Strawberry Preserves Recipe

Nothing beats the sweet taste of homemade Strawberry Preserves—perfect for spreading on sourdough bagels, swirling into vanilla icecream, or gifting to a friend! This easy recipe comes together in only 30 minutes using just three ingredients.

Are you blessed with an abundance of strawberries? You might love making our homemade strawberry lemonade too!

But First, a Story

Like many women, I spent some time this past week watching With Love, Meghan. While I don’t usually favor cooking shows, this one offered so much more—gardening, crafting, recipes, family life, and hosting—all things I love. And the videography—muah! 😙🤌 It was the first show in a long time that I truly sat down to enjoy, curled up with a blanket instead of half-watching while working. Such a refreshing and calming break!

The show prompted me to reflect on my own business—this website, of course! When I started over twelve years ago, I eagerly shared my love for canning, gardening, and from-scratch cooking, as well as the crafts I did with my boys. But then, SEO experts started advising that success in blogging meant niching down.

I struggled with the idea of niching down. My audience, like me, has a wide variety of interests. Why should I limit content when real life is so much more than one niche? But, I gave in—after all, experts are experts for a reason.

Don’t get me wrong—running a kids’ craft website has been an absolute blast! But now that my boys are 17 and 15, it feels like the right time to reconnect with my work. So, friends, consider this my official notice of niching up—or maybe out—or perhaps just returning to my roots.

Meghan reminded me that I don’t have to be just one thing anymore—and neither do you.

Homemade Strawberry Preserves Recipe

Shared below is the small batch strawberry jam recipe I’ve been using for nearly 20 years! When I grabbed 8 pounds of fresh strawberries for just $12 today, I took it as a sign to share the recipe with you. (And here’s hoping the farm store still has flats of strawberries tomorrow because I’ll be going back for more!)

Making preserves or jam at home doesn’t require any special equipment unless you’re processing in a water bath for long-term shelf storage. But that’s not the plan today! This simple jam recipe cooks up in a thick-bottomed dutch oven or stock pot (mine holds 6.5 quarts), cools on the stovetop, and is then scooped into mason jars for freezer storage. It’s rich with strawberry flavor!

Strawberry Preserves Ingredients

Before you start this recipe, make sure you have everything you need.

• Fresh strawberries – Washed and roughly chopped.
• White sugar – Helps jam gel, enhances flavor, and acts as a preservative by preventing spoilage.
• Lemon – Cuts sweetness and enhances flavor, activates natural pectin, prevents sugar crystallization, and acts as a natural preservative.

How to Make Strawberry Preserves Without Pectin

Homemade preserves capture the flavors of fresh, seasonal fruit in a jar, bringing a taste of summer to your table all year long. This recipe shines with juicy, sun-ripened fruit but also works well with firm off-season grocery store berries—especially when you find a fantastic deal.

STEP 1: Prepare your supplies and simple ingredients. Cooking is so much easier when everything is prepped and ready to go.

• Measure the berries and sugar.
• Wash 3 half-pint mason jars and lids with hot soapy water.
• Gather a heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven, a spatula, and fresh kitchen towels.

STEP 2: Begin cooking. Place the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice into the pot. Stir gently over medium heat until the juices begin to release. This can take 10-15 minutes, depending on the softness of the berries.

STEP 3: Bring to a boil. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue stirring, bringing the mixture to a rolling boil for about 15 minutes. Stay close, as the jam can boil over quickly due to the high heat and foaming. Keep stirring to prevent burning. This step may feel tedious, but I find it’s a great time to pause, take deep breaths, and enjoy the process.

STEP 4: Remove from heat. Turn off the burner and place the preserves on a trivet to cool to room temperature. If you prefer, you can skim off the foam, though I usually stir it back into the jam.

STEP 5: Fill your jars. Spoon the preserves into clean jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace to allow for expansion during freezing, preventing jar breakage.

STEP 6: Seal and cool. Place the lids on the jars, tightening them until they’re fingertip tight—not too snug. This gives the jam room to expand as it freezes without stressing the lid.

STEP 7: Store in the freezer. Since this jam isn’t shelf-stable, it must be kept refrigerated or frozen to stay fresh.

Preserves Versus Jam

Although the words are often used interchangeably, the biggest distinction between preserves and jam is texture:

• Preserves contain larger chunks (or even whole pieces) of fruit suspended in a thick syrup.
• Strawberry jam is more uniform in texture, as the fruit is crushed and cooked down into a spreadable consistency.

Ideas for Gifting and Using

Here are some creative ways to enjoy or gift your jam.

• Wrap a circle of fabric around the lid of the jar, then secure with twine. Tuck a fresh sprig of rosemary into the twine.
• Make a personalized label for your jar.
• Tuck the jam into a gift basket filled with a beautiful dish towel, fresh flowers, and homemade bread.
• Gift your friend preserves for Valentine’s Day with a sweet note that says, “You’re my jam!”
• Top your yogurt with homemade preserves and granola.
• Use your jam as a filling for a homemade cake.
• Swirl the jam into your oatmeal!
• Enjoy a classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich!
• Whisk a small amount of jam with oil and vinegar for a fruity vinaigrette.
• Make baked brie with jam.
• Bake Thumbprint Cookies!

More Kid-Friendly Recipes

Looking for more recipes to add to your recipe binder? Here are some of my favorites:

• 3-Ingredient Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix
• Apple Scrap Jelly
• The Best Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Homemade Vanilla Extract
• The Best Chocolate Chip Muffins

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