What Is Strawberry jam and How Can I Use It?
Strawberry jam is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store it, what to substitute, and 55 recipes to get you started.
Key Points
- Strawberries cooked with sugar until they set into a thick, spreadable, slightly tart red preserve.
- Strawberries are low in pectin, so lemon juice or added pectin helps homemade jam set firm.
- Spreads on toast and scones, fills cakes, cookies, and pastries, and thins into a tart glaze.
- For a firm set, cook to about 220°F (104°C) and confirm with the cold-plate wrinkle test.
- Unopened keeps a year in the pantry; refrigerate after opening and use within about a month.
What is strawberry jam?
Strawberry jam is strawberries cooked down with sugar until they set into a thick, spreadable preserve. It is the most popular fruit jam in much of the world, sweet and slightly tart, with soft bits of fruit still visible in the bright red gel.
What turns loose fruit into jam is pectin, a natural gelling agent in the berries, helped along by sugar and acid. Strawberries are low in pectin, so most recipes add lemon juice or a little extra pectin to get a firm set.
Unlike jelly, which is strained clear, jam keeps the crushed fruit.
How to Use Strawberry Jam
Spread on buttered toast or a warm scone is the daily job, the heart of a Traditional English Scones spread and one half of the PB&J. It is also the classic filling between sponge cake layers and inside thumbprint cookies.
It bakes beautifully. Spoon it into the center of pastries like Easy Drop Danish, swirl it through Homemade Strawberry Jam Bread, and press it between the layers of Oatmeal Jam Bars or a proper Bakewell Tart.
Warmed and thinned with a splash of water, it becomes a glaze. Brush it over a fruit tart such as Strawberry & Cream Cheese Tart with Strawberry Jam Glaze for a glossy finish, or stir a spoonful into yogurt or a pan sauce for pork.
Pairing and Common Mistakes
Strawberry jam loves dairy and bread: butter, cream cheese, mascarpone, brie, scones, and croissants. It plays off peanut butter, almond, vanilla, dark chocolate, and a squeeze of lemon, and it stands up to sharp cheese on a board.
The most common mistake with homemade jam is a runny set. That usually means it did not reach the setting point, around 220°F (104°C), or there was not enough acid and pectin to gel.
The fix is the cold-plate test. Chill a saucer in the freezer, drop a little hot jam onto it, then push it with a finger after 30 seconds. If it wrinkles, it is done; if it floods back, cook a few minutes more.
Substitutes
Any berry preserve fills in. Raspberry jam is the closest match for sweetness and color, while blackberry or a mixed-berry jam behaves the same way and brings a little more tartness.
For baking and glazing, seedless jam or fruit preserves work cup for cup. If you only have whole-fruit preserves and need a smooth glaze, push them through a sieve first.
In a pinch, mash fresh strawberries with a little sugar for a quick uncooked spread, though it will be loose and will not keep like real jam.
Buying and Storing
Read the label and pick a jam that lists strawberries first, before sugar or corn syrup. Lower-sugar and "fruit spread" versions taste more of fruit but soften faster once opened, so they need refrigeration sooner.
An unopened jar keeps in the pantry for a year or more. Once you open it, refrigerate it and use it within about a month, always with a clean spoon so you do not introduce mold.
Homemade jam that has been properly water-bath canned keeps unopened for up to a year in a cool, dark place. Toss any jar that grows fuzzy mold or smells off, and any whose lid has lost its seal.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 tbsp (20g)Quick facts
Where to find strawberry jam: Strawberry jam is usually found in the condiments section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.
Food group: Strawberry jam is a member of the Sweets US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.
- In Chinese
- 草莓酱
- British (UK) term
- Strawberry jam
- en français
- confiture de fraise
- en español
- mermelada de fresa
How much does strawberry jam weigh?
| Amount | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1 tbsp | 20 grams |
| 1 packet (0.5 oz) | 14 grams |
Related
Sweets
Recipes using strawberry jam
There are 55 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Homemade Strawberry Jam Filled Buns
Many people’s favourite jam is strawberry. These buns are perfectly delicious. They’re shaped like croissants.
Homemade Strawberry Jam Cookies
Quick and easy kids’ snacks that are healthy and fun to eat any time of the day! Try it!
Strawberry & Cream Cheese Tart with Strawberry Jam Glaze
This cheesecake like strawberry tart is so fruity, creamy and refreshing, and it is so easy to make. Even you know nothing about baking, you can still make this delicious tart and everyone will tell you how good it tastes.
Fresh Peach Tart
Fresh peaches fill into an almond and flour crust, the sweetness, slightly sourness, and refreshing taste from the peaches go very well with the nutty crusty. It's a light, fruity and delicious dessert that fits a hot summer day wonderfully!
Homemade Fruit Dessert
One of the easiest desserts and also very tasty and healthy. Kids will love this dessert. Try it!!
Strawberry-Orange Muffins
Strawberry orange muffins: tender sour cream muffins with fresh sliced strawberries and orange zest, hiding a hidden jam center. A brunch favorite that bakes in under 30 minutes.
Oatmeal Jam Bars
I always have the ingredients on hand to make these. Plus, they are "healthy" because they have oatmeal!
Traditional English Scones
Traditional English scones bake tender, flaky rounds with raisins and a tall layered rise. Served warm with berry preserves and clotted cream for a proper afternoon tea.
Applesauce Oatmeal Whole Wheat Jam Bars
These delicious bars are packed with goodness. They are perfect for a grab-go breakfast or an energized snack during the day.
Halloween Pathology Pound Cake
A decadent and scrumptious pound cake made with strawberry jam and frozen blueberries.
Crostata Di Fragole
Crostata di fragole is an Italian strawberry tart with almond-enriched pasta frolla, a layer of strawberry jam, and fresh berries arranged for a stunning no-bake filling on a crisp, buttery shell.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Filled Spiders
Halloween peanut butter and jelly bread spiders. Frozen bread dough shaped into spider bodies stuffed with PB and strawberry jam, then baked. Three ingredients, one creepy treat.
Flat Cat Cookies
Flat cat cookies, the gleefully gruesome Halloween treat. Roll out refrigerated sugar cookie dough, cut roadkill cat shapes, add red candy eyes and a drizzle of jam blood. Easy enough for kids.
Strawberry-Raisin Scone Bake
A buttery raisin scone bake layered with strawberry jam, scored into warm wedges. All the flaky charm of individual scones with half the fuss.
Bakewell Pudding
The original Derbyshire classic: flaky puff pastry spread with strawberry jam and topped with a soft, buttery almond egg custard. Not a tart. A proper Bakewell pudding.
Peanut Butter & Jelly Streusel Bars
Peanut butter and jelly streusel bars with a brown sugar PB cookie base, strawberry jam middle, and oat-crumble topping. The lunchbox sandwich reinvented for the cookie tray.
Lemon-Strawberry Pie
Lemon custard pie with a press-in oil crust, topped with fresh sliced strawberries glazed in melted jam. A make-ahead dessert with a light, soufflé-like lemon filling.
Sweet Cheese Ring
Sweet cheese ring appetizer made with sharp cheddar, mayonnaise, and pecans shaped into a ring with strawberry jam in the center. A no-cook Southern party spread ready in 5 minutes.
Lamington
Lamingtons made the Aussie way: light sponge cake sandwiched with hot strawberry jam, then rolled in desiccated coconut. A classic afternoon-tea treat with a jammy center and a snowy coconut coat.
Strawberry Stuffed French Toast
Strawberry stuffed French toast sandwiches a thick layer of cream cheese and strawberry jam inside golden, egg-dipped bread, finished with powdered sugar and fresh strawberries. A fast, special-occasion breakfast.
Strawberry Cream Filled Crepes (Paulette Valois)
Delicate crepes spread with strawberry jam and rolled around vanilla whipped cream folded with sliced fresh strawberries. A French-inspired dessert that's on the table in 20 minutes.
Fruit Trifle
Layers of soft pound cake soaked in sweet Marsala wine, lush apricot purée, and silky vanilla custard come together in this classic British trifle that's easier to make than you think.
Peanut Butter Jewels
Peanut butter jewels are thumbprint cookies rolled in sugar or chopped peanuts and filled with strawberry jam. A quick semi-homemade cookie with a fruity center.
Singing Cake
Singing cake, a heritage spice-and-chocolate Bundt loaded with raisins, nuts, strawberry jam, and unsweetened chocolate, in a buttermilk batter lifted by whipped egg whites. Named for the hissing sound it makes baking.
London Strips
London strips: layered cookie bars with a buttery shortbread base, strawberry jam filling, and a bourbon-walnut meringue topping dusted with powdered sugar.
M&M's® PB&J Cookie Sandwiches
Imagine, having all your favorite tastes...milk chocolate, peanut butter and jelly...rolled into one great snack!
Awesome Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins
Strawberry cheesecake muffins hide a sweet cream cheese filling and a spoonful of strawberry jam in the middle of an almond-scented brown sugar muffin. Bakery-style brunch treat with a surprise center.
Fourth of July Blueberry Cheesecake
No-bake cheesecake sets on a graham cracker crust, then gets decorated with star-shaped cutouts filled with warm strawberry jam and a border of fresh blueberries for easy July 4th entertaining.
Yugoslav Carrot Cake
A European-style carrot cake with walnuts, whipped egg whites for lightness, and a layered filling of cream cheese, jam, and sweetened whipped cream. Elegant and unforgettable.
Halloween Bleeding Heart Cupcakes
A bleeding heart cupcake sounds very interesting, and it also tastes great!
Chicken with Spicy Fruit Sauce
Sweet pineapple and strawberry jam meet crushed red pepper in this 30-minute chicken breast dish. Golden raisins add chewy bursts of flavor to a glossy, fruity sauce you'll want to drizzle on everything.
Strawberry Jam Squares
Buttery shortbread cookie bars packed with chopped walnuts and a thick layer of strawberry jam baked between two golden crusts. Rich, sweet, and utterly impossible to eat just one.
French Toast Fingers
French toast fingers stuffed with strawberry jam, dipped in orange-egg batter, and griddled golden. A kid-friendly 10-minute breakfast that turns jam sandwiches into dunkable brunch bites with maple syrup.
Pineapple Cream Cheese Pizza
Pineapple cream cheese pizza on bread dough with a sweet cream cheese and crushed pineapple filling, strawberry jam, and toasted almonds. A dessert pizza kids and adults love.
Black-Bottom Strawberry Pie
Shortbread cookie crust layered with chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries glazed with strawberry jam creates a stunning no-bake pie with three distinct layers.
Strawberry, Banana & Cream Cheese French Toast
Strawberry, banana, jam and cream cheese make a creamy, rich and fruity stuffing that's filled into toast. Shallow frying the stuffed toast in butter until golden, brown and oozy. Serve with some freshly made strawberry sauce.
Jablka Na Winie Czerwonym
Polish baked apples in red wine, jablka na winie czerwonym, fills cored apples with jam and bakes them in spiced wine syrup. A classic Polish Christmas dessert served chilled.
Linda's Fruitcake
Linda's fruitcake: brandy-soaked dates, citrus peel, raisins, almonds, and cherries folded into a spiced batter with a pineapple jam layer. Wrapped in brandy-soaked cheesecloth to age.
Fresh Strawberry Scones
Fresh strawberry scones layer sliced berries and strawberry jam between two halves of a citrus-scented scone dough, then bake into wedges. A bakery-style stuffed scone sweetened with orange juice concentrate.
Strawberry Bran Squares
Chewy bar cookies with crunchy bran flakes in the dough and a layer of strawberry jam baked in the center. Old-fashioned lunchbox treats that come together in 45 minutes.
7-Up Lemon Pudding Cake with Strawberry Glaze
No bake, 7-up lemon pudding cake made in a spring-form pan. It's more like a pie than a cake.
Strawberry Tiramisu Cake
A tiramisu-inspired strawberry cake: angel food layers soaked in Grand Marnier, filled with cream cheese and fresh berries, frosted in whipped cream, and served with a double strawberry sauce.
Strawberry Chicken
Strawberry chicken baked in a sweet-tangy sauce of tomato, strawberry jam, red wine vinegar, chili powder, thyme, and ginger. Unexpected fruit-glazed weeknight main.
Ruby Tea Biscuits
Traditional tea biscuits with a jam-filled center and a ring-shaped top creating a ruby jewel effect. These tender shortcake-style biscuits are perfect for afternoon tea.
Peanut Butter Picnic Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting
Peanut Butter Picnic Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting recipe
