Strawberry Jam: a cozy home-cooked favorite with big flavor, practical prep, and servings worth fighting over—in a friendly way.
Bright Skillet Strawberry Jam — Small Batch, Big Flavor
A quick, one-skillet jam that turns ripe strawberries into glossy, spoonable goodness in about 15 minutes.
This is the kind of jam you make when you want the real strawberry thing — not too fussy, just honest fruit concentrated into a tangy-sweet spread. Working in a single heavy skillet keeps the cooking fast and even, and a small batch means you can taste as you go and tweak the texture before it cools.
The trick is simple: hull and quarter larger berries so everything breaks down evenly, let the sugar sit a few minutes to draw out the juices, then simmer until the fruit softens. Mash with a potato masher or the back of a spoon to your preferred chunkiness — leave big pieces for spooning over yogurt, or break them down for a smoother jam. A cornstarch slurry added near the end gives a reliable gloss and quick set without hours of boiling.
Bright layers of lemon juice and a hint of vanilla (plus a little lemon zest if you like) keep the jam lively instead of cloying, and the whole pan thickens in roughly 6–8 minutes on the stove. When it cools, it clings to a spoon and spreads like a dream.
This makes a modest jar for toast, ricotta, pancakes, thumbprint cookies, or stirred into cold oats. Let it cool, seal it in a clean jar, and keep it in the fridge for about two weeks, or freeze portions for longer. Because it’s such an easy, forgiving batch, you can experiment with chunkiness and extra flavorings until it’s exactly the kind of strawberry jam you want on your morning bread.
Ingredients
How to Make Strawberry Jam
- Rinse and hull the strawberries; quarter any large berries so pieces are roughly uniform (this helps them break down evenly in the skillet).
- In a 10-12 inch heavy skillet, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the water and the salt; stir to coat and let sit 5 minutes so the sugar starts to draw juice from the fruit.
- Place the skillet over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally; as the berries soften, mash them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon to your preferred chunkiness.
- While the fruit simmers (about 6–8 minutes), whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth to make a slurry.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry into the simmering fruit and continue cooking 1–2 minutes until the jam thickens and becomes glossy, stirring constantly near the end to prevent sticking.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest; the jam will continue to thicken as it cools—taste and add a pinch more salt or a squeeze of lemon if desired.
- Cool slightly, spoon the jam into a clean jar, cover, and refrigerate. The jam keeps in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks or can be frozen in portions for up to 3 months.
Recipe Card
Strawberry Jam
Strawberry Jam: a cozy home-cooked favorite with big flavor, practical prep, and servings worth fighting over—in a friendly way.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Rinse and hull the strawberries; quarter any large berries so pieces are roughly uniform (this helps them break down evenly in the skillet).
- In a 10-12 inch heavy skillet, combine the strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of the water and the salt; stir to coat and let sit 5 minutes so the sugar starts to draw juice from the fruit.
- Place the skillet over medium heat and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally; as the berries soften, mash them with a potato masher or the back of a spoon to your preferred chunkiness.
- While the fruit simmers (about 6–8 minutes), whisk the cornstarch into the remaining 2 tablespoons of cold water until smooth to make a slurry.
- Stir the cornstarch slurry into the simmering fruit and continue cooking 1–2 minutes until the jam thickens and becomes glossy, stirring constantly near the end to prevent sticking.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the vanilla extract and lemon zest; the jam will continue to thicken as it cools—taste and add a pinch more salt or a squeeze of lemon if desired.
- Cool slightly, spoon the jam into a clean jar, cover, and refrigerate. The jam keeps in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks or can be frozen in portions for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 48.5
- Saturated Fat
- 0
- Sodium
- 75
- Fiber
- 2.3
- Unsaturated Fat
- 0.1
- Protein
- 0.8
- Fat
- 0.2
- Cholesterol
- 0
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 197
- Sugar
- 43.1