Just be sure to not remove too much of the top section around the core. Otherwise you will definitely need the extra berries to get your 2 cups.

Then use a knife to cut each strawberry into 6-8 sections, depending on how big the berries are. Place the cut pieces into a wide bowl so that it will be easy to crush them.

Crush The Strawberries

In order to crush the firm berries, it is best to use a potato masher or metal, rigid pastry blender. Both will be strong enough to crush the berries into small pieces.

If you have a food processor you can use that instead to crush the berries. However, you need to be very careful if you are using this method.

You must lightly pulse the berries. Otherwise the strawberries will puree and become too thin. You want the homemade strawberry freezer jam to have a slight chunky texture with small bits of fruit visible.

Whatever method you use to crush the berries, measure the exact amount needed (2 cups) and place them into a medium size bowl.

Add The Sugar

Once the berries are in the bowl add the sugar and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

As the mixture sits the sugar will penetrate the strawberries and allow them to release more of their juice. Once the time is up, prepare the pectin mixture.

Prepare The Pectin

Add the pectin powder and water to a small saucepan. Stir and place the burner on high heat.

Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. When a rapid boil is formed, allow the mixture to boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Then immediately remove the saucepan from the heat. Pour the pectin mixture over the strawberries and sugar mixture. Stir for 3 minutes, or until sugar has completely dissolved.

It is okay if you see just a few sugar crystals. However, the majority of them needs to be dissolved. Once they are dissolved it is time to fill your freezer containers with the homemade strawberry jam.

Ladle the jam in freezer safe containers. Be sure to leave 1/2 inch headspace at the top of the container. This will allow room for the jam to expand as it freezes.

Before freezing, clean any jam that may have spilled onto the rims with a damp washcloth or paper towel. Then cover the containers with air tight lids.

Let the jam sit at room temperature for at least 8 hours before freezing. You can also let it sit overnight (up to 24 hours) before storing.

Now it is time to decide how to store the homemade strawberry freezer jam. If you are going to use it right away, store the jam in the refrigerator. It will remain good for up to 3 weeks.

Otherwise store the jam in the freezer for up to one year. Then when you are ready to use it, place it in the refrigerator and allow it to thaw before using.

Enjoy the jam with a slice of No Yeast Bread or on your next PB&J sandwich!

Enjoy! Mary

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