My mom showed me how to make her famous homemade strawberry preserves! The recipe is old-fashioned with an intense fresh strawberry flavor made from only a few ingredients. Made in a small batch without pectin, these preserves are SO much better than store-bought!
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Table of Contents
- Why We Love Homemade Strawberry Preserves
- Ingredients for Strawberry Preserves
- Variations & Substitutions
- How to Make Strawberry Preserves
- Preserves Vs. Jam
- How to Store Preserves
- How to Use Strawberry Preserves
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- More Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love On Tastefully Grace!
- Mom’s Homemade Strawberry Preserves Recipe
Why We Love Homemade Strawberry Preserves
I grew up eating my mom’s strawberry preserves, made from fresh local strawberries that were cooked down to intensify their flavor in just a few easy steps.
Although local spring/summer strawberries can’t be beaten, store-bought strawberries do the job perfectly, too!
With only a few ingredients, you can whip up homemade strawberry preserves in no time and it’ll keep so well in the fridge for weeks to come!
You’ll love having preserves on-hand for so many reasons: on Lemon Poppy Seed Scones, Silver Dollar Pancakes, Parker House Rolls, for the kids with Peanut Butter, etc.! The opportunities are endless.
Have more strawberries? Make Chocolate Covered Strawberries with your leftovers!
Ingredients for Strawberry Preserves
You’ll need only a few ingredients to make the best strawberry preserves!
- Fresh strawberries – fresh in-season strawberries can’t be beaten but regular strawberries from the grocery store do the job perfectly too.
- Fresh lemon juice – a dash of lemon juice intensifies the flavor of the strawberries.
- Sugar – sugar (but not too much sugar!) sweetens your jam just enough.
- Cornstarch – a dash of cornstarch is the secret ingredient, helping to thicken your preserves to the perfect consistency.
- Cold water – cold water activates your cornstarch.
- Salt – a dash of salt adds flavor.
Variations & Substitutions
- Substitute 1 cup of blackberries, blueberries, or raspberries for 1 cup of strawberries.
- Substitute potato starch for cornstarch. Follow packaging instructions for quantity!
- Add in a dash of cinnamon for a warm touch!
- Add in a ½ teaspoon lemon zest, orange zest or lime zest for a citrusy undertone.
- Add in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or Grand Marnier to get fancy.
How to Make Strawberry Preserves
The full instructions and step-by-step video are in the recipe card below!
- Mash.
Mash strawberries in a medium pot with a potato masher.
- Add.
Stir in lemon juice, sugar, and salt.
- Cook.
Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and add cornstarch mixed with cold water. Stir. Let simmer over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring every minute.
- Cool.
Remove from heat, and let preserves cool in a large bowl at room temperature before cooling completely in the refrigerator.
- Store.
Transfer preserves to airtight containers.
Preserves Vs. Jam
The difference between preserves and jam is simple: preserves contain larger pieces of fruit than jam, which contains mashed fruit!
How to Store Preserves
After preserves have cooled completely, store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks for optimal freshness.
How to Use Strawberry Preserves
Oh my! There are SO many uses for homemade strawberries preserves, served warm or cold! Here are some of my favorites…spoon on:
- Lemon Poppy Seed Scones
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Mini Buttermilk Pancakes
- Buttery Parker House Rolls
- Wheat Beer Bread
- With Homemade Honey Peanut Butter on toast or a sandwich
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- Classic French Toast
- Strawberry Muffins
- On ice cream or pound cake with fresh Vanilla Whipped Cream
How do you warm preserves? Place desired amount in a microwave safe dish covered with plastic wrap, and heat in increments of 30 seconds until warm.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
I don’t recommend using frozen strawberries to make homemade preserves!
Cornstarch naturally thickens strawberry preserves to the perfect consistency…it’s so much better than pectin!
Yes…strawberries preserves should be refrigerated, but can be served chilled, room temperature, or warmed in the microwave!
Homemade preserves/jam lasts at optimal freshness in the fridge for 6-8 weeks.
Yes! To thaw frozen preserves, place in the refrigerator.
More Strawberry Recipes You’ll Love On Tastefully Grace!
Mom’s Homemade Strawberry Preserves
Equipment
- Potato masher
Ingredients
- 4 packed cups fresh strawberries, hulled & cut in half
- ½ lemon, juiced
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mash strawberries in a medium pot with a potato masher to desired consistency. I like some large pieces of strawberries and others that are completely mashed.
- Stir in lemon juice, sugar, and salt.
- Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, turn heat to medium and add cornstarch mixed with cold water. Stir. Let simmer over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring every minute.
- Remove from heat, and let preserves cool in a large bowl at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooling completely in the refrigerator.
- Once cooled, transfer preserves to mason jars or other airtight containers!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks great. Just have 2 questions: can I omit the cornstarch? and can I substitute stevia for sugar?
Thanks
Hi Mair,
It’s not recommended to omit the starch all together, but you can sub the cornstarch with arrowroot starch, or sub with flour ( like a gravy). However, the sugar part is the iffy. I tried using a stevia sweetener and it did.not.work.out.well. It doesn’t preserve right. I ended up having to throw out all the jars I made. If you were to use stevia, make it for the fridge only. So 1 jar at a time. Hope this helps.
Thanks so much for replying to this comment from Mair. For some reason I missed this one 🙁
Hi Mair,
I’m SO sorry I missed your comment. It was pushed to spam for some reason. I hope Stacey’s input is somewhat helpful (I agree with her!).
My apologies again!
Grace
Can I freeze the jam in jars?
I would avoid freezing them in anything glass as it will expand in the freezer. We used to use soft plastic storage containers and freeze them that way. Something that will flex is best.
Thanks for helping out with this! 🙂
Grace
Hi Veneal,
I’m not sure how this comment slipped through the cracks! Someone answered your question below and I agree with her advice. Or you can freeze them in jars but be sure to leave a ½ inch at the top of each jar to allow for expansion.
I hope this helps and is not too late!
Grace
It’s strawberry season here in central Florida, and I wanted a new way to take advantage. Tried this recipe and it’s amazing!
So happy to hear you enjoyed! Thanks for commenting 🙂
Grace
This is my first EVER attempt to make jam/jelly, and I have a probably juvenile question. Your recipe say to use the juice of 1/2 a lemon. What approximate measure would that be? Some recipes need to be EXACT, and I’d hate to mess this up right off the bat. Thank you in advance!!
Hi Julie,
So sorry for the delayed response! I was away for the weekend. The amount of lemon juice doesn’t have to be exact. I’d personally just squeeze in half a normal-sized lemon, but measurement-wise, I’d say it’s equivalent to about 1 or 1 1/2 tablespoons of juice.
I hope this helps!
Grace
Thank you so much, and please forgive MY slow response. I’m going to try the strawberry jam again.
Thanks again!!
Not a problem! Enjoy!
Grace
Do preserves require hot water bath for preservation & sealing of the jars?
Hi Rita!
I am not a canning expert so I’d definitely consult a canning website for tips! I typically eat the preserves fresh, storing in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks.
The Almanac has an article on canning that might be helpful: https://www.almanac.com/how-make-jam-refrigerator-jam-or-water-bath-canning
I hope you enjoy the preserves!
Grace
If you want to store on a shelf, then yes hot water bath for 10 minutes. Make sure you cover the entire jar. 2 inches over the lid. Rapid boil for 10 minutes in sterile jars. Cool at least 12 hours before checking the seal.
I am a muffin freak and and found some really good deals on strawberries over the course of the season so I froze them I know they say that you should use fresh strawberries for this but I used Frozen and it still came out wonderful very simple recipe and gave a great flavor and satisfied my sweet tooth🤗
Hi Linda!
So happy you loved the recipe!! Thanks so much for the comment.
Grace
Over the weekend I picked up 7 quarts of strawberries and abour 6 pounds of peaches for free. Though I haven’t decided what i’m going to do with the peaches, I want to make preserves with the strawberries. I was over the moon when I found your cite and this recipe. Last week I made plum Lekvar, it’s like a super stiff apple butter but made with Italian plums. It took 2 days of cooking before I finally ended up with 8 half pints. The recipe for your strawberry preserves looks so much easier and a lot quicker. Thanks.
Hi Kate,
I’m so happy to hear this recipe helped! It’s one of my favorites. Enjoy!
Grace
How do I can some preserves
Hi John,
I am not a canning expert, so I recommend checking out these two articles for more information on canning! These preserves store well in the fridge without canning for up to a month.
https://www.almanac.com/how-make-jam-refrigerator-jam-or-water-bath-canning
https://thegourmandiseschool.com/canning-101-make-jams-preserves/
I hope this helps!
Grace
I made this and it turned out good but if you don’t process this won’t it spoil????
Hi Janine,
The preserves will last for about a month without any processing!
Grace
Thank you fir taking the time to reply
This recipe doesn’t seem intimidating at all! I’ll be on the ready the next few weeks, when strawberry season kicks in. We love preserves and I am excited to try your recipe!! Thank you for sharing this.
I’m so glad you’re excited about making it! Please let me know how the preserves turn out 🙂
Grace