Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (No Pectin)

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This easy strawberry rhubarb jam is sweet, tart, and delicious, and is made without any added pectin. This is the perfect spring and summertime spread for bread, toast, muffins, and more.

Overhead view of strawberry rhubarb jam in a mason jar with a spoon sticking out.

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Why We Love This Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
The Science of Jam
Step-by-step Instructions
What to Eat With This Jam
Expert Tips and FAQs
Related Recipes
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Why We Love This Recipe

Great way to preserve peak seasonal produce: Rhubarb has such a short window of growing time in the spring, so we love to preserve that flavor for several months by turning it into jam! This same goes for strawberries – this jam is best with the freshest, sweetest possible produce.
Quick and easy: There's not much hands on work required to make this strawberry rhubarb jam. Just throw everything into a pot and simmer!
Tart and sweet, but not too sweet: Some sugar is essential for jam in order to extend the shelf life, but we like that this recipe isn't too sweet. It's well balanced by the tartness of rhubarb and acidity from lemon juice.
No pectin: Most homemade jams and jellies require added pectin. Instead, we use an apple, which is naturally pectin-rich and helps the jam thicken to the perfect consistency.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this strawberry rhubarb jam:

Ingredient Notes

Rhubarb: Look for crisp, firm stalks of rhubarb and avoid ones that look wilted or too thick. Believe it or not, it doesn't matter if your rhubarb is a vibrant pink/red or more greenish. Color generally does not have an impact on flavor.
Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen.
Apple: This is a key ingredient, as it's the primary source of pectin in this recipe. For best results, use a green apple. Granny Smiths have high concentrations of pectin. Be sure to use an apple that isn't over ripened. Ripening = pectin degradation, so you'll get better results with an apple that isn't far along in its ripening process.
Lemon juice: This is the key source of acid in this recipe, and is a mandatory ingredient. If you can, opt for freshly squeezed lemon juice, which will have a better flavor than the stuff from the plastic squirt bottle.
Sugar: We used granulated white sugar in this recipe.

The Science of Jam

What is pectin?

Pectin is a plant-based soluble fiber that helps to create the gelled consistency of your favorite jams. In nature, it helps to give structure to the plant's cell walls, but in cooking, it acts as a gelling agent.

Our recipe uses no added pectin (often found in powdered or liquid form), and instead uses a granny smith apple. Apples are great source of naturally occurring pectin, with about 1-1.5% of their mass comprised of pectin. Even though strawberries and rhubarb both contain pectin as well, their pectin concentrations are both low, so we need the apple here to ensure the jam thickens.

But pectin alone isn't enough to create a jam. It needs to be cooked at the right temperature in the presence of acid and sugar to create that perfect jam/jelly texture.

Therefore, every jam requires three key components: the right temperature, an acid, and sugar.

Temperature: The ideal temperature for cooking a jam is about 220˚F / 104.5˚C. This is the "gelling point" where your jam will start to get the desired jam texture.
Acid: Simply put, acid helps the pectin molecules bind together and thicken up our jam.
Sugar: Sugar, which is hydrophilic (water-loving) will pair up with water, leaving the pectin molecules to bind with themselves.

If there's an honorary key component, it's the time you cook the jam for. This will help to cook out some of the water and act in tandem with the pectin to thicken the jam. We found that about an hour of cooking did the trick.

For more in depth reading on how this all works, check out these resources.

Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Add all of the ingredients to a medium sauce pan and stir thoroughly.

On the left: ingredients in a pot. On the right: ingredients after cooking for a little bit.

(2) Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently for 7-8 minutes until the fruit begins to soften and release some juices.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 50-60 minutes, stirring several times. Let the jam cool completely before storing and/or enjoying. It will thicken up as it cools. (Canning instructions + freezer storage info below.)

On the left: strawberries and rhubarb breaking down. On the right: jam after cooking for a while.

What to Eat With This Jam

Spread it on your favorite toast, biscuits, bagels or english muffins
Enjoy with homemade muffins (these ones have extra rhubarb!)
Stir into a yogurt parfait topped with granola
Topping for chia pudding, overnight oats, or warm oatmeal
Use to sweeten and flavor a homemade cocktail
Swirl on top of a cheesecake before baking (or add to strawberry cheesecake ice cream!)
Use as a pancake or waffle topping
Use in a PB&J sandwich (or make pb&j sandwich cookies with these peanut butter cookies!)
Use in baking for recipes like jam thumbprint cookies, layer cakes and more!

Overhead view of strawberry rhubarb jam spread onto toast.

Expert Tips and FAQs

How do I can homemade jam?

Your best bet is likely the water bath method. You'll need a large stock pot, jars, lids, a funnel, and a tool to retrieve the jars and lids from the hot water without burning your hands. Some tongs with rubber ends help here.

Start by washing your jars and lids thoroughly, then put the jars and lids in a pot (make sure the lids aren't on the jars!) and bring the water to a simmer.

Turn the heat off, and retrieve jars and lids from the pot. Let dry on a clean dish towel. Use a funnel to ladle your jam into the jars, leaving about ¼ to ½ inch of space between the jam and the top of the jar. Run a chopstick around the inside diameter of the jar to get rid of any air bubbles.

Use a clean towel to wipe off any water that's on the edge of the lid or the jar, and lid your jars. Place the jars back in to the pot (make sure they're covered by about an inch of water) and bring the water back to a gentle boil for 10 minutes.

Remove from the water and set on a thick kitchen towel, and let them cool. Once cooled, push down on the lid to check for a vacuum seal.

How long does properly canned jam last?

If properly canned, this strawberry rhubarb jam can last for up to 2 years at room temperature. Be sure to store in a cool, dry place.

Once opened, the jam will last for about 2-3 months in the fridge.

How do I make freezer jam? (No water bath required)

Ladle your jam into clean jars, being sure to leave about ¼ to ½ an inch of space between the jam and the top of the jar. Then place your lids on the jars and put them in the freezer, where they'll store for about a year. To thaw out freezer jam, move it to the fridge overnight and enjoy it in the morning!

How do I know when jam is set?

There are two main ways to know if your jam is set:
1) The freezer test: put a plate in the freezer when you start cooking your jam. When you think the jam is done, plop a spoonful of your jam onto the cooled plate. Let it sit for 60-120 seconds, and if it looks like it's beginning to set, it's done. If you forget to put the plate in the freezer, you can spoon some jam onto a plate, and move it to the freezer for a few minutes. If the jam has begun to gel, it's done.
2) The spoon test: Dip a spoon into the jam, lift it out, and then turn it sideways. If the jam comes off the spoon as a "sheet" rather than in individual drops, it's done.
3) Temperature: If your jam has reached 220˚F / 105˚C during cooking, odds are you'll be OK.

Can I use frozen strawberries?

You can definitely use frozen in lieu of fresh. Since the strawberries are getting thoroughly heated and broken down, you won't notice much of a flavor difference.

If you don't follow the canning process or store your jam in the freezer, this jam will last for about 2 months in the refrigerator.
Cooking times are just estimates. Depending on factors like the size of your pan or the humidity in your kitchen, your jam may turn out differently and you'll need to tweak accordingly. Remember, even though science plays a big part here, there's still an art to it!
Use a candy thermometer to ensure your jam has reached 220˚F / 105˚C.
To determine if your jam is done, try one of the tests in the FAQ section above.

Several jars of jam on top of a wooden table.

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