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This super easy strawberry freezer jam is the perfect way to use up all those sweet summer strawberries. It’s excellent spread on toast or spooned over ice cream.
Nothing makes me think of my grandma quicker than tasting delicious strawberry freezer jam.
If you’ve never had freezer jam, you’re in for a delicious treat! It’s perfect to spread over tasty Cinnamon Raisin Sourdough Bread or spoon over creamy vanilla ice cream.
Any way you use this jam, you’ll be rewarded with delicious sweet berry flavor.
The funny thing is that when my grandma passed away, I was super upset that I never got her freezer jam recipe. One day, I called my mom and asked her if she had grandma’s recipe, and I was shocked to hear it was just the recipe from the side of the fruit pectin box.
I was bamboozled.
Then I laughed and realized that if she used the box directions, that was because it was delicious, AND SHE WAS NOT WRONG!
Ingredients for freezer jam
- Crushed strawberries
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Fruit pectin
- 6 pint jars
How to make strawberry jam
I like to quarter my berries, add them to a food processor, and pulse until crushed and chunky. If your berries are super ripe, you can also smash them with a potato masher. Add berries to a large bowl, add sugar, and stir until combined. Let this mixture rest for 10 minutes.
While your berries are resting, heat up your pectin.
Stir in the pectin to the berries, stir, stir, stir, and pour into the freezer storage containers. Let rest on the counter for 12-24 hours and then add to the freezer for storage of up to a year!
My Pro Tips
Recipe Tip
- Precise measuring – For this jam to set up, you MUST follow the directions to a T. That means you’ll want to ensure you have the exact amount of crushed strawberries and sugar. Freezer jam is slightly looser than traditional cooked jam, but it shouldn’t be liquidy. If, after 24 hours, your jam is not “jammy” in consistency, boil another box of pectin, add it to the jam, and rejar.
- Use real granulated sugar – The pectin needs natural granulated sugar to set up. You cannot use less or more granulated sugar, and you cannot use sugar substitutes like Truvia, Splenda, monk fruit, etc.
- Reuse all those jars – This is an excellent opportunity to use up your hoard of little glass jam jars. Leave the 1/2-inch head space at the top of the jar so the glass does not crack in the freezer. If you’re worried about glass breaking, use plastic containers.
- Room at the top – Leave at least a 1/2-inch space at the top of your jars. This will allow the jam to freeze without cracking the glass. This is very important—please don’t overfill!
Variations and Substitutions
- Add some sweetness
- Strawberry vanilla bean freezer jam: after making the jam, stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste and fill containers as instructed.
- Make it spicy
- Strawberry jalapeno freezer jam: after making the jam, stir in 1/2 cup finely minced fresh jalapeno and fill containers as instructed.
- Fresh herb season
- Strawberry basil freezer jam: after making the jam, stir in 1/4 cup minced basil and fill containers as instructed.
- Make it tart
- Strawberry lime freezer jam: after making the jam, stir in 1 tablespoon of fresh lime zest and fill containers as instructed.
FAQ’s
More preserving recipes
- Homemade Pumpkin Butter
- Vanilla Bean Strawberry Jam
- Vanilla Honey Peach Butter Recipe for Canning
- Carrot Cake Jam
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Equipment
- 6 Pint Jars plastic or glass
Ingredients
- 2 cups crushed strawberries
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 (1.75 ounce) box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
Instructions
- Wash 6 pint containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly and set aside.
- Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly. If desired, you can also chop berries in a food processor. This is what I did. You want it to remain slightly chunky.
- Measure exactly 2 cups of strawberries into large bowl.
- Stir the sugar into the berries. Let stand 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Mix water and pectin in a small saucepan and, stirring constantly, bring to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling and stirring for 1 minute.
- Add the hot pectin to the strawberry mixture and stir for 3 minutes or until sugar is almost dissolved. A few sugar crystals may remain.
- Fill each container with jam making sure to leave a 1/2 inch space on the top of the jars. This is important because it allows room for the jam to expand as it freezes.
- Wipe off the top edges of containers and immediately cover them with lids. Let stand at room temperature for 12-24 hours.
- After the jam has rested, store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.
- *If you have never had freezer jam before it will be a little looser than traditional jam. It will also be a little sweeter. Do not try to cut down on the sugar in the recipe or the jam may not set up correctly.
Notes
- Strawberry vanilla bean freezer jam: after the jam has been made, stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste and fill containers as instructed.
- Strawberry jalapeno freezer jam: after the jam has been made, stir in 1/2 cup finely minced fresh jalapeno and fill containers as instructed.
- Strawberry basil freezer jam: after the jam has been made, stir in 1/4 cup minced basil and fill containers as instructed.
- Strawberry lime freezer jam: after the jam has been made, stir in 1 tablespoon of fresh lime zest and fill containers as instructed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Your site looks lovely… And, so does this strawberry freezer jam. Yum! 🙂
What a lovely site with stunning, delicious photography! I am new to your blog; but, I enjoy your writing, especially because I am also from OH but now live near you in NYC (and love visiting the Hudson Valley). This post was endearing as both my grandmas were also amazing, loving women and cooks too; so, I can appreciate the sentiment that went into such a charming jam recipe. Quick question though, is there a more health-conscious substitute you could recommend for the sugar in this recipe? Perhaps, grape juice, honey, agave nectar or something? I prefer to avoid plain white sugar when possible. Otherwise, this looks fantastic! Thanks for sharing, and best wishes in all your cooking, wedding and blogging endeavors!
Hi Christian! Hooray for another Ohio native 🙂 Because the jam is a no-cook/freezer jam you need to use the sugar to help set the pectin in the jam. If you use too little sugar it will be really thin. I made a strawberry jam last year (https://www.nutmegnanny.com/2011/07/13/vanilla-strawberry-jam/) that does use a little less sugar. It’s a cooked recipe that can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of months. I think it would be an easier recipe to adapted with less sugar. Hope you enjoy the jam!
Thanks so much for your helpful and prompt reply, much appreciated. I’ll definitely try them both out. Thank you!
I never made strawberry jam. You intrigued me directly. Wink In the near future I will definitely cook according to the above recipe. Thanks!