Can I Fix Homemade Strawberry Jam that Turned Out Runny?

Kelli Foster
Kelli FosterSenior Contributing Food Editor
Kelli is a Senior Contributing Food Editor for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals. She lives in New Jersey.
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published Jun 22, 2015
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Q: I made the strawberry jam from the Canning for a New Generationcookbook. It doesn’t use pectin — just strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice.

It tastes great, but unfortunately I don’t think it’s going to set properly and is still very runny. I must not have cooked it long enough.

I could just roll with it and use it as a drink mixer or yogurt/ice cream topping, or for shortcakes, but wanted to know if there’s any way I could salvage it to use as a jam. Can I boil it down again, add pectin, and re-process it?

Sent by Jen

Editor: Your guess is correct; it sounds like your jam just needed to be cooked a little longer to thicken up. Homemade jam can certainly be made without pectin — it just needs a longer cook time. It also results in a darker jam and a somewhat smaller yield. Even though it’s not as thick as you hoped, there are plenty of other great uses for it as is.

Readers, do you have any advice on how Jen can salvage her jam?

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Jams & Preserved Foods