Pomona’s Pectin Strawberry Jam Recipes Review
Do you have a surplus of fresh strawberries and want to turn them into jam? Wondering which recipes are actually worth the time and effort—especially if you’re trying to cut down on sugar? You’re in the right place.
I’ve tested and reviewed three strawberry jam and jelly recipes using Pomona’s Pectin, and I’m sharing the results with you! I’ll break down taste, ease of preparation, and how beginner-friendly each one is. If you’re looking for the best low sugar strawberry jam recipe, keep reading to find out which one I loved the most.
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What is Pomona’s Pectin?
A quick background on the Pomona’s Pectin brand before we go through the recipes. Pomona’s is my pectin of choice by far when it comes to jellies and jams because it offers a ton of low and no sugar recipe variants.
To me, if I am going through all the effort of canning my own jam (especially if I grew the fruit), I am not going to load it with as much sugar as the store bought varieties.
Last year, I purchased their cookbook on a whim, and promptly forgot about it in my cookbook pile of doom (why do I have an addiction to cookbooks?!).
I dusted it off this season and man, I wish I would have put it to better use as soon as I got it. There are SO many delicious recipes in there and I wanted to go through the strawberry ones with you.
Pomona’s Pectin uses calcium water in combination with their citrus based pectin to create the jam/jelly consistency. Their formula allows for very low (and often NO) sugar recipes so that you can control the ingredients and keep it health friendly.
Pomona’s Basic Strawberry Jam Recipe
Let’s talk about their basic strawberry jam recipe in their cookbook.
If you were to compare this recipe to ANYTHING you can find in the store, it is a 10/10 knock out. But then again, so are most jam recipes.
When you compare it to their other strawberry jam and jelly recipes, I think it falls short of the depth of flavor that COULD come from your homemade jam. This is not a knock of their recipe, because it’s just a simple strawberry only jam, and you can only do so much with that.
The sugar balance is spot on, it is not too sweet and not too tart. I don’t think I’d be tempted to try the 0 sugar version. however I WOULD be curious about substituting the cane sugar for honey in my next batch (which they talk about in the cookbook).
What I love about this cookbook is that before the recipes, they talk all about the basics of canning jam and have tons of tips and tricks for newbies. This is definitely an all around beginner friendly cookbook for canning.
Pomona’s Balsamic Strawberry Jelly
When I saw the recipe for the balsamic strawberry jelly, I was immediately intrigued. I had never before tried a jelly with these flavors and it sounded delicious.
I was a little intimidated once I read the directions, but fear not it’s not as complicated as it sounds.
The hardest and most time consuming part is that this is a jelly, not a jam. So you will need to set aside some prep time to make this recipe as you need to strain juice away from the strawberries, which can take a few hours (I left mine over night).
You will also be left with strawberry pulp, so you will need to figure out what to do with those. I might throw mine in my Blue Alpine Freeze Dryer to put into granola or use it oatmeal or some sort of fruit bar.
After you strain for the juice, the process of making this jelly is super simple and it comes together super quickly.
In all, I’d give this a 9/10 compared to the other two recipes I tried from this cookbook. I think it would go excellent as a charcutierie board addition with goat cheese and crackers. It would also go lovely with a PB&J, but I think you would lose that depth of flavor it gives.
I would definitely make this again next year in smaller jelly jars and plan to give them as gifts throughout the year.
Pomona’s Honey Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
I definitely saved the best for last. By far, this was my favorite jam recipe, and my family that tried it agreed.
From a complexity standpoint, I don’t think this was a complicated recipe either, but you will need to source some rhubarb, which if you don’t have your own patch, you may need to find some from a friend or a local farmers market. If you’re not sure where your local farmers market is, you can look it up here.
This jam had a perfectly sweet and tart balance from the strawberries and honey offset with the tartness of the rhubarb. Next year I will absolutely be saving more rhubarb to be able to make this jam, as well as a lovely ginger rhubarb jam I saw in the cook book as well.
Here’s how I’d rank the three Pomona’s Pectin strawberry recipes I tested:
Honey Strawberry Rhubarb Jam – Best overall flavor, family favorite, great for gifts
Balsamic Strawberry Jelly – Most unique and gourmet, great for entertaining
Basic Strawberry Jam – Reliable, easy, beginner-friendly
No matter which one you choose, you can feel good knowing you’re making a low sugar, preservative-free jam that actually tastes like fruit.
🍓 Ready to Start Canning?
If you want to try any of these recipes, I highly recommend grabbing a box of Pomona’s Universal Pectin and their cookbook if you don’t already own it. It’s truly one of the most versatile and health-conscious canning resources out there.
Also check out my other article on Beginner Canner Tips: Realistic Expectations of Preserving Your Own Food.
Let me know in the comments:
Have you tried making jam with Pomona’s Pectin? Which recipe are you most excited to try?