Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (Freezer Recipe)

Sweet, tangy, and bursting with the colors and flavors of spring, my Strawberry Rhubarb Jam recipe is super simple. It takes just 30 minutes start-to-finish and, best of all, there’s no canning involved! Make this easy jam recipe today to capture the best fruit of the season to enjoy all year long. Your morning toast will thank you.

❓ What Is Freezer Jam

If you’ve ever been on the fence about making jam, jelly, or preserves because you’re worried about contaminated jars, heat-related canning mishaps, or not achieving a good seal, you’ve come to the right place. Freezer jam is the perfect entrée into the world of preserving fruit because you don’t actually need to can it!

Not only does this make the jam-making process easier to follow, but it also means that you’ll preserve more of the bright color and flavor of your strawberry rhubarb tastiness! 

With traditional canning jams, the fruit mixture is not only cooked on the stovetop during the initial step but is then processed under boiling water or in a pressure cooker to seal the jars. While all this cooking does wonders for making your jam shelf-stable, it also breaks down the fruit which can affect the flavor and luster of your jam or jelly.

With freezer jams, on the other hand, you only cook the fruit mixture briefly to get it nice and saucy. Once you reach your desired jam consistency, you can pour it into jars to refrigerate for up to 4 weeks or freeze for up to a year. It is literally the easiest method for making homemade preserves.

⭐ Why You’ll Love This Recipe 

Strawberry rhubarb freezer jam is one of the easiest ways to try the classic sweet-tart springtime pairing. Made in just 30 minutes with 8 ingredients, this delightfully pink jam is perfect for slathering onto your morning toast, spooning over your favorite ice cream, or swirling into yogurt.

If you’re not yet familiar with rhubarb, this is the time to learn because their season is fleeting. Technically considered a vegetable, rhubarb grows in magnificent pink stalks that look a lot like celery. Flavorwise, they’re super tart (enough to challenge a lemon!), making them the perfect pair for sweet strawberries. 

Once you get past the initial sour burst — which is aided by the addition of juicy strawberries and sugar — the flavor of tart rhubarb can be compared to a pleasing mix of Granny Smith apples and the slightly vegetal taste of celery. It’s a truly marvelous ingredient, and you’ll love it in this easy jam!

🍴Ingredients

My strawberry-rhubarb jam gets some delectable complexity from the addition of vanilla and spices. Here’s your shopping list:

• Fresh Strawberries - Get the most fragrant, sweetest berries you can. I suggest shopping at local farmer’s markets since strawberries cannot continue to ripen after they are picked. Getting them close to home means they’ll have been picked at peak ripeness instead of weeks ahead of time.
• Fresh Rhubarb - Only the stalks of the rhubarb plant are edible. Pink stalks will have a sweeter, more robust flavor than green, but either will work for this jam recipe.
• Granulated Sugar - I prefer to use plain white sugar here to let the flavor of the strawberries and rhubarb shine through. Feel free to swap in brown sugar if you prefer more of a caramelly undertone.
• Apple Pectin - Pectin is a naturally occurring fiber that is in most fruits and vegetables in some amount, but apples are often used to extract it since they can be up to 15-20% fiber! This fruit pectin ingredient is all-natural and will help to thicken your homemade jam into a beautifully spreadable consistency.
• Lemons - You’ll want both the juice and zest here, so make sure you’re reaching for fresh. Wash your lemons, then zest them, being careful to only remove the bright yellow parts of the skin (the white pith is rather bitter). After they’re zested, give them a firm roll on the countertop for 10-15 seconds before cutting them open to help extract the most juice possible.
• Cardamom Pods - Depending on what flavor you’re going for, you can choose either black or green cardamom. Green cardamom is more floral and sweet, while black cardamom has more of a smoky perfume and a pronounced menthol flavor.
• Nutmeg - Freshly grated nutmeg will have the most potent flavor. Plus, purchasing whole nutmeg (or any whole spices) is the best for your wallet since they will keep indefinitely if kept in a cool, dark, and dry environment.
• Vanilla Bean Paste - I love the tiny flecks of vanilla bean throughout my jam, but you’re welcome to swap in vanilla extract if that’s what you have on hand.

⚒️ Equipment

Making this easy strawberry rhubarb freezer jam requires almost no specialty equipment. All you’ll need is:

• A heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven. Heavy-bottomed pans help to distribute heat more evenly and prevent scorching. I typically prepare my jams in my enameled cast-iron Dutch oven. The size is also quite important - make sure that you choose a large pot - when the jame comes to a full boil it will increase in size significantly!
• Foodsafe storage containers. Despite the fact that we aren’t canning this rhubarb-strawberry jam, I still love to use mason jars for storing it. They’re durable, easy to clean, and come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, so I always have a simple hostess gift at the ready. That said, feel free to use a simple deli container instead.

📖 Step by Step Instructions

This freezer jam recipe is seriously as easy as preserving fruit gets! Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Prep. Wash and cut produce. Place rhubarb and strawberries into a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot or large saucepan with tall sides.

Step 2: Add sugar & pectin. Whisk sugar and pectin together in a medium-sized bowl then add to the rhubarb and strawberries. Stir with a wooden spoon so that the fruit is coated with sugar. 

Step 3: Add extra flavor. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, cardamom pods, and nutmeg into the dutch oven and start cooking over medium heat. 

Step 4: Simmer. Stir every five minutes or so for about 20-25 minutes. You’ll notice the fruits starting to break down and the jam will start to bubble. To test if your jam is set to your liking, place a small plate in the freezer for a few minutes. Add your jam onto the cold plate - it will start to solidify. At this point, if you're happy with the jam consistency on the chilled plate, you can continue cooking your jam or stop! 

Step 5: Cool & store. Once you are content with your jam consistency, remove it from heat and add your vanilla stirring to combine. Remove the cardamom pods and pour your jam into a medium-sized bowl or container, and cover the surface directly with plastic wrap. This will ensure that your jam does not get a “skin”. Allow the jam to cool in the fridge - then add it to the storing container of your choosing. You can spoon the jam or use a jelly funnel to add the jam into your jars, then enjoy your vibrant jam!

⏲️ Substitutions & Variations

This glorious strawberry rhubarb jam is practically perfect in every way, but there’s always plenty of room for customization. Here are some of my favorite ways to switch things up, plus lots of ideas for how to use it when you’re done:

• Swap in a different berry. While strawberries and rhubarb go together like PB&J, you have lots of other options! Raspberry rhubarb, blackberry rhubarb, or blueberry rhubarb are all delicious flavor possibilities for this freezer jam. Give my apricot preserves or plum jam a try if you want to mix things up!
• Change out the flavorings. While I love the warming mixture of vanilla, nutmeg, and floral cardamom, this strawberry rhubarb jam will play nicely with other flavors like ginger, cinnamon, or even lavender.
• Serve with anything creamy. This freezer jam is great for making your own fruit-on-bottom yogurt cups, spooning over ice cream, and mixing with butter or cream cheese for topping toast, biscuits, or bagels, or stuffing into crepes and blintzes. It’s also great for flavoring buttercream or adding to cheese plates. 
• Use it in your layer cakes. Jam makes for a mighty fine cake filling.
• Use it for making cocktails. Strawberry & rhubarb both pair well with light spirits like gin and vodka.
• Stuff it into hand pies. Pull some pastry crust out of the freezer and whip up some homemade pop tarts, hand pies, or mini tarts!
• Use it as a glaze for meats like pork tenderloin or duck. Sweet + Savory = Delicious Complexity. 

👩🏻‍🍳 Expert Tips

• Refrigerate for up to 4 weeks. You don’t have to do anything special to make this tasty jam last a full month in the fridge.
• Extend your jam’s shelf life by freezing for up to a year. Freeze in silicone ice cube molds to easily grab just what you need!
• Feel free to scale the recipe up as needed. Did you get overly ambitious at the farmer’s market? I’ve been there. Feel free to double or triple the recipe as needed!
• Buy slightly bruised fruit to save $$$. If you shop at the farmer’s market (which I suggest you do for seasonal fruits like strawberries), you can often find a vendor with some slightly bruised or “ugly” fruit who will sell them to you for a song! Just be sure to remove any severely bruised parts before starting. 
• Don’t eat the leaves or roots of the rhubarb! They’re high in a toxin known as oxalic acid, which is dangerous to both humans and animals. In addition, if you’re growing your own rhubarb and it has accidentally frozen before harvest, don’t eat it; during the freeze, the oxalic acid can travel down from the leaves into the stalks.

💭 Recipe FAQs

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