Tips for making the best strawberry freezer jam

One of my favorite times of the year is strawberry season. Although I will admit, going strawberry picking is not my favorite thing to do. Thankfully there are plenty of produce stands around here that have them already picked and ready for me to purchase. One of my favorite things to do with freshly picked strawberries is to make strawberry freezer jam.

Strawberry freezer jam is very easy to make and so much quicker than canning jam. Depending on how many batches you make, and whether or not you have children to take care of or other distractions 🙂 , it can take as little as one hour or an afternoon.

I have been making strawberry freezer jam for several years and I’ve learned some tips and tricks along the way that make the process easier.

Tips for making strawberry freezer jam

• Use locally grown strawberries if you can. If you live in an area where you have access to locally grown strawberries, I highly recommend using them over store bought berries for your freezer jam. They are much sweeter and usually cheaper than the strawberries you buy from a grocery store.

• It’s ok if the strawberries are a little over ripe. When making freezer jam, the strawberries don’t have to be perfectly shaped and if they are a little mushy or over ripe, that is ok. If the strawberries are already slightly mushy, they are easier to mash.

• Use less sugar pectin. I recommend using the less sugar pectin vs. the regular pectin. You won’t miss the extra sugar at all and the less sugar kind actually sets up better than regular pectin.

Tools you will need

Potato masher

You will need a handy dandy potato masher to mash up those strawberries. A good old fashioned potato masher will do the trick.

Mixing bowls

A big mixing bowl or two is necessary to mash the strawberries in. I like my metal mixing bowls with lids.

Colander or strainer

You will definitely want to rinse your strawberries before you cut and mash them and a colander is handy for rinsing a bunch of strawberries at a time.

Fruit Pectin

Fruit pectin is an essential part of making strawberry jam. Sure Jell No Sugar Pectin is my favorite brand. I still use sugar in my recipe, just half of what is required in the regular recipe. And it makes the best tasting jam.

1 pint storage containers

These are the best containers for storing your strawberry freezer jam. They fit about 1 pint of jam and they stack nicely in your freezer.

How to make strawberry freezer jam

Start out by rinsing your strawberries in water, making sure you get all the dirt off of them. Then cut off the green stems. I also like to cut the bigger strawberries in half or quarters because it makes mashing them easier.

Next, place the strawberries in a large bowl to mash them. I mash the strawberries by hand with a potato masher or pastry cutter. We like small chucks of strawberry in our jam and putting the strawberries in a blender would make them too smooth.

Add 3 cups of sugar, one box of pectin and one cup of water to a large pot. Mix them together and heat on medium to high heat. You will want to constantly stir as you bring the mixture to a boil. Once it’s boiling, add 4 cups of mashed strawberries and stir constantly while boiling for 1 minute.

Next, put the strawberry jam mixture into plastic containers, filling one inch from the top leaving room for expansion.

I leave the lids off for a bit to let the jam cool down. Then I place the lids on the containers and let them sit on the counter for 24 hours for the jam to set. Once it’s set, I put a container in the fridge for us to enjoy right away and the rest in the freezer.

We love homemade jam for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches of course, but it’s also delicious on french toast and pancakes.

This is the world’s best tasting jam according to my husband and I agree that you can’t beat it. Once you try homemade strawberry freezer jam, you may never want to go back to store bought jam again.

Related Posts: Instant Pot Chicken Broth

The Best Ways to Save Money on Groceries