How To Make Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

Do you know how to make strawberry rhubarb jam? It’s easy as long as you follow these fifteen steps below.

The strawberries are ripening and the rhubarb is starting to grow wild in the vegetable garden. How to prepare? Make strawberry rhubarb jam! It is just perfect for breakfast with some warm bread, or served as a dessert with some whipped cream.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam

I found a recipe for this jam that I made a few changes to, and this is my final recipe with my changes. It’s a hit with all of my friends and family, and I hope that it will be for you as well. I used fresh ripe and home-grown strawberries and rhubarb to make my jam with.

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Prep:30 minsCook:10 minsAdditional:2 hrsTotal:2 hrs 40 minsServings:192Yield:12 half-pint jars

Ingredients

Decrease Serving192Increase ServingAdjustOriginal recipe yields 192 servingsIngredient Checklist

• 4 ¼ cups diced rhubarb
• 4 ¼ cups sliced fresh strawberries
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 (1.75 ounce) packages powdered fruit pectin
• ½ teaspoon butter
• 10 cups white sugar
• 12 half-pint canning jars with lids and rings

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1Place rhubarb, strawberries, lemon juice, fruit pectin, and butter into a large kettle over medium heat. (Butter is optional but helps keep jam from getting too foamy). Stir the fruit mixture to help the juice start to form, and add sugar, about 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved and the juice is starting to simmer. Turn up heat to medium-high, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, and cook and stir for 1 minute. Skim off any foam that forms.n
• Step 2Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. With a jelly funnel and a soup ladle, pack the jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.n
• Step 3Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 5 minutes.n
• Step 4Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. To help the jam set, don’t move or touch the jars until cooled. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark area.n

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam {No Pectin}

This delicious homemade strawberry rhubarb jam recipe does not include any added pectin, but DOES include a couple of secret ingredients that will have everyone thinking you’re a jam making genius. If you decide to share, that is. 😉

“This recipe is simply amazing! Who knew pepper would add so much to jam? Brilliant! I used fine ground white pepper, and it worked beautifully. I also used bottled lemon juice and added a tiny bit more than the recipe. Thank you so much for all the wonderful info you shared with this article!”

This is the Best Summer Jam Recipe

I have made at least one batch of homemade strawberry jam every summer for decades. But, until a couple of years ago, it never occurred to me to add rhubarb. 

Once I did, I knew I’d never go back to plain strawberry because this stuff is crazy good. Even my rhubarb hating husband can’t get enough.

“I made a very small batch last weekend, and bought more rhubarb to make a large batch today. It’s so good! Strawberry-rhubarb pie is my specialty, love this crustless option to get the same flavor.”

My 6 Favorite Ways to Eat This Strawberry Jam:

1. Spread over a warm from the oven Flaky Homemade Buttermilk Biscuit
2. Slathered over thick slices of toasted Homemade White Bread OR hearty slices of Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
3. On my favorite fluffy, Everyday Quick Pancakes
4. In Peach Almond Thumbprint Cookies – Use strawberry rhubarb jam in place of peach jam
5. As a delicious filling for soft layers of Vanilla Cake
6. As a replacement for cherry jam in these Cherry Shortbread Crumble Bars

The 4 Secret Ingredients in the BEST Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

There are four ingredients that you should absolutely positively add to this jam that will take it from good to I-am-going-to-quit-my-job-and-go-into-the-jam-business-because-this-stuff-will-make-me-a-fortune. Ready? 

1. Vanilla extract
2. Almond extract
3. Salt
4. Pepper

Wait. Salt and pepper? Please don’t click away. For the life of me, I don’t understand why all jam recipes don’t include salt. Hardly any of them do, which is madness. Madness, I tell you.

Salt is a necessary component to pretty much everything delicious – savory AND sweet. Perhaps especially sweet. Salt balances and rounds out the flavors of sweet foods. Even more importantly, salt makes food taste more like itself. When added in the right proportion, salt brings out the flavor in food, intensifying the food’s best qualities. 

In this recipe, just ¾ of a teaspoon of salt intensifies the strawberry and rhubarb flavors to a somewhat shocking degree. If you really wanted to test that statement (hey there, skeptic, I’m talking to you), make two batches – one with salt and one without – and you will absolutely, positively be able to taste the difference. Or, you can just trust me and get on with it. 

Ok. Salt in jam is a good idea. But pepper? Yes. A thousand times, YES!

Just 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper enhances the natural sweetness in the fruit while adding an oh-so-subtle kick and complexity that’s going to seriously step up your jam game. (What? You don’t have a jam game? Well, you do now.)

Adding Black Pepper to Fruit is Not Unusual

Stop at a roadside fruit cart in Mexico or South America and there’s a good chance your fruit will be sprinkled with salt (!) and chili powder. And black pepper in cookies – especially sugar cookies and ginger cookies – is phenomenal.

In Mark Bittman’s iconic book, How to Cook Everything, he includes a recipe for strawberries macerated in balsamic vinegar and a couple grinds of black pepper, spooned over vanilla ice cream.

It’s the kind of recipe that makes you feel like the secrets of the universe have been suddenly revealed to you. What??? All I had to do to make strawberries and ice cream taste this good is add some vinegar and black pepper??? 

That’s the kind of experience you’re going to have if you add some salt and pepper to your jam. 

Ok. Enough with salt and pepper. Let’s talk pectin.

Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

A 3-Ingredient, Easy Strawberry Rhubarb Jam that makes a batch that is small enough you don’t even have to seal the jars!

Hi everyone!  Thank you for taking time out of your day to come visit!  I think you’ll love what I made for you today!  Jam.  Yummy jam.  And not just any jam…Strawberry Rhubarb Jam.

I’m noticing lately that I’ve got a love affair with the strawberry-rhubarb combination!  I think it’s because rhubarb seems to be more readily available this year…I remember last spring there was none to be found anywhere.  But this year the grocery stores are full of it, and I’m loving it!

This season I’ve already made a Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp and some Strawberry Rhubarb Muffins.  And then I had a major hankering for Strawberry Rhubarb Jam so I made some.  And you can too.  Don’t be afraid of making jam.  The kind of jams that I make are small batch jams (I also made an Easy Peach Jam) that require no pectin and you don’t even have to seal the jars.  Because the batches are so small (2 1/2 to 3 cups), and because this jam can be refrigerated for up to 4 weeks, it’s really just more of a hassle to seal the jars.  4 weeks is plenty of time to finish every last drop of this sweet goodness!

So go for it!  Whip up some jam!

And just a word of caution…don’t forget to watch your jam while it’s cooking, because you don’t want it to burn and turn black near the bottom of the pan.  Don’t go and get all distracted by various social media outlets.  You might then have to run out in sweat pants and a dirty shirt in the pouring rain to the grocery store to get more ingredients and start all over again.  You know, if that were to happen.  Just sayin.

easy strawberry rhubarb jam

ingredients

SCALE1X2X3X

• 1 lb strawberries (about 3 heaping cups chopped)
• 1 lb rhubarb (about 3 heaping cups chopped)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

instructions

1. Prepare your jars by boiling the lids, rings and jars in boiling water for 5 minutes.
2. Cut up the strawberries into small chunks.
3. Cut up the rhubarb into small chunks (about 1/2 inch pieces).
4. In a glass bowl combine the chopped strawberries, rhubarb and sugar. Mix well, and let sit for 30-45 minutes, to allow all the juices to come out.
5. After this time, transfer the fruit mix to a wide saucepan or skillet, and stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until it is gently boiling. You will notice a foam will develop, but don’t worry this will go away.
6. Keep cooking, and stirring until the mixture thickens. You must, must stir constantly or your jam will burn. As well the constant stirring will help to prevent the jam from splattering out of the pan. You will likely need to cook the jam for 20 or more minutes.
7. You will know that the jam is ready when the mixture is thick enough to leave an open trail behind the spoon. See the photo below.
8. Remove from heat, and let cool completely before serving.
9. Enjoy!

HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY RHUBARB JAM

Make homemade Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from fresh rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and lemon without pectin!

If you’ve ever made a homemade strawberry jam recipe, adding rhubarb enhances both the flavor and texture! You can easily store it in your refrigerator or freezer, or can it in a water bath to last all year long!

Why This Recipe Works:

You will see that this recipe is not only incredibly simple with only four ingredients, but it is extremely easy to make.

Strawberry and rhubarb are so amazing together. The combination is perfectly sweet and tart all at the same time.

The jam tastes great on toast, oatmeal, or ice cream.

Also, if you want to make a big batch, you can easily turn it into freezer jam or preserve it in a mason jar using a simple water bath canning set up for longer storage.

Here’s How To Make It:

1. Slice your rhubarb into small chunks (photo 1) and be sure to discard the tops. Likewise, prepare your strawberries by washing them and removing the stems (photo 2).
2. Combine the fruit with the sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan (photo 3). Turn the heat to medium and when the mixture starts to bubble (photo 4), reduce the heat to low.
3. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the jam thickens (photo 5). It can take around an hour to fully breakdown and thicken. You’ll want the mixture to reach at least 205 degrees F.
4. I like to store my jam in mason jars (photo 6). Refrigerate if you’ll eat within a week, otherwise store or water bath can it.

Cooking Tips:

• The quality of the jam will depend on the quality of the fruit. I used the best possible strawberries in the world – Oregon Hood strawberries. Try to find fresh rhubarb that is deep red on the outside with thick firm stalks.
• If your strawberries aren’t sweet, you may need to increase the amount of sugar in your recipe to compensate.
• I recommend using fresh squeeze lemon juice although you could substitute with bottled.