Homemade Strawberry Preserves can be enjoyed in several ways. You can serve them with warm biscuits, muffins, pancakes, or simply spread on toast!
How To Make Homemade Strawberry Preserves
Wash the strawberries thoroughly, then hull and cut them into dice.
Then, combine the strawberries and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit begins to break down and release its juice, 6 to 8 minutes.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens, 10 minutes.
Pour in the lemon juice and stir. Reduce the heat to low, and crush the fruit using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until it reaches the desired consistency. I like to use a potato masher for even consistency, but if you like some bigger fruit chunks in your preserves, use a wooden spoon.
Remove from the heat and let the preserve rest in the pan for 15 minutes.
Pour the preserves into a jar and cool on the counter for 1 hour. Then seal the jar and refrigerate for 1 hour to set.
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Recipe Card
If you like homemade stuff but are not into canning or dislike using pectin, then this recipe is for you! You need only three ingredients! Whether you buy fresh strawberries from the store or enjoy picking them from the farm in season, make some homemade preserves. You can also make strawberry preserves from frozen berries when they are not in season. This recipe makes small-batch strawberry preserves. But you can scale up the recipe and make homemade strawberry preserves in large quantities.
Strawberries: Use thoroughly washed fresh strawberries. I like to wash my strawberries with a combination of water and baking soda. Hull the strawberries and cut them into dice. You can also use frozen strawberries instead of fresh ones. Sugar: I prefer to use cane sugar to make preserves, but you can use granulated sugar if you do not have cane sugar. The amount of sugar required is based on the sweetness of the strawberries. If your strawberries are sweeter, add less sugar, and once the sugar is dissolved, taste and add more if necessary. Lemon Juice: A small amount of lemon juice cuts the sweetness of preserves. I do not like adding much lemon juice, but if you prefer, add one tablespoon.
Serve the preserves with warm Buttermilk Drop Biscuits or your favorite biscuits. Spread it over the White Sandwich Bread slices. Top it with your favorite muffins; you can find various eggless muffin recipes here: https://vegehomecooking.com/category/eggless-baking/muffins/.
Sugar: I used cane sugar, but you can use white granulated sugar. Instead of sugar, you can also use agave syrup. However, how much sugar you need depends on the sweetness of strawberries. Initially, you can add less sugar, and once the mixture starts boiling, taste it and add more as required. Lemon Juice: You can add up to one tablespoon of lemon juice if you prefer.
