Making your own strawberry preserves is a great way to use up an overflow of strawberries during the season! You can make them as sweet as you like by adding more sugar, or give them a bite of tartness with lemon juice (like in this recipe!)
I use strawberry preserves in lots of recipes including Strawberry Icebox Cake, Red White and Blue Flag Icebox Cake, and Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies.
Find the recipe card right below! Scroll past it for more information and images 😊
Ingredients
- 4 cups packed fresh strawberries hulled and cut in half
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon water
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the strawberries, fresh lemon juice, and sugar to a medium saucepan.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together until smooth and then add the saucepan along with a pinch of table salt.
- Heat the strawberry mixture over medium-low heat. Use a potato masher to gently mash the strawberries as they heat and soften. I like to leave mine a little chunky!
- Keep on the stove for 10-15 minutes. The preserves will be thick and a jam-like consistency. Let cool before storing in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Please note, Holiday Sweets N Treats isn't a professional nutritionist. Any and all nutritional information shared is an estimate. If you're following a specific diet or counting calories, we suggest you use the nutrition calculator of your choice. Calories can vary depending on the brands and products used.
🍓 Ingredients
The most important ingredient for this recipe is... strawberries! Homemade preserves are a great way to use up an abundance of strawberries or strawberries that are about to lose their freshness. Chances are that you'll have the rest of the ingredients needed to make this recipe already on hand! You'll need:
- Strawberries
- Lemon juice
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Salt
👩🍳 Tips for making Homemade Strawberry Preserves
There's opportunities to tweak this recipe to your personal preferences pretty much every step of the way! Here are a few tips for making it taste the best, the way you like it!
- If you chunks of strawberries in your preserves, cut the strawberries into large pieces (halves or even leave whole) and don't mash them too much in the pot. If you prefer a smooth preserve, chop the strawberries into small pieces and mash the heck out of it as it simmers!
- I recommend fresh lemon juice every time for the best flavor, but you can use bottled too if you've got it. You can increase the tartness of the preserve by adding some extra lemon juice, but note that you may need to increase the simmer time to adjust for the added liquid.
- Don't skip the pinch of salt! It's not much - just a pinch of table salt- but it really helps the flavor pop!
The biggest difference is that preserves tends to have chunks of fruit pieces whereas jam has a smoother texture.
Ready to put your preserves to use? Try making some Strawberry Icebox Cake!
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