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Fresh, bright, and bursting with real strawberry flavor – this Strawberry freezer jam skips the cook time but never skips the taste. Just mash, mix, and jar it up in under 30 minutes!
Why you’ll love this delicious strawberry jam
I go through phases where I’m making jam basically every weekend in June and July – well, maybe not every weekend, but close. There’s something so satisfying about stocking the freezer with little jars of summer to pull out in January when strawberries cost a fortune and taste like nothing. And this is seriously the most simple recipe you will find for jam!
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam
- Just 5 ingredients – nothing obscure, nothing you can’t find at a regular grocery store.
- It’s genuinely satisfying – there’s a little pride boost in saying “I made this jam” that store-bought just can’t give you.
- No cooking required – this isn’t a stovetop canning project. Mash, stir, jar, done.
- It keeps for a year – make one batch and you’re set with jam for months.
Ingredients for freezer strawberry jam
The simple ingredients for this strawberry freezer jam recipe are listed fully down in the recipe card but let’s briefly go over the pantry staples needed including a few substitutions you can make as desired!
- Fresh strawberries – use the ripest berries you can find; skip any that are soft, bruised, or overripe since they can cause the jam to spoil faster.
- Granulated sugar – a full 4 cups of sugar, no sugar substitutes here. It sweetens, helps the jam set, and acts as a preservative. The amount of sugar really matters here – don’t be tempted to use less sugar as it could throw off the recipe resulting in runny jam.
- Liquid fruit pectin – I use a 3-ounce packet of Certo (which comes from a box of pectin), found at most major grocery stores near the canning supplies.
- Boiling water – helps activate the pectin and gives the jam the right consistency.
- Lemon juice – brightens the flavor and helps the jam set alongside the pectin.
How to Make Homemade Freezer Jam
Just a reminder that you can find the FULL written homemade strawberry jam recipe down in the recipe card, but I want to quickly go over how to make them with visuals for you :)
- Mash the strawberries. Place your strawberries in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher (or a fork) until just a few chunks remain. You could also do this in a food processor but be careful to leave some chunks of strawberry. Stir in the sugar and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Stir pectin mixture. Whisk together the boiling water and liquid pectin until fully combined.
- Add the lemon juice. Stir the pectin into the strawberry mixture, then squeeze in the fresh lemon juice. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
- Last step – Jar it up. Pour the mixture into a clean freezer-safe container, leaving about an inch of space at the top of the jar. Cover tightly and let sit at room temperature for 24 hours before moving to the freezer.
Recipe Tips
- Measure your sugar separately before adding it in – it’s easy to lose count mid-mash and end up short.
- Don’t skip the resting time – the 24 hours on the counter is what lets the pectin fully set.
- Leave an inch of headspace in your jars – about half an inch, since the jam expands as it freezes.
- Use ripe strawberries, not overripe – it makes a real difference in both flavor and shelf life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Traditional jam is cooked on the stove with the strawberries, sugar, and pectin simmered together, then processed in a canner so it can sit at room temperature for up to a year. Freezer jam skips the cooking – the pectin gets a quick heat but the berries stay fresh – which means it has a softer texture and needs to live in the fridge or freezer.
Pectin is a natural starch found in fruits and vegetables that helps jams and jellies firm up as they cool. Combined with acid (hi, lemon juice) and sugar, it forms that classic jam gel. You can get a package of pectin at most major grocery stores.
I haven’t personally tested this recipe with frozen berries, and most no-cook freezer jam recipes don’t recommend it since the extra moisture can keep the jam from setting properly. Fresh is your best bet here.
I haven’t tried it myself, but readers have had success swapping some of the strawberries for other berries like raspberries or blackberries with good results.
Yes! Just make sure they’re freezer-safe and tucked somewhere secure so they don’t get knocked around. Plastic freezer containers work great too if you’d rather skip the glass.
Serving suggestions
There are so many delicious ways to make use of your easy strawberry freezer jam! Use it as a topping or spread over ice cream, crepes, oatmeal, muffins, yogurt, pancakes, waffles, toast, smoothies, or even have a spoonful straight from the jar! Clearly, you’ll want to find every possible opportunity to use this tasty jam.
Storage & freezer tips
Strawberry freezer jam will keep up to a year in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before using. Refrigerated jam will keep two to four weeks. Discard the jam if it looks moldy or smells strange.
Strawberry Freezer Jam
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh strawberries, mashed, cleaned and hulled*
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 oz package of liquid fruit pectin*
- ¾ cup boiling water
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the strawberries in a large bowl and mash them so that just a few chunks remain. I like to do this with a potato masher but you can also use a fork. Mix in the sugar and let sit for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, stir together the boiling water and liquid pectin and mix it into the strawberries. Stir in the lemon juice. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Pour the mixture into clean glass jars and cover/ seal. Let sit on the counter, at room temperature, for 24 hours, and then place in the freezer.
- To enjoy, remove a jar the night before you’d like to enjoy it! I let mine sit on the counter overnight and it’s perfect in the morning.
- The jam will last in the fridge for about 4 weeks or in the freezer for up to a year.
Notes
- Strawberries – You want 2 cups of MASHED strawberries. That ends up being about 3 – 3.5 cups of whole strawberries
- Pectin– I used a 3oz packet of Certo liquid fruit pectin (see photo above for reference)- I’ve found it at most major grocery stores.
- Other fruit– I haven’t personally tried this with other berries, but I’ve heard of people swapping out some of the strawberries for other berries and the recipe still works great.
- Storage – keeps in the fridge for about 4 weeks or in the freezer for up to a year. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
