When you accidentally come home with 17 lbs. of strawberries from a morning at the pick your own berry patch, you have to do something. And you have to do it fast.
I started to can the strawberry jam, but quickly saw that if I continued on the canning path to use up all the strawberries that I’d be up all night. While I did can many jars of strawberry jam, I needed a “quicker” alternative to help us get through all the strawberries.
This no sugar freezer jam was the answer!
(More on the canning adventures tomorrow.)
The How To
Mash strawberries with potato masher…
…one layer at a time. Let sit while you prepare the juice/pectin.
Pour the apple juice into a small saucepan and stir in the pectin. A whisk would have worked better than the plastic spatula I was using 
Bring to a hard boil and let boil for 1 minute.
Pour straight into the mushed strawberries while it’s still piping hot.
Stir, stir, stir for a minute. Ladle into containers. Any old plastic container will work…just be sure to give 1/2 inch headspace, as the jam will expand after it sets and then freezes.
I made 2 batches (recipe below is for 1 batch) and got this 4 8 oz. containers. 1 6 oz. container, plus a little more that I’ll keep in the fridge. (I used these freezer jam containers.)
No Sugar Strawberry Freezer Jam
From the Ball No Sugar Pectin Package
Yield – 4 8 oz. containers-ish
Preparation Time – 20 minutes
Cooking Time – 0 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. strawberries, hulled and stems removed
- 1 3/4 cups apple juice
- 1 1/2 package no sugar, low sugar pectin (I find that using 1 1/2 package really gets the jam to set perfectly!)
Directions
- Mash the strawberries in a large bowl.
- In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice and pectin to a boil and boil for 1 minute.
- Pour straight into the mashed strawberries and stir hard for 1 minute.
- Ladle into the freezer containers and place in the refrigerator overnight to let it cool slowly and set.
- Then store in the freezer.
- Good in the freezer for up to 1 year, in the fridge for 3 weeks.
{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
I just made some of this last week and it is so good! I did add a little honey as directed (optional) on the ball package. I was afraid it wouldn’t be sweet enough. The u=pick blueberry farm near us has opened up, so I plan to make some blueberry jam next week!
I love to make freezer strawberry jam. In the past it hasn’t set as well as cooked jam but we discovered this makes it the best ice cream topping!!!
Thanks for posting this recipe! I am curious if it’s a bit tart or comparable to the other “all fruit” jams out there. My husband is SO picky, just wondering about the sweetness.
Thanks so much for posting this. I never knew freezer jam was so easy to make. I will be making this soon as strawberries have been reasonably priced so far this year.
Great recipe! I would like to confirm that it calls for half of one package of pectin rather than 1 1/2 total packages. Thanks!
Yeah, I’d like clarification too. I’ve got enough strawberries to make this recipe, and I’ve never done anything like this before so I want to do it right!
Yes…I use 1 and 1/2 packages…I find it gels better and is the consistency I prefer.
Thanks, Erin, I look forward to expanding my kitchen skills to freezer jam this weekend!
Yes Kristen, It’s 1 1/2 total packages…I find that using the extra half package helps it gel and set up better. It’s the consistency I prefer. Using 1 package, or 1 1/4-1 1/3 package will also work…just have to find the consistency that you like!
Thank you, Erin, for your quick reply! I’ll be making jam tomorrow!
What a great alternative to canning! No need to boil and worry about seals! Ready to try it out!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing this recipe! We have a blackberry patch in our back yard and 2 huge mulberry trees so by the end of June I’m up to my eyeballs in berries of all stripes. We made jelly last year with my mom’s help (because I’m a cooking doofus when it comes to anything “complicated” like canning) and it was just WAY too sweet. I can’t wait to try this simple, low-sugar recipe. Yahoo!
Sounds so good! We just recently eliminated all refined sugars from our diet, and I was wondering how I could make jams w/o sugar, and without using artifical sweeteners (which we’ve also completely eliminated.) Thanks for sharing that there IS a recipe that is easy and sounds delicious too!
Erin, a heads up for you and those who live where Meijer’s are. Yesterday I discovered Ball No Sugar/Low Sugar Freezer Jam Pectin clearanced at my local Meijer for 77-cents! I’m in the Columbus, Ohio area. I bought one packet to try my hand at some no-cook freezer jam with the peaches & apricots I also picked up (99-cents per lb). : )
I don’t have a kitchen scale. Do you have any idea how much 3 lbs. of strawberries is in a mashed or pre-mashed form? Thanks!
Great and easy recipe. I tasted it as is and decided it was a little too tart for me, so I added 1 cup of sugar, which is still far less sugar than other recipes.
So how many cups of berries is 3lbs?
Please do not recommend that people pour a hot substance into a plastic container.
?? You pour the hot pectin/juice mixture into your mixing bowl full of COOL mashed strawberries, stir, and then pour a significantly cooler strawberry jam mixture into the freezer jars – which yes, are plastic, and are made specifically for this process.
I’ve been using plastic freezer jam jars for several years and I promise you it’s safe.
This looks like a quick and easy recipe for no-surgar jam. Thank you for sharing as it will be that time of year here soon and putting up jams is a favorite in our house. It will be a nice change to use this recipe that will take much less time. Home made jam makes a wonderful gift too!
I am wondering, if the recipe calls for just a 1/2 box of the pectin, does it also mean just 3/4 cup of apple juice, rather than one and 3/4 cup? To better clarify the recipe, try (1) 3/4 cup apple juice and (1) 1/2 box of pectin.
I had the same question, but reading the comments above, she specified that she did, in fact, mean one full packet plus one half. So, I believe it is safe to assume that she means 1 cup plus 3/4 cup of apple juice.
Does anyone think it would be a really bad idea to use the organic Naked Juice (the green one) in place of the apple juice? My son’s nutritionist wants us to use drink purees instead of juices.. Maybe since its with strawberries it wouldn’t matter as much but I would like it to be as healthy as possible, if I can ? What does everyone (or anyone) think?
I wouldn’t use the naked juice in this case, plus you are making so much of it at once that the serving size barely has any juice in it. I think your Dr meant more for drinking or using in larger amounts in a serving. I think you’re safe here.
I googled the amount of strawberries… 3lbs=6 cups crushed. Hopefully that is right, that is what I am going to use.
How much of the pectin should be used? Mine’s in a jar and I don’t know how much would be in 1 1/2 packets.
one packet has 3 1/4 tsp of pectin. so one and a half packets would have just shy of 5 tsp.
Sarah, that is so helpful! Thank you!
Can’t wait till Strawberry season!
Just made this yesterday and it worked wonderfully! I’m assuming this recipe and quantities will also work with other fresh fruit? We live in the South of France and in June it is apricot season, I LOVE the apricots here! Thanks for this awesome recipe
Can you use a different type of juice? All I have on hand is orange juice and pineapple juice. Can get apple juice – just didn’t want to have to run out to the store.
could this be canned normally?
Yes just can in jars and use a water bath canning method.
how many calories per serving in this?
Can you use the Real Fruit Instant Pectin and yield the same quality,texture,and taste?
Thank you for posting this!! I’ve never really made it before and it turned out perfect!
How long does it take freezer jam to set, mine has been in the fridge for a few hours and looks like syrup.
Also I have a ton of regular certo pectin crystals, not the no sugar pectin, can i just use it with this recipe?
Does anyone know if I can use low/no sugar Sure Jell? that’s what I normally use for jam, but it’s also all i could find in the store yesterday. I looked for the Ball pectin but they didn’t seem to have it. i’m kind of guessing the pectins are basically the same?
Has anybody had success with this? Mine is a very tart strawberry syrup ….
Mine didn’t set. Anybody know if I can fix it by adding more pectin?
Your recipe says 3lb berries I’m used to working in cups so could you tell me about how may cups are in 3lb of berries?
Thank you for your help. I ‘m hopefully to make this tonight . I’m so excited to try something without 12lb of suger.
I made this set up just fine but is way too tart.
I am not pleased with the outcome
Does using unsweetened apple sauce make any sense?
Disappointing. Followed recipe exactly, and did not set correctly. Nor did it taste good. What do I do now? All those strawberries wasted on making syrupy mess. .
Sorry Adriane, occasionally pectin doesn’t set right for a variety of reasons…sorry it didn’t turn out. Years ago I had a “bad batch”…very frustrating!
Erin
I know this is a no sugar recipe, but I thought the apple juice would make it sweeter. I followed this recipe yesterday and it set up fine, but it’s really sour. Is there any way I can redo this batch and add a little sugar? I hate to see it all go to waste.
Made this about an hour ago and it’s already setting! I licked my fingers before I even put it in the fridge to cool…tastes tart, but in a good way. Who needs rot-your-teeth-sweet jam anyways? This will be a great way to reduce our sugar in the morning.
I used 3- 1 pound crates of whole strawberries and only 1 package of no sugar Sur Jell fruit pectin. Hulling the strawberries with a drinking straw works like a charm. I also used my palm blender to mash up the berries and make them super smooth. My whole family can’t wait to try the jam on some English muffins tonight!
Since your name is Erin and so is mine, I’m going to make labels that read “Erindipity’s Strawberry Jam”
Thanks again!
Can you use and what amount would you use frozen fruits? Since fresh fruit is not always available or affordable I am hoping this would work. I am really looking forward to making my own jelly as soon as I hear back from someone. Thanks for the great recipes!
Erin – what a fantastic recipe – thank you. Since being diagnosed diabetic I’ve been searching for no sugar recipes. Never heard of ‘freezer jam’ – so thank you for a great discovery.
I used 1 1/2 packets of Certo pectin and mine didn’t set. I put back in a pan and boiled with the other 1/2 packet of Certo pectin and it still didn’t set. Hate to waste it all. Wonder if another packet of Certo will make it set?
Have you ever tried to water bath it after putting it in the jars? I know you used plastic but I was thinking of using jars and doing the bath method, just to keep my freezers a little less crammed.
Thanks.
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