Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Recipe – Easy Water Bath Canning
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This strawberry rhubarb jam recipe is made with equal parts of Strawberry and Rhubarb. My favorite combination! This makes about 6 half-pints. If you’ve got fresh strawberries and rhubarb on hand, this homemade jam is the perfect way to capture their flavor.
Quick Look:
- Processing Method: Water bath canning or steam canning.
- Makes: About 6 half-pint jars
- Skill Level: Beginner-friendly
Start by washing jars, and get water in your canner heating.
(see Water Bath Canning for full directions)
Tips for Making Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Combine rhubarb, strawberries, pectin and lemon juice: Your mixture may seem dry to you at first, that is ok. Stir gently and the juice from the strawberries will start to run and it will get juicy as it heats. I like to use a potato masher to help mash up the fruit.
- Don’t double the batch: Jam can have trouble setting if doubled. Make separate single batches if you need more. You can process all the jars together.
- Using frozen fruit: You can use frozen strawberries or rhubarb. Thaw and drain excess liquid before measuring.
- Pectin matters: This recipe uses standard powdered pectin. If you want to reduce sugar, use low- or no-sugar pectin and follow the package directions carefully.
- Pectin vs no pectin: Since you’ve got pectin in this recipe you only need to boil hard for 1 minute. The pectin takes care of making your jam gel up nicely.
- This can be made as a freezer jam: Just skip the canning step and package for the freezer instead.
I do have an old fashioned no pectin strawberry jam recipe here if you want to avoid using pectin.
Foaming Tips
- Use a large saucepan: Make sure you use a large enough pot. The jam will foam and rise… it makes such a mess if it goes over the top!
- Foam tip: A little foam won’t hurt your jam, but skimming it gives a clearer result.
- A little butter helps: Usually you don’t use butter or oils in canning but for jam it is ok to add just a bit of butter. A tiny amount (1/4 to 1/2 tsp) reduces foaming.
Processing in a water bath or steam canner
This can be processed traditionally in a water bath canner. OR it is a perfect candidate for the Steam Canner. If you are not familiar with steam canning you can find instruction here. You’ll use the same processing time as the water bath… but do the process for a steam canner instead.
The processing time is for 1/2 pints or pints.
- Process for 10 minutes if you are below 6000 ft elevation.
- 15 minutes if you are above 6000 ft elevation.
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam Recipe
You can find Troubleshooting Tips and Frequently Asked Questions below recipe.
“Have you tried canning jam? I’d love to hear how it went! Leave a comment below—or ask a question if something doesn’t make sense.”
Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rhubarb diced
- 2 cups Strawberries cored & crushed
- 5 ½ cups Sugar
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice
- 1 package Powdered Pectin
Instructions
- Start by preparing jars and getting water in the canner heating. You want the canner hot, but not boiling, when the jars are ready to be processed.See full water bath canning instructions here.
Making your Jam
- Combine rhubarb, strawberries, pectin, and lemon juice in a large pot.
- Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Add sugar and bring back to a boil, stirring constantly.
- Boil hard for 1 minute. Skim foam if needed. (1/4 tsp butter helps reduce foaming if needed)
Water Bath Canning Instruction
Fill the Jars:
- Remove hot jars from the canner. You can use pints or half pint jars
- Using a funnel, ladle hot jam into jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. (the space between the jam and the lid)
- Wipe jar rims clean. If there is sticky jam on the rim it might interfere with the seal.
- Place lids on jars and screw on bands until fingertip tight.
Process the jars:
- Place jars in the water bath canner.
- They should be covered by at least 1 inch of water.
- Bring to a rolling boil and process. Adjust for altitude. (time needed in the notes below)
- When your time is done, turn off the heat and let the canner rest for 5-10 minutes.
Cool and store:
- Remove jars from canner and let cool on a towel for 12-24 hours. I do overnight.
- Check seals—lids should not flex up and down.
- Store sealed jars in a cool, dark place. Don’t forget to label them!
Notes
Processing Times for Water Bath Canner
Altitude – Half Pints and Pints are Processed the Same- 0-6,000 ft – 10 minutes
- Above 6,000 ft – 15 minutes
Adapted from: Ball Blue Book
Troubleshooting Tips
Don’t double up jam recipes.
One tip I have when canning any jam recipe is not to try and do double batches. It is VERY tempting to double jam recipes and make more. However, it is difficult to make double batches of jam. They just don’t set up very well. Some people do double up on batches, and you can certainly try because it is not a safety issue. But I have a better idea. If you want to make more at a time (I don’t blame you) simply have two batches going at the same time in different pots. You can process all the jars together.
Jam Separation in the jars. Floating Fruit!
Sometimes strawberry jams (including with rhubarb) will separate in your jars. You’ll end up with a layer of fruit floating on top of a clear layer. This is not dangerous in any way but not appealing. One suggestion is to allow your jam to rest for about 5 minutes after you boil it before you put it in the jars. Then give it a good stir and fill the jars. This will allow the jam to cool ever so slightly and mix the fruit back up. If it happens to you anyway just stir up the jar when you open it to use it.
So Much Sugar! Find a low sugar option here.
This jam is a traditional jam and has lots of sugar. My family likes full sugar jam! We just use it as a condiment so it is not a problem. But… I have been working on getting lower sugars into my guys. This is how I’ve been doing this with mostly success!
Frequently Asked Questions
Not with this specific recipe. You’d need to adjust the fruit-to-sugar ratio and cooking time significantly. Use a tested no-pectin recipe if you want to skip it.
Not with regular pectin. Use low- or no-sugar pectin and follow its instructions. Standard pectin requires the full sugar amount to gel properly.
Unopened, properly canned jam will last about a year in a cool, dark place. Once opened, keep it in the fridge and use within a few weeks.
Other pages you might be interested in…
- Recipe for Strawberry Jam
- Orange Rhubarb Jam Recipe
- Strawberry Recipes
- How to Freeze Strawberries
- Freezing Rhubarb
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I made strawberry rhubarb jam for the first time last year. Yum! I’ve had great success using low-sugar pectin and reducing the added sugar to 3 cups. It sets up perfectly, plus the flavor is much more complex since it isn’t as sweet. Thanks for all your guidance!
I love Strawberry Rhubarb jam – so I’ll be making some when the time comes. By the way have you ever tried processing in an Instant Pot? I tried it with a jam and didn’t really like it!!
Please advise.
And I love all of your ideas and info – keep it up – as I think more people are getting into home preserving!!
HI Elaine, thanks for your nice comments. And you are correct more and more people are learning about home food preservation. The Instant Pot is not designed for home canning. So I don’t recommend it at all.