How to Can Strawberry Butter
Unlike the jam alternative, strawberry butter is a delicious, spreadable sauce that can’t be beaten. Made from fresh fruit, it’s a super simple recipe made with only four ingredients. While it can be kept fresh in the refrigerator, this butter is especially good when it’s canned for shelf-stable storage. Either way, there’s never a better time than now to make this recipe.
Servings 48 servings
Calories 33kcal
Equipment
- 5 jam jars
Ingredients
- 3 lb strawberries cleaned and hulled
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 whole vanilla beans sliced in half lengthwise
Instructions
- Place the cleaned and hulled strawberries in a large 6-quart heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the sugar and lemon juice. Use a potato masher to roughly mash the fruit and draw out the juice to mix with the sugar. Add the sliced vanilla beans and place over medium heat. If canning, have the water bath, jars, lids, and rings ready.
- Slowly bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to ensure the sugar is not sticking to the bottom and is dissolving. Once boiling, combine to stir and boil until it is at a rolling boil. A rolling boil is a boil that will not stop when stirring and continues to boil. Adjust heat as needed to keep the rolling boil for 20 minutes. Skim any foam that forms on top off and set it aside.
- Once the mixture has boiled for 20 minutes, remove it from the heat. Pull out the vanilla beans and squeeze out any remaining seeds from the middle into the mixture. Using an immersion blender or canister blender, blend the mixture until smooth.
- Pour the strawberry butter into prepared 8-oz jars. If storing in the refrigerator or freezer, pour into containers and cool. If canning, water bath the jars for 10 minutes. Once the jars are finished, remove them from the water bath. Cool for 12 hours before removing the rings to check the integrity of the seal.
Notes
Food safety tip: This recipe may not be approved by the USDA. To prevent the risk of botulism, always check with the USDA Canning Guide.
- To save time, skip slicing the strawberries once they’re hulled. Since there is a long cooking time, there is no benefit to taking the time to slice each strawberry in half or in quarters. Simply let the masher and stove do all of the work.
- While some recipes will instruct you to remove the foam from the butter as it’s boiling, I find that it’s best to wait until the end of the boiling to remove it. Some of the foam will dissipate as it continues to boil, increasing the overall amount of butter. The foam has air, which is not desirable when canning jam or butter.
- To assess the texture of your strawberry butter, place a plate in the freezer. When ready to test, place some of the blended butter on the plate. Tilt the plate, letting the butter fall slowly. The cold will act as an indicator of what the consistency will be once it has cooled. If you draw your finger through the butter without it running back together, the butter is ready.
- Make sure to wipe off the rim of each jar after ladling in the butter. This ensures that no spots of the butter are on the rim, leading to a faulty seal.
- Removing the rings from each jar will ensure that the seal on each jar is correct. If the rings are left on, the jar could have a false seal, which would be unknown until the jar is later opened.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tbsp | Calories: 33kcal
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