Hey, y'all! There are few foods that I associate more with my childhood than Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam. Growing up in Southern Kentucky, I've hardly ever known a time where I couldn't find homemade freezer jam in a mason jar in the kitchen. It's multi-faceted, in that you can use it on toast, pound cake, or a multitude of other treats. However, if you're like me, sometimes you will just crave a spoon-full (no judgement here...)! The best part? It's SO easy to make!
Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam
What Is Freezer Jam?
Freezer Jam can be made with a multitude of fruits; at its core, it's a combination of fruit, pectin (Sure-Jell), and sugar. It's a very simple process that leads to great reward!
FAQ
My top recommendation is to use a mason/glass jar with a lid.
Freezer jam is best-used in the freezer in a one year (12 month) period.
Freezer jam is best-used in the refrigerator in a 3-5 week time period.
What Fruits Can You Make Freezer Jam With Using Sure-Jell
Though this recipe is for Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam, there are many varieties of fruit that you can make freezer jam with -- some varieties include: apricot, blackberry, blueberry, cherry, peach, mango, and raspberry.
The Recipe
The key to making the best homemade strawberry freezer jam is to use the highest-quality of strawberries. The batch that you are seeing in these photos was made using strawberries grown by a close family friend, Henry, here in Kentucky. It's best to make freezer jam when the fruit of choice is in-season.
Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam with Sure-Jell
Ingredients
- 4 c fresh strawberries
- 4 c sugar
- 1 box Sure-Jell
- ¾ c water
Instructions
-
Remove and discard strawberry stems. Crush strawberries. 4 cups of fresh strawberries should yield roughly 2 cups of crushed strawberries. Use ONLY 2 cups of freshly-crushed strawberries in the recipe.
-
Add 4 cups of sugar to the crushed strawberries. Do not reduce the amount of sugar/use sugar substitutes; it will result in setting failures.
-
Stir 1 package of Sure-Jell Premium Fruit Pectin and ¾ cup of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
-
Add pectin mixture to fruit + sugar mixture. Stir for 3 minutes or until sugar has completely dissolved.
-
Pour freezer jam mixture into mason jars, leaving ½ inch spaces at the top for expansion during freezing. Cover tightly with a lid.
-
Allow the freezer jam to stand at room temperature for 24 hours (or until fully set). Refrigerate for immediate use; freeze for future use.
Nutrition
I want to know: what's your favorite type of freezer jam?
Y’all come back now, ya hear?
My best,
JC
Keep Up With JCP Eats
Thank you so much for visiting the blog today! I’d love to keep in touch via social media. You can follow my content on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Tik Tok, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I also author a sister website to JCP Eats, Unabashedly Southern, on which I write about southern lifestyle. Read Unabashedly Southern here.
Enjoy the recipe for my Homemade Strawberry Freezer Jam? Check out my other recipes here.
Debbie says
Have made preserves for years. This year I have made 3 different ones. Strawberry,peach and hot pepper. None of them set. Has something changed in the sure jell.
Kimberly says
After I put the sugar in the crushed berries, I always let that sit for at least 10 minutes before I heat up the pectin. Helps the sugar to dissolve better. Just stir the berries and sugar occasionally during the 10 minutes.
VICKI ECHOLS says
Can I use sugar substitute? I'm confused with " Do not reduce the amount of sugar/use sugar substitutes; it will result in setting failures."
JCP says
Hi, Vicki. I would love for this recipe to work with a sugar substitute, but I have never tried it myself. If you reduce the amount of sugar, the jam won't set up correctly; a sugar substitute would also need to be a perfect swap for consistency/for the jam to set up. If you try it, let me know!
Fred says
Another great year for Michigan strawberry freezer jam. Pectin recipe always sets for me. I also let the berries and sugar sit for 5 to 10 minutes stirring occasionally before I start my pectin process. 9 little containers and 7 bigger containers. All my family will be happy
Linsey says
What is the measurement for the surgel if not using brand make pre measured packets
Ellen J says
I made strawberry jalapeño freezer jam today for the second time (last season too) and it has turned out beautifully. I like to mix it with cream cheese for toast and bagels and during holidays I put a softened block of cream cheese on a pretty plate and serve it on top with crackers ( ritz or club crackers)and everyone loves it. The kids even like it for PBJ’s!
Jenny says
This was the recipe my mom always used for strawberry season in Illinois. Finally 44 years later in Florida, I tried it. So far I've made 4 batches of strawberry and 2 batches of mango. All have come out great. As other posters noted, it is very important to prepare the fruit and sugar many minutes before adding the water/pectin mixture. Then stir another 3 mins. after adding. I look forward to trying it using mulberry this summer.
Darlene Prue says
First time I didn’t read through the recipe and just added the pectin to the strawberry sugar mixture. It did not set up. Since then, I have made this 3 more times with excellent results. Definitely have to cook the pectin and 3/4 cup of water the full boiling minute.
Box doesn’t tell you to boil the pectin, that’s why I came to the internet to find a correct recipe.