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Strawberry Freezer Jam is the easiest way to capture peak summer strawberries, with bright, fresh fruit flavor and a soft set that beats anything from a jar. I make a big batch *every June* when the berries are sweetest, and we spread it on everything from toast to biscuits all year long. If you love putting up summer fruit, this is just as simple as our homemade peach jam.
There is no canning and no cooking the fruit, so you keep that fresh-picked strawberry taste in every single jar.
Strawberry Freezer Jam Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 2 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 2 hours 12 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 48 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 72kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Bright, fresh, and sweet with real strawberry flavor and a soft, spreadable set
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, as simple as our homemade cranberry jam
Quick Answer
To make strawberry freezer jam, crush fresh strawberries and stir in granulated sugar and vanilla, letting it sit until the sugar fully dissolves. Boil water and powdered fruit pectin for one minute, stir it into the strawberries, then ladle into clean jars. Let them sit at room temperature for 4 hours, then refrigerate or freeze. It keeps up to 4 weeks in the fridge or a year in the freezer.
Jump to:
- Strawberry Freezer Jam Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Strawberry Freezer Jam
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Strawberry Freezer Jam FAQs
- Other Recommended Easy Recipes
- Easy Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- No cooking the fruit. The strawberries are never cooked, so the jam tastes bright and fresh, like ripe summer berries.
- Pectin sets it soft. Boiling the powdered pectin for one minute gives the jam a perfect soft, spreadable set.
- Sugar draws out juice. Stirring in the sugar gradually pulls the natural juices from the berries for the best texture.
- A splash of vanilla. Vanilla rounds out the bright strawberry flavor and adds a subtle warmth.
- Freezer-friendly. Leaving headspace in the jars lets the jam expand safely in the freezer so it keeps for a year.
- Big batch, little effort. One batch makes nearly four dozen servings with just five simple ingredients.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes like fresh summer strawberries in a jar, far better than anything store-bought.
- There is no canning equipment or hot water bath, just stir, fill, and freeze.
- It makes a big batch and freezes for up to a year, like a sweeter cousin to our cranberry jam.
Key Ingredients
Here is what you need for this strawberry freezer jam. Just five simple ingredients let the fresh fruit shine.
- Strawberries: Use ripe, in-season strawberries for the sweetest, most vibrant jam. Crush them, leaving some chunks for texture.
- Granulated Sugar: It sweetens the jam and helps it set. Add it gradually so it dissolves completely.
- Fruit Pectin: Powdered fruit pectin gives the jam its soft set without cooking the berries. Look for it near the canning supplies.
- Vanilla Extract: Just a teaspoon adds a warm, rounded note to the bright strawberry flavor.
- Water: Used to boil the pectin so it activates and sets the jam.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This strawberry freezer jam is easy to adapt to your taste.
- Add lemon: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens the flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Make it chunkier or smoother: Pulse the berries less for big chunks or more for a smoother spread.
- Try mixed berries: Swap in some raspberries or blackberries, like the fruit in our apple and blackberry crumble.
- Reduce the sugar: Use a low-sugar or no-sugar pectin and follow its package directions to cut back on sugar.
- Add a pinch of salt: A tiny pinch makes the strawberry flavor pop even more.
How to Make Strawberry Freezer Jam
- Remove the stems and crush the strawberries in a food processor, leaving some chunks.
- Stir the sugar into the crushed strawberries, about one cup at a time.
- Stir in the vanilla and let the mixture sit, stirring every 10 minutes, until the sugar fully dissolves.
- Whisk the water and fruit pectin in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil for exactly one minute.
- Stir the hot pectin mixture into the strawberries until well combined.
- Ladle into clean jars leaving 1/2 inch of headspace, add the lids, rest 4 hours, then refrigerate or freeze.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use ripe, in-season strawberries for the brightest, sweetest jam; they are at their best in early summer.
- Dissolve the sugar completely; rub a little jam between your fingers, and if it feels grainy, keep stirring.
- Boil the pectin for exactly one minute, no more and no less, so the jam sets properly.
- Leave 1/2 inch of headspace in each jar so the jam can expand as it freezes without cracking the glass.
- Let the jars rest at room temperature for 4 hours before chilling so the jam sets up.
- Label and date your jars so you can keep track, since the jam keeps a year in the freezer.
- Thaw frozen jam in the fridge overnight before using, and stir to recombine.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Strawberry freezer jam is wonderful spread thick on warm toast, biscuits, or English muffins for an easy breakfast. Swirl it into yogurt or oatmeal, or spoon it over pancakes and waffles for a fresh, fruity finish.
It is delicious alongside baked goods like our blueberry cream cheese muffins or a slice of lemon blueberry coffee cake. Use it as a filling for thumbprint cookies or layer it into a fruit parfait.
Love preserving summer produce? Try our homemade peach jam and tropical fruit salad for more easy ways to enjoy ripe seasonal fruit.
Strawberry Freezer Jam FAQs
Strawberry freezer jam is an uncooked jam made by stirring crushed fresh strawberries with sugar and pectin, then storing it in the fridge or freezer instead of canning it. Because the fruit is never cooked, it keeps a bright, fresh strawberry flavor.
It keeps for up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator or up to 1 year in the freezer. Thaw frozen jam in the fridge before using and give it a good stir.
Runny jam usually means the pectin was not boiled long enough or the sugar was not fully dissolved. Boil the pectin for a full minute and make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before adding it.
Sugar helps the jam set and preserve, so do not cut it from this recipe. Instead, use a pectin made for low-sugar or no-sugar jams and follow that package’s instructions.
No. You can crush the strawberries by hand with a potato masher or fork. Aim for about 2 1/2 cups of crushed berries with some small chunks for texture.
Use clean freezer-safe jars or plastic containers with tight lids. Leave about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top so the jam can expand as it freezes.
Putting up more summer fruit? Our homemade peach jam is another easy, no-fuss recipe to make next.
Easy Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 pounds strawberries
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup water
- 1.75 ounce package powdered fruit pectin
Instructions
- First step, take the stems off the strawberries and cut them in half. Place them into a food processor and pulse them 10 times to break them up; we still want some chunks. This makes about 2 & ½ cups of crushed strawberries.
- Place the crushed strawberries into a large bowl.
- Add the sugar, about 1 cup at a time to the strawberries. Stir to combine; once the sugar is fully stirred in, add another cup until it’s all in there.
- Stir in the vanilla.
- Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, then give it another stir; make sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Keep doing this step until the sugar is fully dissolved. Test it by putting a tiny bit of the liquid between your fingers, and if you can feel any graininess, it’s not ready yet. This step can take up to 2 hours, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Once the sugar is dissolved, whisk the water and fruit pectin in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once at a full boil, put the timer on for 1 minute and continue to stir constantly. Take off the heat.
- Add the pectin mixture to the strawberries and stir it in well.
- Lay out your clean jelly jars and add the strawberry jam; leave at least ½ inch of the jar empty on top as the mixture may expand when frozen.
- Wipe the rim of the jars with a damp kitchen towel and add the lids.
- Let the jars sit out at room temperature for 4 hours, then place them in the fridge to chill and keep for up to 4 weeks or freeze for up to 1 year.
Notes
- Choose ripe strawberries for the best part of your jam – the fresh strawberry flavor!
- Patience is key when dissolving the sugar.
- Before securing the lids on your jars, wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth.
- Stir occasionally during the resting period to ensure the sugar mixture is well-distributed.
- Adjust the texture of your jam by pulsing the strawberries more or fewer times in the food processor.
- Always leave space in your jars for the jam to expand when frozen.
Nutrition
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