It’s easy to make your own homemade Strawberry Preserves. With just a few ingredients and a little time, you can create a delicious spread that captures the essence of fresh strawberries. Whether you spread it on toast, place a dollop on top of yogurt, or serve a spoonful on oatmeal or fluffy pancakes, it’s pure heaven in every bite.
PinTable of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: I love this strawberry preserves recipe because it’s only three ingredients and uses natural sweetener. With just strawberries, lemon juice, and honey, you can create a spread that’s bursting with fresh strawberry flavor, not loaded with sugar and has no pectin!
- Naturally Sweetened: I love preserves that taste like pure strawberries with just a touch of added sweetness, so I decided to come up with my own recipe substituting honey for sugar. Making your own preserves allows you to control the sweetness and avoid any unnecessary additives, just like in my Strawberry Fruit Leather – Dehydrator Method recipe.
- Versatile Use: It’s perfect on toast (like this American Flag Toast), stirred into yogurt, or even as a topping for ice cream and other desserts. A dollop of fresh strawberry preserves makes everything better!
The Ingredients
- Strawberries: Fresh, ripe strawberries provide the main flavor and natural sweetness. Look for berries that are bright red and perfectly ripe.
- Lemon Juice: Adds a touch of acidity to balance the sweetness and enhance the strawberry flavor.
- Honey: Natural sweetener that add sweetness without the use of refined sugar. You could also use agave nectar.
How to Make Strawberry Preserves
PinStep 1: Begin by washing, stemming, and halving the strawberries.
PinStep 2: Place the strawberries, lemon juice, and honey (or agave nectar) in a saucepan or pot.
PinStep 3: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for 50-60 minutes or until mixture has thickened. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and to help break down the strawberries.
PinStep 4: Allow the preserves to cool before transferring them to a jar or container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy your homemade strawberry preserves!
Tips and Tricks
- Adjust sweetness: Depending on the sweetness of your strawberries, you may want to adjust the amount of honey or agave nectar. Taste the mixture as it cooks and add more sweetener if needed.
- Consistency: If you prefer smoother preserves, use a potato masher to break down the strawberries further as they cook. For chunkier preserves, leave the strawberries in larger pieces.
- Add flavors: For a twist, you could combine a mixture of berries (raspberries, blueberries or blackberries) to make mixed berry preserves.
How to Store Homemade Strawberry Preserves
Store the cooled preserves in an airtight container or jars in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can also freeze the preserves for up to 3 months.
FAQs
The preserves are done when most of the liquid has evaporated, and the mixture has thickened. It should have a jam-like consistency with little chunks of strawberries remaining.
In a pinch, yes, you can use frozen strawberries. Thaw them completely and drain any excess liquid before cooking to ensure the preserves thicken properly.
PinServe Preserves with These Recipes
It’s so much fun to make your own strawberry preserves. This homemade strawberry preserves recipe will give you a strawberry preserve that has way less sugar than what you’d buy in the grocery store but is still absolutely delicious. Every morning, we’ve been enjoying these vitamin C-packed, gooey, chunky preserves, and we can’t get enough! If you love this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and rating below.
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Strawberry Preserves
Equipment
- Sauce pan
- mason jar with lid (for storage)
Ingredients
- 2 pints strawberries (about 5 cups), stemmed and halved
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
Instructions
- Begin by washing, stemming, and halving the strawberries.
- Place the strawberries, lemon juice, and honey (or agave nectar) in a saucepan or pot and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has evaporated (you want the preserves to have little chunks of strawberries).
- Allow the preserves to cool before transferring them to a jar or container with a lid. Store in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Photo by Maren Caruso
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Glad I came across this recipe. Do you have a video program for canning preserves or did I just miss the link? I’m a novice in the kitchen and my son is in a serious strawberry jam/preserve phase and would just like to make a big batch of this instead of buying ready made preserves.
Could I substitute strawberries for Saskatoon berries?
I added the zest of the lemon and used local strawberries that I picked myself. I had rave reviews at a recent brunch. Great and easy recipe!
This looks so easy!! I hope it is! i can’t wait to try!!
No need for pectin of any sort for freezing or canning?
I just made my first batch using honey, but it seems a touch bitter.. is there a way to counter that? it’s still warm, so I’ll check again when it’s cooler. The strawberries I used were good.
might need to make this when strawberries are on sale! we are going to be eating lots of pb & j’s for lunch coming up! they are quick and yummy! what other kind of strawberry sandwiches could i make?
Up to a month in the fridge or more but not sure about canned, I have not tested it that way.
How long will it last canned and refridgerated?
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