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by Chef Alli 12 Comments
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Instant Pot Strawberry Refrigerator Jamis so simple to make, you’ll never believe it! And you don’t even need any pectin. This makes a big batch of yummy strawberry jam that’ll last for weeks in your fridge…..providing you hide it waaaaay in the back where your people can’t find it. Let me know how that works out for you. 🙂 #InstantPot #strawberryjam #refrigeratorjam
Instant Pot Strawberry Jam: Refrigerator Jam Made for Eating by the Spoonful
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Welcome to Instant Pot Strawberry Refrigerator Jam!I grew up eating a version of this jam that my Grandma Lucille used to make, though she didn’t use the Instant Pot and her recipe called for pectin. I remember how she would serve this to us over vanilla ice cream – it was the bomb. I have so many great childhood memories that all seem to revolve around food! I also remember that Grandma would also let us eat this jam right from the jar with a spoon….what happens at Grandma’s house, stays at Grandma’s house, right? #thankful
Recipe Tips for Making The Strawberry Jam
- Why is it called refrigerator jam? Because this jam has to remain chilled while it’s stored, it’s called refrigerator jam. You can store this jam in the fridge for up to 4 weeks and in the freezer for up to 6 months. Unlike other homemade jams that are cooked in a water bath to preserve them, this jam isn’t shelf stable, thus why it’s got to be stored in the fridge.
- If this recipe doesn’t require pectin, what makes it set up to become nice and thick? Instead of pectin, this jam is thickened using a slurry made from cornstarch combined with water. After you pressurize the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice, you’ll add the prepared slurry and simmer it with the cooked strawberry mixture until it thickens – super easy.
- Is this jam just for toast? Heck, no! If you do that, you’re truly missing out. Instant Pot Strawberry Refrigerator Jam is dang delicious on so many things…..English Muffin Bread, waffles, French toast, angel food cake, cheesecake, and especially spooned vanilla ice cream like my Grandma Lucille used to do.
- Which Instant Pot do you like the best? I prefer the6-quart Instant Pot that has the dial selector. I believe it’s the newest electric pressure cooker that Instant Pot has come out with and I’m really enjoying using it. Keep in mind that most recipes online are created for 6-quart pots, so if you’ve opted for an 8-quart Instant Pot, you’re going to need to adjust your cooking time a bit by adding a few additional minutes for many of your recipes.
- What Should I do if my electric pressure cooker (Instant Pot) begins to spew jam when I perform the quick release at the end of the cooking time?Some folks have expressed that they experienced a “spewing of jam” when performing the quick release of pressure from the Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker) at the end of the cooking time. Please be advised that if this begins to happen for you when creating this jam, quickly lay a light-weight tea towel over your valve to keep the jam from spewing all over your kitchen!
More Favorite Recipes to Enjoy –
Easy English Muffin Bread: The No-Knead Toasting Bread
Dutch Oven No-Knead Crusty Bread
Easy Orange Brunch Crescents
Speedy Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing
Printable Directions for Making Instant Pot Strawberry Refrigerator Jam
Instant Pot Strawberry Refrigerator Jam
Instant Pot Strawberry Refrigerator Jam is so simple to make, you’ll never believe it! And you don’t even need any pectin. This makes a big batch of yummy strawberry jam that’ll last for weeks in your fridge…..providing you hide it waaaaay in the back where your people can’t find it. Let me know how that works out for you. ?
2.50 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 1 minute minute
Approx. Time Needed for Instant Pot to Pressurize:: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 46 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 pint jars
Calories: 291kcal
Author: Chef Alli
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tbs. cornstarch
- 3 Tbs. water
Instructions
Place strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice into the Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker, whatever the brand). Let this mixture rest for 10 minutes to allow the sugar to activate the strawberries to release their juices a bit.
Lock the IP lid into place, then use the manual button to choose High Pressure for 1 minute, bringing the IP to full pressure. When the timer sounds, immediately perform a quick release to remove all pressure from the IP. Carefully remove the IP lid and give the contents a gentle stir. **Please note: the contents will be very loose and soupy at this point, so take care.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water until smooth to make a slurry. Whisk the prepared slurry into the IP, using the sauté setting to bring the ham back to a simmer, cooking the jam a bit longer until it is nicely thickened and clear. (The jam will also thicken further as it cooks.)
Place the jam into glass jars and store in the fridge or freezer. The jam will keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks, and in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Notes
Some folks have expressed that they experienced a "spewing of jam" when performing the quick release of pressure from the Instant Pot (electric pressure cooker). Please be advised that if this begins to happen for you when creating this jam, quickly lay a light weight tea towel over your valve to keep the jam from spewing all over your kitchen!
**Please note: the cooking time stated for this recipe does not include the time required to bring the Instant Pot up to pressure since this can vary. This recipe was made using a 6-quart Instant Pot.
Course: Miscellaneous
Cuisine: American
Keyword: instant pot, jam, strawberry
Nutrition
Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 347mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 61g | Vitamin A: 27IU | Vitamin C: 136mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?
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Let’s Get You Cookin’,
Chef Alli
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Reader Interactions
Comments
- Mary Hatch
I made this jam today. It never came to pressure and was spewing for a long time. I finally turned it off and then sautéed the cornstarch and water. It is delicious but don’t know what I did wrong. I didn’t know if the fact that there is no additional liquid made a difference although after letting it set for 10 mins did generate some. I have an 8 quart. Any idea?
Reply
Hi Mary –
Gosh, I’m so sorry you had a bad experience with the jam. I know that when I use my 8 quart pot, I do have to make time adjustments but there’s absolutely no reason your 8 quart shouldn’t make that jam! If your pot was spewing, that means there’s sufficient moisture inside to create the steam to make the pressure. I will make a batch of this jam in my 8 quart to see how it goes for me and I’ll send you another reply. We will get this figured out for you, I promise. I was so excited at how good this jam is in my pot and I want you to be successful as well. Stay tuned!
- Mary Hatch
Thank you Chef Alli for responding so promptly. I also made your English muffin bread. We had the toasted bread and jam this morning and it was delicious.
Reply
- Mary Hatch
I did use argo. I’m trying it again today.
- Sue
Hi Chef Alli. I made this today in my 6qt IP. It spewed significantly. I mean lots. I then used the Sauté and whisked with the cornstarch and water that was previously mixed. It thickened but never cleared. Is that a problem? Tastes great tho.
Reply
Hi Sue – I had someone else tell me the very same thing recently! I’m trying to figure out what’s causing all the darn spewing! I’ve made this jam twice now and it worked fine both times, but I want EVERYONE to be able to make it since it’s so easy and so yummy. As for why it didn’t clear up when it cooled, that’s a mystery, as well. I was so excited that this jam was so easy, delicious, and beautiful when I made it in my IP. I’m going to do some more research to see if I can figure it out. Out of curiosity, were you using Argo cornstarch?
Chef Alli
- Sue
Yes, it was Argo. The yellow container I believe.Reply
- Meegan
Be very careful when making this and keep little ones far away. When I released the pressure, my instant pot spewed hot strawberry juice everywhere. All over the counter and floor. It was a total mess.Reply
Hi Meegan – I’m sorry you had trouble with this recipe. I’ve had a couple of others say that they had the same issue. I’m working to figure out why this recipe sometimes does this. As you use your Instant Pot moving forward, there may be other things that can spew when the pressure is released. Know that whenever this begins to happen, you can immediately lay a light weight tea towel over the valve as it’s releasing pressure to keep what’s spewing from going all over everywhere. Hopefully you won’t have to do this very often as it’s not typical, as you already know! Again, I’m sorry you experienced the spew with this jam. I haven’t experienced this when I’ve made it (both in my 6 quart and my 8 quart Instant Pot) but I want to figure out why others HAVE had that happen – that stinks!
Chef Alli- Meegan
I would guess that the seeds jammed up the release mechanism. I have to say, though, the jam is very tasty!
- Julia
Just saw this and I have NOT made this jam yet. I was curious if the arrowroot powder would work with the strawberries to thicken the same way it thickens other foods? I have a corn sensitivity so I tend to use arrowroot rather than cornstarch.
Second question … can the jam be preserved with the layer of wax on top, like my Grandma used to do?? Or canning??? (I know IP doesn’t officially claim to be able to can but canning was historically done in pressure cookers… 15-20 min on high manual pressure oughta be enough to pressure can the jars with appropriate lids and rings?).
Reply
Hi Julie – I’m thinking that the arrowroot would work, but I hesitate to say for CERTAIN since I’ve not personally tested that. As for the canning of the jam, I’m told that it’s actually pretty dangerous to can in a pressure cooker. Canning has always been done in pressure CANNERS, but when using a pressure canner, you can get it up to a specific (safe) temperature and hold it there for a specific amount of time. Unfortunately, with a pressure COOKER, you can’t know this, so it’s a safety hazard at best. I hope that makes sense.
Thanks for your questions – so good to hear from you!
Chef Alli
