Easy Strawberry Jam recipe | Instant Pot Strawberry Jam

Last updated on April 12th, 2021 at 11:15 am

Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe – This is a super easy and simple recipe to make the most flavourful Strawberry Jam using your Instant Pot. You need only 3 ingredients for this jam and no added pectin involved!

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Up until last year, strawberries were a seasonal fruit. Fortunately, this year the strawberry season has extended and I think we went without them for only a month. It has simply been raining strawberries at our house and since my daughter loves strawberries, I have been making all sorts of strawberry-based food/desserts. That’s how I thought I should make some strawberry jam.

While you’re here and before we get into making this jam, check out these other simple sweet recipes: Easy Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe, Healthy Homemade Almond Butter Recipe, and Double Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.

Easy Strawberry Jam recipe

Strawberry jam is so damn expensive when bought from stores. In simple words, it is overly hyped until you enter the world of making jam yourself. Plus, making Strawberry Jam in Instant Pot is an added benefit. I wouldn’t say you need to have an Instant Pot to make Strawberry Jam; in fact you find the instructions to make it without it down below. But Instant Pot strawberry jam is definitely more flavourful and cooked through.

What goes into this?

• Fruit: We need lots of fresh strawberries. I like to use ripe deep-colored strawberries. Ideally, you can use any berry here or a mixture of berries (yum!).
• Sweetener: Jams are being made with a number and variety of sweeteners. I stick with just plain white sugar for making jams. Also, you don’t need to go find “jam sugar; which is just sugar mixed with pectin.
• Citric Acid: Jams are usually with some acid to help balance the environment inside the jars and to keep the jams taste good. Plus in this strawberry jam recipe without pectin, the lemon juice acts as natural pectin. This way we don’t end up with runny jam or thick jelly-like one; instead, it is a natural texture.

Serving Suggestions:

Obviously you don’t need me to tell you how to serve this easy homemade strawberry jam although these are some ways I use them up.

• as a spread on whole wheat bread toasts
• as a filling in jam cakes
• to flavor yogurts, smoothies, milk, etc.
• as a filling in delicious whole wheat pop tarts
• as a filling in between two millet butter cookies

Variations:

You can add some pectin to this easy strawberry jam recipe, which will give you a more jelly-like or store-bought-like texture. And as for flavoring, you can add some vanilla extract or cinnamon if you like. Instead of lemon, or in addition to it you can opt for Balsamic Vinegar.

How can I store this jam?

Although I haven’t yet tried canning yet, we make do with storing them in the refrigerator. It lasts in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. I sterilise a clean glass jar (always new), let it dry and pour the hot jam into it directly from the Instant Pot. It sorta forms a seal when I close it immediately with its lid (which is a metal).

This way I get to keep it in the refrigerator for a longer period of time. I have had a batch of jam for 4 weeks and it was good. Whereas in any other container it would go bad sooner. Also, remember to always use a clean spoon and to put it back into the refrigerator after scooping it out.

I’m sure with canning you can make a larger batch and store it for months to come. I haven’t had the chance to try it yet because I don’t get the right tools in the place I live. If you you want to learn about canning, check out National Centre for Home Food Preservation.

To make this Easy Strawberry Jam recipe:

To make this jam without an Instant Pot, use a non reactive sauce pan like an enameled Dutch oven. Follow the same steps after you skip through the pressure cooking step.

Should you choose to make this strawberry jam recipe without pectin in a saucepan instead of an instant pot, be extra careful if you choose to let it cook (covered). Since that wouldn’t be a sealed pressure cooking environment there will be water loss which may lead to scorching. Stir frequently if so.

Tips to note:

• Some prefer to add lemon peel after extracting the juice. I find that sometimes it adds bitterness. It depends on the variety of the lemon so its safer to stick with lemon juice. The pectin from the lemon juice is enough in my opinion for a natural looking strawberry jam.
• If you prefer a much thicker strawberry jam recipe without pectin, add a tiny bit of grated green apple to the strawberry mix just before you begin to cook it.

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Made this? Got doubts? Let me know what you think in the comments below!