Why We Love Homemade Strawberry Preserves
You likely already have everything on hand to make easy, 3 ingredient preserves at home.
Many jams and preserves are made with added pectin for thickening, but with just fresh strawberries, sugar, and lemon zest, you can make preserves yourself at home.
Homemade preserves are softer and looser than store bought, but taste more like fresh strawberries. While we like being able to control the amount of sugar, it’s mostly the intensity of the strawberry flavor that keeps us coming back for more!
Ingredients for Strawberry Preserves
- Fresh strawberries, hulled and cut into small pieces
- Granulated sugar
- 1 lemon (zested and juiced)
No pectin added!
Special equipment: mason jars with lid and saucepan
How to Make Homemade Preserves
- Slice fruit so all pieces are approximately the same size. For some strawberries, this will mean cutting in half, and for other larger berries they may need to be quartered.
- Place strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium sauce pan, then bring to a rapid boil over medium heat.
- Stir occasionally with a spatula, helping to break up and mash the strawberries as you go.
- Check consistency of preserves after 20 minutes to check for doneness.
To test whether strawberry preserves are ready, dip a spoon into the sauce pan, then pull it out and run your finger along the back. If there is a clear path and the jam doesn’t cover that spot, it’s done!
Variations
For additional subtle sweetness, try adding ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste to the sauce pan with other ingredients.
Alternatively, adding 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar will provide a sweet, tangy flavor to this strawberry preserves recipe.
Don’t have lemon? Use orange zest instead!
How to Store Preserves and Jam
Once cooked, remove preserves from the heat and transfer to clean jars. Wipe the rim clean, cover, and allow preserves to cool completely before moving them to the refrigerator. Preserves will keep up to 3 months in refrigerator or freezer.
For tips on how to can preserves and jams, check out this helpful article.
How to Use Strawberry Preserves
The possibilities are seemingly endless! Spread strawberry preserves on biscuits, in peanut butter and jelly, or on toast with butter, to name a few.
These preserves can also be added to many delicious baking recipes — muffins and coffee cake being our favorite. We especially love topping no bake cheesecake and flourless chocolate cake with a heaping spoonful!
Tips For Making Homemade Preserves
- If you prefer thicker preserves without adding pectin, you can use a combination of strawberries with other fruits that have higher amounts of natural pectin, such as raspberries, red currants, apples, blackberries, or gooseberries.
- Allow the berries and sugar to boil rapidly for at least 20 minutes.
- Seal and cover preserves, then allow to cool completely before refrigerating.
If you make these Strawberry Preserves, please let me know by leaving a review and rating below!
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For more easy desserts, check out the following:
- Triple berry spelt slab pie
- Vanilla layer cake with mascarpone buttercream
- Chocolate babka parfaits
- Chocolate raspberry rugelach
- No-bake chocolate mousse pie
Strawberry Preserves Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups strawberries hulled
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
Instructions
- Slice strawberries so all pieces are approximately the same size. For some strawberries, this will mean cutting in half, and for other larger berries they may need to be quartered.
- Place strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a medium sauce pan, then bring to a rapid boil over medium heat.
- Stir occasionally with a spatula, helping to break up and mash the strawberries as you go. Check consistency of preserves after 20 minutes to check for doneness.
- To test whether strawberry preserves are ready: dip a spoon into the sauce pan, then pull it out and run your finger along the back. If there is a clear path and the jam doesn't re-cover the spoon, it's done!
- To store: remove preserves from the heat and pour into glass jars. Wipe the rim, cover and seal, then allow to cool completely before storing in refrigerator until needed.
Notes
- Strawberry preserves will keep in a refrigerator or freezer for 3 months.
- To add another level of flavor, try adding ¼ tsp vanilla bean paste to sauce pan when cooking.
- For a tangy, sweet flavor, add 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar.
I’ve made these preserves a few times to enjoy with toast and they are so good! I love the intensity of the strawberry flavor and that I don’t have to worry about pectin. Highly recommend!
I’m honored! And yes, I agree — not having to worry about pectin is major! So glad you loved! xo, Ari
Made these preserves to put on some homemade biscuits! They taste amazing and so easy. Definitely better than store bought.
Yes, they are seriously fantastic! We love to follow this recipe with all kinds of fresh berries. Thanks for the review! xo, Ari
If I wanted to make this Keto friendly, can I substitute Stevie sweetener or monk fruit?
Hi Debra! I’ve never tried either of those products, so I’m really not sure. I would either look up a keto-friendly strawberry preserves recipe or do a little digging online into whether those alternative sweeteners are a 1:1 ratio when substituted with sugar. My guess is it’s not 1:1, so once you figure out whether you’re supposed to use more or less of them, you could begin to experiment. Good luck! xo, Ari
Amazing, simple, and delicious recipe! I have made this twice already because it is that good!
Thank you, Aya! We love the simplicity of it. And of course, NO CANNING lol! xo, Ari
Way too much lemon zest 😛
I made this as the recipe said with the zest of one lemon and I can’t even eat the jam – it tastes like a bathroom cleaner. What a waste of strawberries 🙁
Honestly have made this countless times and love the lemon, but to each their own. Maybe next time don’t add any?
The recipe says it makes 6 servings- How much is a serving?
How much does the recipe yield all together?
Hi Dawn! A serving is ¼ cup (the recipe yields about 1½ cups strawberry preserves). Best, Ari