Karen’s 30 Minute Strawberry Jam (no pectin)
Jul 07, 2016, Updated Apr 15, 2025
Making jam is fun, has less sugar and no preservatives – with true fruit incredible flavor. Cooks quickly, use the best just-picked strawberries!
It’s peak season for picking strawberries, as pints and quarts lined up on tables at Farmers’ Markets look like plump, shiny jewels.
They taste better than supermarket varieties, with a deeper color inside and a condensed, natural sweetness. I tested making pectin free jam with these locally grown berries, and the leading organic supermarket variety (shipped from California.)
Slather on your favorite toast
My Strawberry Jam is swirled on a warm Goat Cheese topped Baguette.
It is served as part of this reinvented Classic French Salad above.
Karen’s 30 Minute Strawberry Jam (no pectin)
Equipment
- 1 2 quart non-reactive pot
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, 1 quart, about 3 1/2 cups
- 6 tablespoons natural cane sugar, organic
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, optional
Instructions
30 Minute Strawberry Jam (no pectin):
- Clean and dry strawberries. Hull them (removing the green stem and leaves.) Chop them coarsely and place them in a non reactive 2 quart pot, about 10 1/2" in diameter (I like a large pot where the strawberries are shallow.)
- Add 6 T. sugar, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, stirring. Mash strawberries, I use a potato masher in the pot, until the berries are coarsely chopped. Stir in 1/2 t. vanilla if desired. Cook uncovered over low heat until thickened and jam-like, about 20 – 25 minutes. Add a few drops of lemon juice if you like.
- Store in a sterile ball glass canning jar, refrigerate when cooled. Will stay fresh for at least 2 weeks.
OPTION: 30 Minute Strawberry Jam with Chia Seeds and Vanilla Bean:
- Place 2 teaspoons of chia seeds in a small bowl, add 2 T. filtered water – set aside 30 minutes to jell. Follow recipe above – after strawberries are thickened after 20 minutes, add the chia seed jell and cook for an addition 1 minute until all is well blended. Take off heat. Add 1/2 t. vanilla bean paste, mix in.
A note about Strawberries:
- Choose dark, blemish free, Organic Strawberries at the market… or even better – buy Organic Strawberries from farmers’ market. These berries are more flavorful, picked from a local field – and have a deep red hue inside, rather than a white color from the Driscoll type berry.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
