This Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam (1st prize winning) is super quick & delicious, small batch recipe that requires no added pectin or special equipment. If you’re from across the pond a punnet is the plastic container you get strawberries in!
If you’re looking for a soft set, homemade strawberry jam recipe that is super quick and easy and requires no jam sugar or added pectin then you’ve come to the right place!
Back in July 2014 my Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam won 1st Prize in the Byfleet Parish Day Show! It was to be my 2nd year running winning 1st prize as the previous year my Peach & Apricot Jam came first!
So as the photography was really poor and this is such a popular jam I remade it this week and took some fresh shots to give it the justice it deserves. I also updated the recipe a little with more precise information about the quantity it yields.
I am a sticker for detail and I think that is why my jam recipes are so popular or at least that’s the feedback I get from you the lovely reader!
I originally made this no pectin Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam to put in my Victoria Sandwich.
Inspired by watching the contestants of Great British Bake Off I decided to knock up a small batch of jam using the remainder of a large box of strawberries I had in the fridge.
Not having planned my jam I didn’t have any spare jam jars to hand so just grabbed a short glass (the type you buy that famous chocolate hazelnut spread in) from my dishwasher and put it in a warm oven for 20 minutes.
The beauty of this jam is that you don’t need to own a huge preserving pan as your largest saucepan should be fine. I used half my jam in my Victoria Sandwich and the other half was enjoyed with scones and clotted cream.
My first attempt had far too much lemon juice in it so I reduced it to 1 tsp for my second attempt which was perfect; I don’t like stiff jam that you can stand a spoon up in! My husband didn’t notice anything wrong with my first batch and I overheard him raving about it and the Victoria Sandwich to his mother!
So the funny thing was that my Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam was never intended to be entered into the Parish Show.
As my Peach & Apricot Jam had won the previous year (much to my disbelief as I’d only just started making jam) I thought I’d need to enter something along those lines again.
Hence I decided to create a Cherry & Apple Jam but my lack of experience meant that I didn’t factor in the high pectin level from the apples and I boiled the jam for far too long and ended up with jam akin to concrete.
So, with no time to start afresh I just grabbed a recently made jar of my Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam and entered that instead, expecting it to go nowhere as it was just plain old strawberry jam and nothing fancy.
There was no-one more surprised than me when it won!
You can scale my Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam recipe up to whatever size punnet of strawberries you have. Just use equal prepared strawberry to sugar weight and then scale the lemon juice up as necessary, a little extra boiling may also be needed to reach setting point.
However smaller batches work far better so try to keep to one punnet!
If you’ve never made jam before I hope that this small batch strawberry jam recipe will inspire you to take the plunge – you can have delicious jam potted up within 20 minutes (the actual jam only takes about 10 minutes to make on the hob)!
How long will this Strawberry Jam keep?
This jam is best eaten within 12 months for colour and quality but will be safe to eat for years. Just keep in a cool, dry, dark place. Once opened, keep in the fridge and use within a few months.
More Strawberry Jam Recipes:
- Strawberry & Gin Jam
- Strawberry Jam (made with jam sugar)
- Rhubarb & Strawberry Jam
- Strawberry & Peach Jam
- Strawberry & Elderflower Jam
- Strawberry, Raspberry & Redcurrant Jam
- Summer Fruits Jam
- Tutti Frutti Jam
- Whole Strawberry & Vanilla Preserve
- Speedy Summer Berry Jam
Here’s a picture of my Strawberry Jam with it’s 1st Prize Winning certificate from my original post!
So if you’ve never made jam before or just need a delicious small batch of strawberry jam to fill a cake or use in an afternoon tea I can’t recommend this recipe enough.
I’m sure you’ll love this strawberry jam so please leave a comment and rating. You can also tag @FabFood4All on Instagram with your pictures as I love seeing my recipes come to life!
Pin One Punnet Strawberry Jam for later!
NB: Originally posted 14 May 2014.
Quick One Punnet Strawberry Jam
Equipment
- 2 Saucers
- 1 Digital scale
- 1 potato masher
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Large saucepan
- 1 teaspoon
- 1 Large metal spoon
- 1 small ladle or jam funnel
- 1 Table knife
- 1 Paring knife
- 1 240 ml glass jar and lid
Ingredients
- 230 g Hulled strawberries washed & dryed (1 punnet)
- 230 g Granulated sugar equal to prepared strawberry weight
- 1 tsp Lemon juice freshly squeezed
- A knob of unsalted butter optional
Instructions
- Put the strawberries in a large saucepan and crush with a potato masher (leave some texture).
- Add the sugar and lemon juice.
- Heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon until all the sugar has dissolved.
- Increase heat to bring to a rolling boil and then time for 5 minutes whilst stirring with a wooden spoon (to stop jam from sticking to pan)..
- Remove pan from heat.
- Next, test for set by placing a few drops of jam on a chilled saucer and place in fridge for 30 seconds.
- Then run your finger through the jam on the saucer and if it forms a crinkle and is tacky it’s ready.
- If not boil for another minute and retest until ready.
- Skim any scum from the surface with a metal spoon and add a small knob of butter to disperse any remaining scum if you wish.
- Ladle into a 240 ml sterilised jar and seal with lid immediately.
- Once cool, store in a cool, dry, dark place.
Notes
Put 2 saucers in the freezer.
Sterilise jar by washing in hot soapy water (or take straight from dishwasher), fill with boiling water, empty and then place in oven for 20 minutes at 140°C where you leave until the jam is ready. Washed lid should be sterilised with boiling water and then left to drain.
Leila Benhamida
Well done, love strawberries
Camilla
Thank you Leila:-)
Clare
Great simple recipe with brilliant results, thank you!
Camilla
Thank you Clare, glad you liked it:-)
Marie Jones
I’ve just used made Raspberry jam using this recipe. It’s worked as well as with the strawberrys. i also sieved some to see if I could make seedless jam and this worked as well. thrilled!
Camilla
Brilliant, my hubby hates seeds but I refuse to sieve anything LOL:-) More for the rest of us!
Marie Jones
Haha. I hate seeds so I didn’t get to eat the strawberry jam. Seen as though I’m making it I want to eat it this time!
Camilla
I don’t know – he says he doesn’t eat seeds but if I make a cake or pudding he’ll often cave in and has eaten my jams with seeds. You won’t catch him ever eating a blueberry though, unless it’s in a cake!
Marie Jones
If you like blueberry’s then you should try this recipe:
Camilla
I’m afraid I couldn’t publish the recipe as it already exists on the internet.
Marie Jones
I’m going to try making this jam for my Mother’s Day Afternoon tea. Not made jam before but this seems a good recipe for my first time. Fingers crossed!
Camilla
Fabulous, good luck! Do let me know how it goes.
Marie Jones
I’ve made the jam. It look likes yours. I don’t like jam with bits in so it’ll be up my family to let me know how good it is,haha.
Camilla
Yay, I’m sure it’ll be great:-)
Marie Jones
Hi,my family loved the jam and were so surprised that I’d made it in such a short time. I shall use this recipe again. Have you tried using other fruit like blackberrys?
Camilla
Hi Marie, so glad they loved it. No I haven’t tried it with any other fruits but I’m sure someone did it with raspberries. There’s no reason why it wouldn’t work with blackberries but I do have the best/easiest Blackberry & Apple Jam if you’re interested – it regularly peaks as my number 1 post every summer:-) https://www.fabfood4all.co.uk/easy-blackberry-apple-jam/
Marie Jones
Thanks. I shall try the other recipe. we have an apple tree and in a few months I’m alaways looking for stuff to do with apples. If I try it with raspberrys I will let you know how it goes.
Camilla
Fab, happy jam making:-)
Jane
Made this during the week, found it easy to do and it tasted great. Not too sweet…I’ve never tested jam for set in this way but it came out fab!
Many thanks
Camilla
Great, so pleased you liked it:-) Thanks for letting me know:)
Kaci Soderstrom
Congratulations! Great easy recipe for strawberry jam. Lovely.
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Niori
Congratulations….favourited the recipe as I adore homemade strawberry jam.
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Maddy
yay! Congratulations on winning 🙂
Camilla
Thank you:-)
Nicola
I made this last night and it turned out great! Thanks for a fab recipe Camilla 🙂
Camilla
Fab, so glad you enjoyed it:-)
Prettyplease26
I’m definitely going to get some strawberries and do this when I get paid. Yummy you’ve made me hungry 🙂