Strawberry Freezer Jam: A Quick No-Canning Solution, Honey, Stevia, and Herb Options!

There are times when it seems like we go through four quarts of jam in a week. My boys are growing and EATING and when we’re on the road, PB&J is standard fare — peanut butter and jelly on crackers or just on some decent sandwich bread. We actually make our own jams through the summer but it’s hard to stay in front of that jam consumption some seasons. By spring, I am hunting around for an extra quart.

Springtime brings some other solutions, however, and one of those is strawberry freezer jam. Freezer jam gets its name because it is not canned like a traditional jam and, therefore, is not shelf stable. It is stored in the freezer and only lasts a few weeks in the refrigerator once you’ve placed it there. It’s not a great solution for a giant bounty of fruit preserves because it does take freezer space and it’s not going to last for months in your fridge once you open it, like a regular jam. But it is easy. Super, duper easy in fact.

All you need is clean fruit, a sweetener, pectin, a blender, and freezer containers. You can whip up a large batch quickly and have a few quarts stored in the freezer. I highly recommend it if you have a fruit surplus, freezer space, and kids who think jam is a food group.

Strawberry Freezer Jam Ingredients

• 2 cups strawberries, de-stemmed
• 1 cup sugar, honey, or equivalent amounts of stevia or monk fruit
• 1 package pectin (1.75 oz)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup herb of choice (see variation below)

Strawberry Freezer Jam Steps

For the version without herbs, this is a simple freezer jam method.

1. Blend the strawberries with sugar (or honey) in a blender (or crush by hand well)
2. Let the berry mixture stand for a few minutes as you work with the pectin
3. Bring the water to a boil. Add the pectin. Let the water boil for a minute
4. Stir the water mixture into the berry mixture.
5. Taste and adjust the sweetness, as desired.
6. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes as you prepare your freezer containers.
7. Add the jam to the freezer containers.
8. Allow to cool in the refrigerator and then transfer to the freezer.

The herb variation is simple:
To infuse the flavor of your herbs into your jam, simply infuse the herbs into the 3/4 cup water that you use in this recipe. I do this the night before and I pack that water with herbs. I would use about 1 cup water so that you end up with plenty of liquid and 1/2 cup (or a bit more) of the fresh herb leaf.

1. Bring the water to boil.
2. Add fresh herbs to water. Cover and let steep for several hours or overnight.
3. Strain the herbs from the water, retaining the water to use in the freezer jam recipe above.

Strawberries go well with lavender, rosemary, thyme, sage, basil, oregano, and more. This is a fun way to experiment!

Freezer jam will last in your freezer for months but once you defrost it, it will last for a couple of weeks in your refrigerator.