An easy, no-pectin strawberry jam, with a bit of balsamic vinegar and black pepper, to heighten the strawberry flavour. A beautiful ruby-red and flavourful small-batch jam. No canning needed!
This is my favourite strawberry jam. It is a no-pectin jam, so I can make up a batch anytime. I love the looser texture of a no-pectin jam. The added balsamic heightens the strawberry flavour and lends a deep, ruby-red colour to the jam. The few grinds of black pepper are another flavour note that contrasts the sweet berry flavours.
If you are new to jam making, you may be shocked by the amount of sugar in a jam. Some people are tempted to reduce it, but it is not advisable. Sugar in jam is what allows it to “set”, so reducing it may make it so it will never set. Secondly, sugar in jam is a preservative, so the jam will keep well in the fridge. Finally, the sugar in jam is a sweetener. Jam is sweet. It’s also a condiment that is consumed in very small quantities.
How to make strawberry balsamic jam: step-by-step
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this recipe. Scroll down to the Recipe Card below for the complete list of ingredients and instructions.
Step 1: Start by weighing out the prepared fresh strawberries.
Step 2: Add an equal amount of white sugar, by weight, to the strawberries in a cooking pot.
Step 3: Add the lemon juice to the pot.
Step 4: Heat the mixture and stir until the sugar dissolves.
Step 5: Mash the strawberries lightly to break them up.
Step 6: Boil the jam until it reaches the setting temperature (221F as measured with a thermometer) or it passes the Cold Plate Test. Remove from the heat and stir in the balsamic vinegar and black pepper.
Recipe tips!
- As this jam has no added pectin, it’s a loose-set jam.
- You want to make sure you use a large pot, as the mixture will bubble up considerably when it boils. I’m using a Dutch oven-sized pot here.
- This small-batch jam will make 2 cups of jam, or 2-3 small jars
- The jam needs to be refrigerated or frozen after making, as it is not processed/canned. The jam will keep for several months in the fridge or up to a year in the freezer.
- The jam will produce some foam as it boils. You can spoon it off and discard, if you like, but I don’t usually bother, as much of it disappears by the time the jam is done. Adding a small pat of butter to the mix at the start will prevent foaming, as well, if you want to add it.
- I recommend using a candy thermometer if you have one, but if you don’t, just use the cold-plate test detailed in the Recipe Card below to check for set.
What to do if your jam didn’t set!
First, remember that as this is a no-pectin added jam, it will never be firm like a pectin-added jam. That said, it shouldn’t be “runny”. I call it loose-set. If you think your jam is too runny, you can do a couple of things. You can just use it as a strawberry sauce, as a delicious and a great topping for your favourite vanilla ice cream or waffles. Alternately, you can dump it back into a saucepan and re-boil it. Once it comes to the boil, boil an additional 3-5 minutes. Return to a jar, cool and refrigerate. In most cases, the set will have improved.
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Get the Recipe: Strawberry Balsamic Jam
Ingredients
- 1 lb. (500 g) fresh strawberries, washed, hulled and halved or quartered, if large
- 2 cups (454-500 g) granulated white sugar, approximately *see Notes below
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 3-4 grinds freshly ground black pepper, optional
Instructions
- Prepare the strawberries by hulling, washing, and draining well, then halving or quartering, if large. Weigh the prepared strawberries, recording the weight, then place them in a large, non-reactive pot (not aluminum). * The mixture will bubble up considerably when it boils, so be sure to use a large pot.
- Weigh out the white sugar to the same weight as the prepared strawberries. (So if your prepared strawberries weighed 500g, weigh out 500g of white sugar. Add the sugar to the pot with the strawberries. Add the juice of 1/2 lemon and stir to combine.
- Heat the strawberry mixture on medium heat, stirring regularly until the sugar dissolves. Once the mixture comes to a boil, increase the heat to medium-high. Use a potato masher to break down the strawberries a bit. Continue to boil the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 221F on a candy thermometer or the mixture passes the Cold Plate Test (see below). This usually takes about 10 minutes. * The mixture will produce some foam as it cooks. You can spoon off and discard it if you like. I don't usually bother myself.
- Remove pot from heat. Add balsamic vinegar and black pepper and stir to combine. Carefully spoon jam into clean jars (careful, it's hot!). Fill to within 1/2-inch of the top. Place the lid on the jar and invert the jar on a tea towel and allow to cool completely at room temperature. Place jar in the refrigerator and keep refrigerated at all times. The jam will keep in the fridge for 4-6 months. The jam can also be frozen. Allow extra room in the freezer container or jar for expansion during freezing. The jam will keep in the freezer up to 1 year.
- Testing for set with a cold plate: Set a small plate into your freezer before you start to make your jam. As your jam is coming close to setting (has boiled for 8-10 minutes), remove the plate from the freezer and drop a small puddle of hot jam onto the plate. Let it stand a few seconds, then run your finger through the middle of the puddle. If the puddle runs back together, it is not set, and you need to cook longer. If the path remains and doesn’t run back together, and the edges of the line are raised and/or wrinkled, your jam is done.
Notes
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Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress-free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Are there different instructions if one wants to use frozen strawberries?
Hi Ellen, I haven’t tested this jam with frozen strawberries. In fact, I’ve never made a jam from frozen fruit. While it will technically work, there are a couple of differences with using frozen fruit. First, it will take longer to cook, as there will be extra moisture in the fruit that will need to cook off before the jam gets to setting. Secondly, and most important when it comes to jam is figuring out the amount of sugar to use. If you weigh the frozen berries, you are weighing more than the actual fruit, as the ice crystals will inflate the weight. If you thaw and drain off the extra liquid, you will be draining off strawberry juices, as well, so the fruit will be under-weight. If I were going to tackle it, I would start with weighing the frozen fruit and going with some ratio less than 1:1 (maybe using sugar that is 85-90% of the weight of the fruit. (I’m just guessing here :) As I said, I have no experience with this, so it would definitely be experimental with frozen fruit.
What a delicious combination! I love balsamic with berries and I bet the addition of black pepper gives this jam such a nice warm spice.
I really loved this jam, Mercedes. There was something about the addition of raspberry juice as well that really made the berry flavours in this jam “pop”.
This sounds like even I could pull it off!! Even though I grew up making jam with my mom, I never learned the science of it. I just helped her prep fruit. (by the gallon.) And I dont know how to can at all, so this appeals to me :) It also sounds delicious! Thanks!
Hi Sophie, I hope you try it. I’m not a fan of putting jam up much. We just never seem to use it all and it’s a lot more work sterilizing and hot water bath. This method works well for me.