Homemade Strawberry Jam with Balsamic Vinegar

The use of balsamic vinegar makes this homemade strawberry jam, or strawberry preserves, a cut above the other jams. Use it to top your toast or drizzle in your yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream.

I am super giddy for the beginning of strawberry season. When I find deliciously sweet strawberries at the market, I stock up. And they don’t last long in my house. My kids love fresh fruit, and a bowl full of sweet strawberries is always a welcome dessert.

Every time I find some sweet strawberries, I’m reminded of my strawberry farm tour in Oxnard, CA.  I’m so glad summer is around the corner. Summer fruits also mean it’s time to jam! And these fabulous strawberries were begging to be made into a jam.

Balsamic vinegar is a natural compliment to fruit. It’s sweet and tangy attributes add something special to desserts. I’ve drizzled balsamic vinegar over ice cream, baked balsamic vinegar in a homemade cherry pie and even baked with it my blackberry scone recipe.

So why not add balsamic vinegar to strawberry jam?

Ingredients you need

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• Strawberries: Fresh is always best when making jam. You want sweet and flavorful berries. You can use frozen strawberries. Just thaw and drain the juice.
• Granulated sugar: I use granulated sugar in this recipe, but I have also made jam with honey and with brown sugar. I include these adjustments in the recipe card below. I also use minimal amounts of sugar. So this makes a sweet and sour type jam. If you want it sweeter, add more sugar.
• Lemon: Both the lemon zest and juice is often used in jam making. Citrus fruits include natural pectin, which thickens the jam. No additional pectin is necessary unless your jam is watery, as it could be if you use frozen strawberries.
• Red balsamic vinegar: Choose a nice thick and flavorful vinegar. The thicker it is, the older the vinegar usually is and more syrupy. You can use regular balsamic or a number of different flavored versions that include vanilla or other fruit tones.

Step-by-step directions

1. Combine ingredients. In a large bowl mix together strawberries, lemon juice and sugar.
2. Macerate strawberries. Let strawberry mixture sit for at least 4 hours or up to overnight to macerate and release their juices.
3. Simmer mixture. Transfer berry mixture to a pot and stir in balsamic vinegar. Slowly bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to prevent sticking. Reduce temperature to medium-low if strawberry mixture is about to boil out of your pot. Cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.
4. Chill. If you are going to store in the refrigerator, cool until room temperature first then refrigerate. Or, if you are canning your jam, click here for hot water canning instructions.

Expert tips and recipe FAQs

If you make a lot of homemade jam, then you know that adding a little lemon juice is an important component to jam making. But do you know why it is important to add lemon juice to strawberry jam, or any other jam?

It’s chemistry. The acid in the lemon juice is needed to lower the pH in your jam. Pectin comes together and thickens your jam best in a lower pH environment. Although balsamic vinegar is added to this strawberry jam, it doesn’t have a low enough pH to help the pectin thrive. Enter lemon juice.

Lower the pH of your jam is also important to prevent the growth of bacteria. And when you are canning jam, even storing it in the refrigerator for a few weeks or months, you don’t want to make people sick from your homemade gifts. Learn more about why we add lemon juice when making jam here.

If you’re a jam lover like me, try my plum jam, strawberry rhubarb jam, homemade grape jam or my watermelon jelly.

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Strawberry Jam (Strawberry Preserves) with Balsamic Vinegar

Laura Bashar | Family Spice

The use of balsamic vinegar makes this strawberry jam, or strawberry preserves, a cut above the other jams. Use it to top your toast or drizzle in your yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Additional Time 10 hours hrs

Total Time 10 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 22

Calories 28 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb strawberries hulled and coarsely chopped
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon red balsamic vinegar

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Instructions

 

• In a large bowl mix together strawberries, lemon juice and sugar.
• Let strawberry mixture sit for at least 4 hours or up to overnight to macerate and release their juices.
• Transfer berry mixture to a pot and stir in balsamic vinegar.
• Slowly bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to prevent sticking.
• Reduce temperature to medium-low if strawberry mixture is about to boil out of your pot. Cook until thickened, about 20 minutes.
• If you are going to store in the refrigerator, cool until room temperature first then refrigerate. Or, if you are canning your jam, click here for hot water canning instructions.

Notes

Serving Suggestions: Use on your morning toast or drizzle in your yogurt, oatmeal or ice cream.

Cooking Tips: The quality of balsamic vinegar you use will affect the flavor of your jam. This recipe uses a high quality, thick balsamic vinegar.

CAN JAM: Jams that have been canned using hot water canning, can last in a cool dark pantry for up to a year. As long as the seal is intact and mold is not present, the jam is safe to eat past a year.

REFRIGERATE JAM: You can also store jam in the refrigerator. The USDA says that it will last for 10 days, but I have found that it lasts longer than that. Use your best judgement.

FREEZE JAM: There are freezer safe jam containers that can be used to store your jam in the freezer. Again, the USDA says it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months but

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 28kcalCarbohydrates: 7gSodium: 1mgSugar: 7g

Keyword strawberry jam, strawberry jam with balsamic vinegar, strawberry preserves

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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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