May 216 min read

3 Ingredient Strawberry Jam Recipe

Homemade strawberry and blueberry jam. — Strawberry and Blueberry homemade jam.

I have an easy 3 ingredient strawberry jam recipe for y’all. And I know y’all love some jam as much as me. I love some jam on my vegan cream cheese and bagels, in my homemade oatmeal, or even in my coconut yogurt. It is that perfect sweet treat so that I don’t go out and buy a pound of chocolate or pint of non-dairy ice cream and eat it in one sitting (we won’t speak of that night)! It doesn’t take that long to make and honestly it is healthier for you because it lacks the preservatives and 30 added ingredients. The best part is you know it is safe for you or your loved one with their peanut allergy.

I love to play around with different flavors of jam so make sure you do the same and swap out the strawberries for whichever fruit you want. Just remember some fruits hold more water than others so you will have to adjust your chia seeds and slurry to make it thick. I suggest if you do have to add more make sure you add things slowly like 1 tbsp of chia seeds and stir to thicken it, 1 tbsp arrowroot powder and 1 ½ tbsp water mix it up and slowly add it stirring it to thicken the jam. I made the mistake with my experiments just throwing a bunch more chia seeds in and doubling the slurry and well it didn’t end up so good and the jam was inedible. There is nothing more heartbreaking than getting to the last step in a recipe and trashing it! I do find that the chia seeds don’t go well with all the fruit jams. I find them in strawberry and blueberry jams are great, however the cherry and chia were not so good, but it might be your thing! I did mixed berries and chia seeds and that was good. I have been thinking of making a tropical fruit jam, I bought a big bag from BJ’s and thought what else can I use it for besides smoothies. Who knows it might be good; I don’t think I will add the chia seeds but will do the slurry instead.

I love this jam recipe because it is so simple, you can do it quickly and have a nice little supply of jam for a few months. You can keep as much out as you would use in a week and freeze the rest. I don’t know how this would can up in a water bath, you should absolutely look up a recipe for that so you don’t face any tainted jams that could make you sick. For all my canning adventures I follow the Ball Canning guides. I cooked up strawberry and blueberry jam the day I was writing this article I yielded 4 – 16 oz (about 453.59 g) strawberry jams and 2 – 16 oz blueberry jams. So, I will be freezing some from this batch so we will have jam for a while. It is nice to have the extra jam because sometimes juggling being a mom, working and life just don’t leave all the time I need to make things spur of the moment. I can think of many times I ran out of things and there wasn’t a spare minute to take that time and make another batch or bread because I was so busy and come 10 pm at night I’m so whipped and there is no way I’m going to go stand in a kitchen to make something.

I have doubled this recipe with no problems. I usually do this around that busy end of the year time when I know I will be in the kitchen baking up a mass of cookies, pies, cakes, breads and whatever we are having for dinners. Plus, we use the jams for some of the baked goods too. I feel as if from Halloween on life is one big blur, and you are spinning with everything going on running around shopping for the holidays, baking, parties, and dealing with everyday life. So, I will make a big right before this time of year of whatever flavors we use on a regular basis and what we will need for baking. It seems to really work better and isn’t as stressful as having to figure out when I can carve out some hours to get all my prep work done or make batches of whatever I’ll need and freeze or can it until the time comes when I need to use it.

The best thing about making your jellies and jams is that you choose the consistency, texture, and ingredients. I like my jams chunky; I love to bite into whatever I’m eating and there is a chunk of whatever fruit I am eating. However, someone else might like a more blended jam, that is the power of making your own, you make the jam just as you love it. It might seem like a scary thing to do is to make your own over going to the grocery store and just purchasing a product already made. If you look at their ingredient list it will be long, compared to the 3 ingredients you use.

I have a bunch of pineapples growing this year, more than we can eat so I will be canning some up for later use. I was thinking about trying pineapple jam and seeing how that went. The possibilities are endless when it comes to experimenting and writing your own recipes. I personally have never had pineapple jam; however, I think it sounds amazing on some homemade biscuits. Perfect addition for a Hawaiian themed party, I can picture all the great things to smother in jam! Whatever it is that you desire I think you should go for it, try it out and see what happens. Just make sure you write down what you did because well I’ve lost plenty of recipes thinking I can remember what I did. Nope, sorry it didn’t happen. Whatcha waitin’ for y’all go make some jam and slather everything with it!

3 Ingredient Easy Strawberry Jam

3 cups frozen whole organic strawberries (I use BJ’s organic whole strawberries)

¾ cup organic sugar (I use BJ’s organic cane sugar)

2 tbsp organic lemon juice (I use Lakewood Organic Lemon Juice)

In a heavy bottom saucepan (you want a heavy bottom saucepan, so you don’t burn the jam as it cooks), add the strawberries, sugar and lemon juice.
Over medium – low heat until all the sugar is dissolved.
Once all the sugar is dissolved increase the heat to medium – high and bring to a boil.
Make sure you are stirring frequently and mashing the strawberries down with a potato smasher. Make sure you stir to avoid it burning, let it continue to boil until the jam is thickened and bubbles completely cover the top of the jam, around 10 minutes.
If your jam is not thickening to your liking, you can add 1 - 2 tbsp Chia seeds to the jam while it is on the burner, these give added health benefits too. Or you can do a slurry and use 1 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch with 1 ½ tbsp water and stir it up until it is mixed well. Then take the pan off the burner slowly add in the slurry and replace pan to the burner and stir it in while it starts to thicken. I have at times used both to get a thick jam.
Once the jam reaches the consistency you like take it off the burner and transfer to the prepared mason jars and let cool to room temperature.
Store the jams with the tops on in the refrigerator for up to 10 days (about 1 and a half weeks) or you can freeze.

Notes

Adding the chia seeds to the jam will help thicken it and also give some added health benefits. Chia seeds are packed full of antioxidants, minerals, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids that all play a vital role in multiple body functions such as chia seeds may promote heart health, support strong bones, and improve blood sugar management. My texture child doesn’t even know I added them!
I use arrowroot powder in place of corn, it doesn’t carry a flavor and I bought 3 lbs of it for cheap to make baked goods and cook for my partner’s family who have gluten issues so why not use it. You can always make another slurry and add it if your jam is still not at the consistency that you desire.
I have substituted in 3 cups of frozen blueberries (I use BJ’s organic blueberries) and added the Chia seeds and slurry for a nice thick jam.
I have substituted in 3 cups of frozen cherries and did just the slurry for a thick jam.
I like chunkier jam, so I don’t mash down the fruit all the way, I leave some smaller bits in there for texture.
If you do not want to add the seeds or slurry you can always just cook the jam down until it is the thickness you prefer. Just remember going this route will also leave you with a smaller yield and take longer to cook.