Strawberry Basil Freezer Jam (VIDEO)

You’ll love the basil in this strawberry basil freezer jam — it is the perfect complement to your favorite slice of toast. 

Strawberry freezer jam — one of the best parts about visiting my parents. My mom always has strawberry jam stocked in the freezer for us to enjoy while we’re there. I sometimes even manage to return home with a jar. Honestly, I could eat it by the jarful spoonful, but I try to hold myself back since there is…umm…quite a bit of sugar in it. But it’s jam, so that’s to be expected.

This strawberry basil freezer jam is a twist on my mom’s classic strawberry freezer jam. The addition of basil makes it undeniably perfect for summer.

I just love the combination of strawberries and basil. Have you tried these strawberries stuffed with basil whipped cream? So yummy! May I say they’re even better than chocolate dipped strawberries? 

I love strawberry jam spread on toast, bagels, and corn bread, but it is also amazing stirred into plain Greek yogurt, spooned over vanilla bean ice cream, or even stirred into hot oatmeal. Clearly, I find any possible opportunity to use this delicious jam.

And it’s unbelievably easy to make. One of my favorite brands, OXO, sent me Driscoll’s strawberries to create a recipe with — and I knew immediately that they would be destined for strawberry basil freezer jam.

Hulling the berries is easy (and dare I say fun?) with the OXO Strawberry Huller.

After hulling the berries, the next step in making strawberry basil freezer jam is mashing the berries (I used a potato masher for this). You’ll want lots of good chunks in there for a nice jammy texture so don’t worry about getting it completely pureed.

Then stir in 4 cups of sugar. Yeah….4 cups! This is why it’s called jam. And not healthy jam. Or fresh fruit purees. It’s the sugar, baby. Totally necessary.

Hint:I usually measure the sugar out separately in a bowl before adding it to the jam because it’s easy to get distracted and lose count of how many cups you’re up to. It is important to be accurate with your measurements when you make jam or it may turn out too runny.

Then you stir in some fruit pectin, pour the jam into jars, and freeze. Or keep the strawberry basil freezer jam in the fridge. Easy peasy!

Strawberries, strawberries, strawberries!

I love the combination of strawberries with fresh herbs! I mentioned stuffed strawberries above and I have a few more recipes for you to try!

 

• Homemade strawberry milkshake with fresh basil (come on, you know you want to try this!)
• Strawberries with basil sugar (so simple!)
• Grilled French toast stuffed with strawberry cream cheese (wow!)
• Strawberry sorbet with mint (yes, mint is just as tasty as basil with strawberries!)
• Strawberry shortcake pancakes (no herbs in this one, just lots of great flavor)
• Ice cream terrine with roasted strawberries (if you haven’t tried roasting strawberries yet, you’re in for a special treat

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Strawberry Basil Freezer Jam

Yield: 5 cups

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 25 minutes

You’ll love the basil in this strawberry basil freezer jam — it is the perfect complement to your favorite slice of toast.

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Ingredients

• about 1 pound of fresh strawberries (you’ll need exactly 2 cups crushed strawberries)
• 4 cups granulated sugar
• one 1.75 ounce package of fruit pectin (I used Sure Jell)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, mash strawberries using a potato masher. Measure out exactly two cups and return to bowl. If there are extras, you can eat those but you want to be pretty exact with this recipe.
2. To the 2 cups of mashed strawberries, stir in 4 cups of granulated sugar. Mix well to combine and moisten all the sugar and then let stand for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine fruit pectin and 3/4 cup water. Bring to a boil on high heat, stirring constantly. When it boils, set a timer for one minute. Continue to stir constantly and then remove from heat when it has boiled for one minute.
4. Stir pectin and water mixture into the fruit and sugar mixture. Stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved and mixture is no longer grainy. Stir in chopped basil leaves.
5. Pour mixture into freezer containers with tight fitting lids (jars work great). Let jam stand at room temperature for 8 hours before moving to the fridge or freezer. If you freeze it, thaw it in the fridge when you’re ready to use.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 72Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 17gProtein: 0g

RachelCooks.com sometimes provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietitian. Please consult a medical professional for any specific nutrition, diet, or allergy advice.

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