Roasted Strawberry Jam

This Roasted Strawberry Jam is probably the easiest and most straightforward recipe – that involves cooking, at least – here on deepfriedhoney.com. Even easier than its cousin Easy Strawberry Sauce. I originally wanted to call it Slow-Roasted, but I realize my penchant for slow-roasting things isn’t widely shared so I offer instructions for both slowly and normally roasting this jam.

Most jam and jelly recipes either require pectin, or a complicated old-fashioned method of boiling the jam until it reaches the ‘gelling’ point and some other stuff. This one? Just toss the ingredients in the oven, give them a stir when they’re done roasting, and refrigerate and use within three weeks (no pectin means a shorter shelf life, too). I love it in a PB+J, on French toast, and my kid is obsessed with using it for parfaits.

Roasted Strawberry Jam Ingredients

Feel free to jump to the full recipe, but here are useful notes about the ingredients you will need to make this Roasted Strawberry Jam recipe:

• Fresh strawberries: It’s strawberry season here in North Carolina, and it’s my favorite time of year. I’ve gone picking twice so far this year, and I don’t think I’m finished yet. If you use frozen berries you’ll need to thaw and drain them before you begin with the Roasted Strawberry Jam recipe.
• Vanilla extract: Just a touch, for warmth and body. You can omit it, but I think it really rounds out the intense flavor roasting the strawberries creates.
• Granulated sugar: It’s not Roasted Strawberry Jam without sugar! If you’re using berries out of season or shipped from other states you might need to increase the amount of sugar, maybe up to a full cup. Taste the berries before roasting and you should be able to tell. You know your tastebuds better than anyone, so trust them.

How to Make Roasted Strawberry Jam

Full instructions are included in the recipe below, but here is a basic overview of what you’ll need to do, along with some important tidbits to help you make the most of this Roasted Strawberry Jam recipe:

• Prepare for Roasted Strawberry Jam. Preheat your oven to 250°F* and place a rack in the center. Turn on your oven light so that you’ll be able to check their progress without opening the door. Transfer your strawberries to an oven-safe dish and sprinkle the sugar and vanilla extract over them. You don’t need to stir, but you can if you like. If you don’t want to slow-roast them, preheat the oven to 400°F instead.
• Roast the Strawberries. Place the strawberries in the oven and walk away. Let them roast, undisturbed, for at least 4 hours (1-2 hours if you’re roasting at 400°F) – but you’re looking for consistency more than time-passed here for this Roasted Strawberry Jam. The strawberries will darken slightly and release their juices, and we’re going to let them continue roasting until they’ve darkened deeply and the juice has reduced into a thick, sticky syrup. Sometimes, depending on the berries, it will take longer than four hours. Only on very rare occasions would it take less. 
• Continue Roasting. Once the berries are darkened and the liquid has reduced into a syrup, remove the berries from the oven. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break the berries into small pieces, stirring them into the syrup as you go. 
• You’ve Got Jam! When you are happy with the breakdown of the berries, transfer the jam to a mason jar and allow it to cool to room temperature. You shouldn’t need to pour off any excess liquid if they roasted for long enough. Affix the lid tightly and refrigerate the Roasted Strawberry Jam for up to three weeks. 

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