This strawberry rhubarb jam recipe is loaded with sweet strawberries and fresh rhubarb, rolled in sugar, and cooked on the stovetop on medium-high heat with lemon juice to balance the tart flavor and help thicken the hot jam. Just 4 ingredients to make this dessert jam!
Learn how to make rhubarb jam quickly and serve it at room temperature or chilled with English muffins, homemade bread, or in other recipes that call for homemade strawberry rhubarb jam.
Got more rhubarb? Make this strawberry rhubarb crisp and 5 ingredient rhubarb oatmeal cookies next.
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Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- Strawberries - You’ll need 1 pound of fresh strawberries and 3 heaping cups of chopped strawberries. Hull the strawberries and cut the larger berries in quarters and smaller ones in half.
- Rhubarb - You’ll need 1 pound of rhubarb, about 3 heaping cups of rhubarb. You can also make rhubarb jam without strawberries by increasing the rhubarb amount (+1 pound of rhubarb).
- Sugar - Granulated white sugar.
- Lemon juice - Juice from a freshly squeezed lemon. Bottled lemon juice should only be used as a last resort. Lemon zest could also be added to the jam.
- Just like my Banana Jam, this rhubarb jam has no pectin added, and it is not necessary for this recipe either. Rhubarb already contains small amounts of pectin and cooked along with sugar the jam has great gelled consistency.
📋 How to tell if rhubarb is ripe? Look for long stalks rather than the deep red color as it is often not the indicator of ripeness. The color actually means rhubarb variety. The stalks need to be firm and leaves without damage.
Instructions
Prepare half-pint jars by boiling the lids, rings and jars in boiling water for 5 minutes. This is known as the water bath method.
Slice the strawberries into small chunks. You could also use a potato masher to reduce the size of the fresh berries.
📋 JULIA'S TIP To hull strawberries you can use different methods, I like to use the 2-step slit-and-core method where you remove the tops and then the core. I don't like wasting food so I keep the tops and make refreshing flavored water or strawberry iced tea (I use just the tops instead of whole strawberries and it is enough to give my drink a pleasant fruity flavor)
Cut the rhubarb into small chunks, approximately half an inch in size.
Next, grab a glass bowl and combine the chopped strawberries, rhubarb, and sugar.
Give it a good mix and let it sit for about an hour. This allows the flavors to mingle and develop.
After the hour is up, transfer the fruity mixture to a wide saucepan or large pot. Keep stirring constantly over medium heat until it starts gently boiling.
While cooking, you might notice some foam forming on the surface; simply scoop it out with a spatula.
Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens. It's crucial to stir constantly to avoid burning the jam, and it also helps to prevent any splattering.
This process will likely take around 20 minutes or more. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, add the lemon juice and stir well. Remove from the stovetop.
To check if the jam is ready, use a spoon to create an open trail behind it as you stir.
Once the mixture reaches this thickness, you'll know it's done. Refer to the tips section for more guidance.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the jam to cool completely before serving. Once cooled, pour into jars.
Now, it's time to enjoy your homemade jam!
This recipe makes 2 ⅓ cups of jam.
📋 JULIA'S TIP You will be able to tell when the jam is done cooking if you can drag a spoon through it and an open trail is left behind. Alternatively, place a few teaspoons of jam in a saucepan or a small plate and chill in the fridge for a minute. Remove from the fridge and test with your finger for stickiness and a visible trail.
Tips
- Flavor. Just a quick note on flavor. It may change every time you make the jam as this will vastly depend on the ripeness of the strawberries and rhubarb.
- Removing the foam from the top of the jam mixture while cooking is important to get a beautiful-looking jam free from debris from the fresh chopped fruit. It also helps the jam cook evenly.
- The lemon juice balances the sweetness in the jam and acts as a natural preservative, combating mold from occurring in each mason jar.
- Cooking the jam in a wider saucepan will speed up the evaporation of moisture in the jam while cooking.
- Wash the strawberries before removing the stems. Otherwise, extra water will be absorbed by the freshly cut strawberries.
- Use fresh and ripe strawberries, rhubarb, and lemon juice for the best results.
- Remove any tough fibrous strings in the rhubarb before chopping it. You don’t want these in this strawberry jam recipe.
- It’s important to cook the jam on a gentle boil (not a full rolling boil) and to stir it constantly throughout the cooking time to prevent the mixture from burning. Slow cooking also helps the fruit release its natural pectin, thickening the jam.
- Sterilize your jars and lids in a hot water bath to prolong the shelf-life of this easy strawberry rhubarb jam and prevent bacteria from growing.
- This jam can be stored in the freezer as a freezer jam, but then I recommend that you leave 1-inch headspace between the jam and the jar lid for expansion during freezing.
- No need to peel the rhubarb - When using rhubarb in a baking recipe, you usually don't need to peel it. The bright red or pink stalks are what you'll use in your cooking, while the leaves should be removed and discarded since they're not edible. Rhubarb skin is thin and tender when cooked, so there's usually no need to peel it. However, any tough or fibrous strings on the surface, should be removed with a vegetable peeler.
- Make sure that rhubarb is ripe before adding it to baking recipes. Look for long stalks rather than the deep red color as it is often not the indicator of ripeness. The color actually means rhubarb variety. The stalks need to be firm and leaves without damage.
Benefits of Making Your Own Jam
There are plenty of great benefits to making your own jam, including:
- The use of healthy ingredients. Making your own jam gives you full control over the ingredients used. Homemade jam won’t contain unnecessary preservatives, artificial flavors, or high fructose corn syrup that’s typically present in commercial jams.
- No Pectin - We don't add pectin to our jams as we find that using just fresh plants and sugar is more than enough. It is true, that additional pectin gives the jam a more pleasing thickened ''jelly-like'' texture, and this normally will have a small effect on the flavor.
- Better flavor and texture - Using fresh fruit to make your own jam will boost the flavor and texture of the jam.
- Making recipe adjustments. You can easily customize your homemade jams by adjusting the amount of sugar for a sweeter jam and adding other flavors from other fruit combinations and ingredients.
- It’s great for the budget. Homemade jam is usually always more cost-effective than commercial jam, especially if you have bought ingredients in bulk to make larger batches of jam. You also won’t be paying for the packaging and branding of commercial jams.
- A sense of satisfaction. There’s definitely a sense of satisfaction from making your own jam from scratch. You can even get the kids and family involved and turn each jar of jam into cute holiday gifts!
- 🌎Reduces waste. Making homemade jam from extra strawberries and rhubarb in your garden or kitchen is a great way to eliminate food wastage.
- Support local businesses. Making homemade jam from local seasonal produce can help support small businesses and farmers in your area!
Serving Suggestions
- Savory. Use this strawberry rhubarb jam in savory dishes. For example, this jam can be used as a glaze for roasted meats or to enjoy with cheese and crackers. Try my Baked Camembert recipe and use this jam instead of blueberries and honey.
- Baking. Use this jam as an ingredient in dessert recipes such as thumbprint cookies, sweet pies, tarts, and pastries, or enjoy it as a topping over pancakes, ice cream or yogurt.
- Breakfast. Use this strawberry rhubarb jam as a breakfast spread over toast and bagels, or stir it into oatmeal or yogurt + granola.
📋 JULIA'S TIP Unfortunately, many fruits and veg can be contaminated with pesticides. For this reason, it is recommended to switch to as much organic produce as possible.
Freezing and Storing Instructions
- To Store. Let the jam cool before transferring to jars. Seal the lids tightly and keep them refrigerated (will last for about 4-6 months) or at room temperature, but once opened should be kept in the refrigerator.
- The longevity of the jam will depend on how it is stored, how many times opened, and if used a clean spoon to scoop out the jam for serving.
- To Freeze. This jam can be stored in the freezer as a freezer jam, but then I recommend that you leave 1-inch headspace between the jam and the jar lid for expansion during freezing.
Variations
This recipe uses simple ingredients but if you feeling extra motivational, you can customize it with:
- Spices. Add warmth and depth of flavor to this strawberry rhubarb jam by including spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or ginger.
- Sweeten the jam with honey instead of granulated sugar. Or sweeteners can be used but flavor will change and only use it if you are used to flavor, and know the conversions.
- Vanilla. Add vanilla bean to the jam for a subtle vanilla flavor infused throughout the jam.
- Fresh orange juice could be used instead of lemon juice for a touch of citrus flavor and to balance out the sweetness in the jam.
- For more jam recipes, try my Berry Banana Jam, Mixed Berry Sauce or Lingonberry Sauce recipes.
📋If you have extra fruit, you can make these gluten free rhubarb recipes: strawberry rhubarb crisp and rhubarb oatmeal cookies.
FAQs
Strawberry and rhubarb are a popular combination of flavors, offering that perfect balance of sourness and sweetness as well as complexity of flavor.
Rhubarb is low in pectin. That said, the strawberries and lemon juice provide pectin to this jam. This jam is intended to be soft and luscious like a preserve and will save you the hassle of pectin.
Your jam could be runny if you haven’t measured the ingredients accurately. This jam won’t be overly thick since I haven’t added pectin to it, but it shouldn’t be too runny either.
Make sure to cook the jam mixture slowly over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Yes! I’ve added lemon juice to this jam recipe instead of pectin. It not only helps to balance the sweetness in this jam but also adds a little boost of natural pectin to the mixture.
Strawberries have a tough inner core which needs to be removed, especially when you are making jam where the right texture matters.
It's easy! Prepare rhubarb by trimming the stalks and slicing them into smaller chunks. Sprinkle with sugar and let sit for an hour. Then, add the mixture into a saucepan and simmer on medium heat until it starts boiling and the mixture thickens. Remove the foam as you go. To check if the jam is ready, use a spoon to create an open trail behind it as you stir. Or for more details and tips, check the recipe card for this strawberry rhubarb jam.
No, rhubarb plants are dangerous for dogs. If your dog eats them, it can cause poisoning because of the oxalic acid in the plant.
Store the rhubarb stalks unwashed, in the refrigerator and they will last you for up to 2-3 weeks. My best tip for storing rhubarb or any veggie is to always store them unwashed. Once you wash them they will start to rot and become wilted fast. You can also freeze rhubarb in an airtight container for up to 6 months. I like to cut them into smaller chunks before storing them.
Easy Gluten Free Strawberry Recipes
Or for all sweet recipes, hop on to our Desserts collection.
Happy Cooking,
Love,
Julia
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Recipe
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound strawberries (about 3 heaping cups, chopped)
- 1 pound rhubarb (about 3 heaping cups, chopped)
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 3 teaspoon lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prepare half-pint jars by boiling the lids, rings and jars in boiling water for 5 minutes. This is known as the water bath method.
- Slice the strawberries into small chunks. You could also use a potato masher to reduce the size of the fresh berries.
- Cut the rhubarb into small chunks, approximately half an inch in size.
- Next,in mixing bowl combine the chopped strawberries, rhubarb, and sugar. Give it a good mix and let it sit for about an hour. This allows the flavors to mingle and develop.
- After the hour is up, transfer the fruity mixture to a wide saucepan, large pot, or skillet. Keep stirring constantly as you cook it over medium heat until it starts gently boiling. While cooking, you might notice some foam forming on the surface; simply scoop it out with a spatula.
- Continue cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens. It's crucial to stir constantly to avoid burning the jam, and it also helps to prevent any splattering. This process will likely take around 20 minutes or more. 5 minutes before the end of cooking stir in the lemon juice.
- To check if the jam is ready, use a spoon to create an open trail behind it as you stir. Once the mixture reaches this thickness, you'll know it's done. (See pictures in the blog post)
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the jam to cool completely before serving.
- Now, it's time to enjoy your homemade jam!
NOTES
- This recipe yields 2 ⅓ cups of jam which makes about 16 servings if using 2 or 2 ½ tablespoons per serving.
- Removing the foam from the top of the jam mixture while cooking is essential to get a beautiful-looking jam free from debris from the fresh chopped fruit. It also helps the jam cook evenly.
- The lemon juice balances the sweetness in the jam and acts as a natural preservative, combating mold from occurring in each mason jar.
- Cooking the jam in a wider saucepan will speed up the evaporation of moisture in the jam while cooking.
- Use fresh and ripe strawberries, rhubarb, and lemon juice for the best results.
- Remove any tough fibrous strings in the rhubarb before chopping it. You don’t want these in this in your jam.
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Just 4 ingredients to make this yummy homemade rhubarb jam and serve over pancakes, in thumbprint cookies, or simply enjoy it with ice cream and yogurt.
Pam
When do I add the lemon juice? It mentions it in ingredients and tells the benefit but do we add it to our mix before or after cooking?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Hi Pam! Sorry for that, I will fix it right away. Lemon is added 5 minutes before the end of cooking.
Georgie Lewis
How many jars will I need ?
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
This recipe makes 2 ⅓ cups and you'd need about 2 half pint jars