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Easy Delicious Strawberry Jam Recipe 🍓 (No Pectin Needed!)

July 9, 2025 Rebecca Firth

I’m super pumped to share this Easy DELICIOUS best Strawberry Jam Recipe that doesn’t need any pectin! I’ve been making this every summer for years now and I realized it’s just too good not to share.

I like my jam to be loaded with lots of fresh, bright, strawberry flavor, slightly chunky texture and an easily spreadable consistency. I love to eat this jam on buttered sourdough toast in the morning. Heaven. It’s also delicious served beside oozy creamy brie or tangy goat cheese.

I’ve even been known to thrown it in a cocktail with vodka, soda water, a spoonful or two of this strawberry jam and mint or basil leaves. So good.

I created this recipe because I used to can fruits and veggies from my garden every summer and no joke, it’s sweaty business. And this was before I had AC in my house. With this recipe, you don’t need any special canning equipment or ingredients and it’s prepped and cooked in under an hour with minimal effort from you. *AND* it only uses simple ingredients you probably already have!

One other thing that takes this from your basic strawberry jam to something truly dazzling: it has the addition of dried hibiscus flowers. This is optional, but DAMN. It will make your taste buds sing!

I cannot wait for you to make this easy strawberry jam recipe! Let me know what you think!

Rebecca Firth

This recipe was delicious!! Loved the addition of the hibiscus.
Thinking of trying it with other fruit such as peaches or blueberries, as they are coming into season here in the northeast.

—Judith
A white bowl filled to the brim with fresh, vibrant red strawberries, mostly halved or quartered, sitting on a white linen cloth.
A glass jar overflowing with vibrant red homemade strawberry freezer jam, with a spoon resting inside, all set on a sheet of white parchment paper with a few drips of jam.

Step-by-Step Photos & Instructions to
Make Perfect Strawberry Jam Every Time!

A top-down view of ingredients for strawberry jam: a white bowl filled with chopped fresh strawberries, a whole red apple, a small bowl of hibiscus, a lemon, and a glass bowl of granulated sugar, all arranged on a white linen cloth.
STEP 1: All you need are five ingredients to make the yummiest strawberry freezer jam: strawberries, granulated sugar, lemon (juice + zest), apple (unpeeled!) and dried hibiscus (optional, but the hibiscus takes this tea to the next level!).
A stainless steel pot on a hot plate, filled with chopped fresh strawberries, white granulated sugar, finely diced apple, and a sprinkle of dark seasoning, ready to be cooked into jam.
STEP 2: Add all of the ingredients to a large saucepan or Dutch oven.
A pink spatula is seen stirring vibrant chopped strawberries, white sugar, and diced apple in a stainless steel pot on a hot plate, beginning the cooking process for homemade, no-pectin strawberry jam.
STEP 3: Stir to combine…
A pot of chopped strawberries, diced apple, and sugar simmering on a hot plate, with a pink spatula resting in the bubbling, macerating fruit mixture, illustrating a key step in making easy strawberry freezer jam without pectin.
STEP 4: Turn up the heat to high to bring to a full rolling boil. The berries will start releasing some juice!
A pot of bright red strawberries, sugar, and apple rapidly boiling and bubbling on a countertop burner, with a pink spatula inside, showing the cooking stage of homemade, no-pectin strawberry jam.
STEP 5: Once the jam reaches a boil, turn it down to medium low (or low if your stovetop runs hot) and let the jam simmer for about 35 minutes until reduced.
A vibrant, thick mixture of cooked strawberries, sugar, and apple in a stainless steel pot, with a pink spatula still resting in the rich red homemade jam, indicating it's nearly finished cooking.
When done, the jam will have reduced and concentrated that delicious strawberry flavor! The homemade jam will thicken quite a bit as it cools.
A top-down view shows a glass measuring cup filled with freshly cooked, ruby-red strawberry jam, ready to be poured, with empty glass jars and a canning lid nearby, highlighting the final steps of making homemade freezer jam.
STEP 6: I like to pour the jam into a liquid measuring cup because it makes it easier to pour it into the jars.
A birds-eye view captures several glass jars filled with homemade strawberry freezer jam, their orange clamps visible, alongside an empty, jam-splattered measuring cup and a pink towel, showcasing the successful bottling of fresh, no-pectin jam.
STEP 7: Let the jars of berry jam sit at room temperature until they are cool to the touch and then stash in the fridge or freezer (see the Notes section below the recipe for more details). How easy is this homemade strawberry jam recipe!?
Slices of golden-brown toasted bread, one buttered and one topped with vibrant red homemade strawberry freezer jam, next to a spoon overflowing with more jam, all on a sheet of white parchment paper.

More Delicious Berry Recipes!

Check out my favorite Buttermilk Blueberry Scones (SWOON!), springy Raspberry Muffins and you can find all of the berry recipes here!

Enjoy this dazzling homemade Strawberry Jam!!

Slices of golden-brown toasted bread, one buttered and one topped with vibrant red homemade strawberry freezer jam, next to a spoon overflowing with more jam, all on a sheet of white parchment paper.
Print

Easy Delicious Strawberry Jam Recipe (No Pectin!)

This must-make recipe takes strawberry jam to the next level with dried hibiscus, zero pectin or canning equipment and incredible ease and flavor! You will love this on buttered toast, with oozy, creamy cheeses, drizzled over ice cream or topping your morning oatmeal!
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword Rebecca Firth, DisplacedHousewife Well-Tested Recipe, Strawberry Jam, No Pectin, Easy Recipe, Hibiscus
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 3.5 Cups

Ingredients

  • 1 lb 14 oz (848 grams) fresh strawberries cleaned, hulled and quartered (roughly 3 pints of berries)
  • 1 ½ cups (300 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 (28 g) small apple finely minced (don’t peel; see Notes below recipe for more details
  • 5 grams dried hibiscus see Notes below recipe on sourcing
  • 1 lemon zest + juice

Instructions

For the Strawberry Jam

  • To a large saucepan or Dutch oven, add the strawberries, sugar, minced apple, lemon zest, lemon juice and hibiscus. Stir well to combine. Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and let the strawberry jam simmer for about 30 to 40 minutes.
  • While the jam simmers stir frequently, scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula to make sure nothing is sticking or burning. The mixture will foam up. There's no need to scrape this off. Keep stirring and reduce the heat if it starts to boil again. I like the jam to reduce to 2/3 to 1/2 its original volume.

To Check When the Jam is Ready

  • If you have an instant-read thermometer handy, check to see if the jam has reached 220℉ (104℃). Otherwise, you can put a spoon in the freezer for about 10 to 15 minutes. When you think the jam is done, dip the frozen spoon into the jam. If the jam continues to quickly drip off of the spoon, it needs to simmer and reduce some more. If it slowly drips off and seems to linger on the spoon, your jam is ready.

Storing the Jam

  • Set your jars on top of a clean kitchen towel.
  • Pour the strawberry jam* into clean, sterilized containers (see Notes below recipe for more information), leaving about 1/2 inch at the top to allow for expansion if you plan on freezing the jam. Cover with the lids and let sit for 4 to 6 hours or until completely cool. Stash in the fridge or freezer until ready to use (see Notes below recipe for more storage details).
    *I like to pour the jam into a liquid measuring cup and then pour it into my jars as it makes less of a mess.

Notes

Recipe Inspiration

Thank you to my friend Amisha Gurbani for inspiring me (she is the jam queen!)! She has an amazing recipe for Strawberry Hibiscus Jam in her cookbook, Mumbai Modern. Her recipe is made for canning, uses quite a bit more hibiscus and is completely delicious!! I can’t recommend her book enough! xo

Fresh or Frozen Strawberries

Both! I love to make this jam when strawberries are abundant and loaded with sweetness in the summertime. However, you could easily make this using frozen strawberries.

Sterilizing Jars

If I know I’ll be using the jam within a week or two, I just use clean jars.
If I want it to sit in the fridge for a bit longer, I will sterilize them. You can either use the sterilize setting on your dishwasher or you can submerge them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes and then let them air dry before using.
Sterilizing your jars and freezing your jam for long-term storage will inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Choosing Apples for Your Jam

The reason this strawberry jam recipe works without pectin is the combination of natural pectin in the lemon, apple and strawberries, coupled with the granulated sugar.
Green apples such as Granny Smith have the most pectin. However, you’ll note from the photos, that I used a Cosmic Crisp apple (I love them!). Both will work, as will most any apple you have on hand.

Where to Get Hibiscus?

The addition of hibiscus to this strawberry jam takes it to the next level! I use Republic of Tea Hibiscus Superflower Tea; you’ll need about 3 teabags (just cut them open and empty the contents into the saucepan).
Any dried hibiscus will work and the tea aisle at the grocery store is a really easy way to get it!

Storing Strawberry Jam

Since we aren’t using a a canning process when making this jam, it is not shelf stable. Meaning, you’ll need to store it in either the refrigerator or freezer (this is why we call it a freezer jam). This jam will last 3 to 4 weeks in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer. 
When freezing, set the jars upright with the lid loosened. This will allow for the jam to expand while it freezes. After several hours tighten the lids. Defrost in the fridge overnight before using.

The post Easy Delicious Strawberry Jam Recipe 🍓 (No Pectin Needed!) appeared first on DisplacedHousewife.

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