Strawberry Jam Recipe

Using fresh seasonal fruits in baking is what we bakers always try to do. Strawberry is one such exotic fruit that is only available for few months in India. Thus I make sure that use it in whichever dessert I can.

Today, I’m bringing a simple Strawberry Jam recipe which can be made without any thickners or preservatives. This jam can be easily made at home and used as per your liking.

Strawberry Jam Recipe Video Tutorial

Key ingredients used for the recipe and their relevance

Being a simple recipe, it only consists of four ingredients. So let’s see what these ingredients are.

Fresh Strawberries – first and foremost ingredient is using fresh strawberries. Try to get a pack that is sourced on the same day. Clean them well before using.

Castor Sugar – Jam has a high quantity of sugar in it. This not only makes it quite sweet but also counters the sourness of the fresh berries/fruits. It’s important you use castor sugar as they are fine granules which dissolve fast unlike the home sugar that you have.

Cream of tartar-now this is used simply to prevent any crystallization of sugar so that the jam is lump free and does not have sugar crystals in it.

Lemon zest-lemon zest gives the fresh aroma to the jam. It also compliments the strawberry well.

All Ingredient List for Making Strawberry Jam

Ingredients for Strawberry Jam

Ingredients for Strawberry Jam	Quantity
Fresh Strawberries	150 g
Castor Sugar	125 g
Cream of Tartar	1/4 tsp
Lemon Zest	1 Lemon

All equipment needed for the recipe

Measuring cups and spoons
Digital kitchen weighing scale
Bowls and spoons
Spatula
Heavy Bottom Pan
Hand blender
Glass storage jar

Steps to prepare strawberry jam

Method for jam

Cut each strawberry into 4 parts.
In a heavy bottom pan, put the Chopped strawberries along with castor sugar.
Add cream of tartar and lemon zest.
Turn on the heat and the let the sugar melt.
Once sugar is dissolved, use a hand blender to make the mixture into a puree.
Keep cooking for 5-7 minutes while stirring regularly.
Once the jam gets thick, test the doneness using back of the spoon. If the jam covers/sticks to the back and does not drop then the jam is done.
Transfer the jam into staring jar. Let it cool down before closing the jar.

Chef's Tip And Key Points

Do not use frozen or dehydrated strawberries.
You can make apple or peach jam in similar way. However you might have to use additional fruit pectin for them as they have less natural fruit pectin as compared to strawberries.
Do not use icing sugar in place of castor sugar as it has more impurities. Also it has corn starch which can change the jam consistency.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. Is pectin necessary for making strawberry jam?

Ans. No, as in the above recipe also, I haven’t used any pectin to make the jam. Strawberries naturally have high amount of fruit pectin which makes it thick.

Q2. Can I make any fruit jam with the same recipe?

Ans. You can try replacing strawberries with other fruits, however you will have to use pectin NH in that recipe. Given the same quantity you can use around 1/4tsp of pectin NH.

Q3. What is the ratio of sugar to fruit when making jam?

Ans. You can simply apply 1:1 ratio rule to make any jam. Here, in our recipe the ratio is almost same with just a little bit of less sugar.

Too much fruit will reduce the preserving quality of sugar. Too much sugar may get crystalized during storage.

Q4. Are jam and compote same?

Ans. Well although the way both are made is similar however they have different properties. Compote is more chunky and has fruit pieces. It is meant to be consumed for short period of time. Whereas, jams have longer shelf life in refrigerator and has more spreadable consistency as no fruit chunks are there.

Q5. Why do you add lemon juice to strawberry jam?

Ans. Lemon juice is added to prevent any crystallization of sugar. I have used cream of tartar for the same.

Q6. How long can you store jam?

Ans. Jams without pectin can be stored for up to several weeks (almost 1-2 months) in refrigerator.