Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam (with free printable labels for gifting)

This Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam is a perfect pairing for cheese and charcuterie, makes a wonderful sandwich spread, a fabulous grilling glaze and so much more! It also makes a delightful gift combined with a log of goat cheese and a packet of wonderful crackers. The free printable labels are the crowning glory!

Besides Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam, I also call this sweet, savory, condiment “Red, White and Black Jam”… named for its main ingredients; fresh strawberries, white balsamic vinegar and cracked black pepper. It might seem like an unusual combination but this jam has drawn rave reviews from everyone who’s tried it.

Refrigerate, freeze or can!

I actually made something similar several years ago, this Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Freezer Jam. It’s fabulous but being a freezer jam it’s not suitable for canning and a lot of people don’t have a plethora of freezer space. I decided to go a little different route this time, utilizing white balsamic vinegar (which results in a much prettier jam) and coming up with a recipe that can be stored in the refrigerator, freezer or on the shelf (if canned with a hot water bath). I’m super happy with the results and it seems to get the same response all the way around.

How to make this jam recipe

• The most difficult part of this recipe (which isn’t difficult) is removing the stems and crushing the strawberries. Once you’ve done that, the rest is a cakewalk!
• Carefully measure the crushed berries and white balsamic vinegar into a large pot and add the powdered pectin.
• Stir to combine then bring the mixture to a boil.
• Once you have a good boil going, add the sugar and stir.
• Return the mixture to a full boil, then time it for 1 minute.
• That’s it, ladle the beautiful jam into jars and either use a hot water bath or simply refrigerate or freeze when cool.

What to do with this Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam?

So happy you asked! There are so many ways to use this Strawberry, White Balsamic Black Pepper Jam. Here are a few suggestions:

• It’s delicious and unique on toast, English muffins, scones, biscuits, etc.
• Give your sandwich a gourmet twist with a spread of this jam. It’s wonderful with turkey, Havarti and soppressata on whole grain bread. Black Forest ham and Swiss on a Hawaiin roll is also delicious!
• Transforms an ordinary PB&J to an epicurean delight!
• It’s fabulous on cheese and charcuterie boards as pictured above and below.

• I love to a log take goat cheese and combine it in a small bowl with a few tablespoons of cream then whip it all together until nice and smooth. Top a crisp crostini or cracker with a smear of the creamy goat cheese, a small dollop of this jam and some finely sliced fresh basil. DELISH!
• Use this jam as a glaze for chicken, pork, meatballs, salmon or shrimp.
• Sweet strawberries drizzled with balsamic vinegar is a classic dessert in Italy. Try spooning this jam over ice cream and serving it with shortbread cookies for a fabulous, easy sweet treat.
• Give as a gift! If you google Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam, you’ll be shocked at how much a jar of this type of jam sells for. I saw prices range from $8 all the way up to $28.95 (a fancy French company)! You can make your own for WAY less than that!
• Pick up a log of goat cheese, a wedge of blue cheese or even a block of cream cheese. Add some nice crackers and a jar of this Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam (topped with one of our free printable labels)  and you’ve got a lovely hostess gift or treat for a friend, neighbor, teacher, hairdresser, etc.

To receive a free printable PDF of the labels pictured above and below, along with instructions on how to use them, simply scroll to the bottom of this page and leave a comment in the comment section, letting us know you’d like the labels. We will email the a few different size label PDFs with the instructions.

Don’t let the season pass!

Pick up a bucket up strawberries before the fleeting season slips away and make a batch or two of this delicious Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam! I think you’ll enjoy it as much as we have!

Café Tips for making this Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam

• This recipe calls for 1½ tablespoons of cracked black pepper. That may sound like a lot but the jam is definitely NOT outrageously peppery. In fact, when I serve this on a charcuterie or cheese board, I usually add a little extra cracked pepper over the top.
• Be sure to use freshly ground, medium-coarse black pepper. If you use regular fine ground black pepper, your jam will become a murky color.
• White balsamic vinegar is one of the ingredients in this Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam recipe. White balsamic vinegar is a sweet, mild balsamic vinegar. It’s available at most larger grocery stores in the same area as regular and specialty vinegars.
• This recipe calls for 4½ cups of “prepared fruit”. Prepared fruit, in this case, means crushed strawberries. You’ll want to purchase 2 quarts of fresh strawberries to end up with 4½ cups of crushed berries.
• It’s important when making jams and jellies to understand the terminology. One of the classic terms is to bring the fruit/sugar mixture to a “full rolling boil”. This means a boil that continues to bubble furiously, even when you give it a good stir.
• Another thing that’s important is to pay heed to the time that’s indicated in the recipe. In this Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam, the instructions say to allow the fruit/pectin/sugar mixture to come to a “full rolling boil”, then to boil for exactly one minute. Set a timer! This will ensure successful results.
• As mentioned above you can either preserve this Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam, using a hot water bath, making it shelf-stable OR simply ladle it into jars and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
• If you chose the canning method, here is a great guide from National Center for Home Food Preservation.
• If you chose to not use a hot water bath, it’s fine for the jam to sit at room temperature for several hours. The sugar in jam/jelly/marmalade recipes acts as a preservative so there’s no need to worry. Just keep it in the refrigerator or freezer for longer storage.
• This recipe calls for 1 box (1.75 ounces or 49g) of powdered fruit pectin. I use SureJell. SureJell is available at most larger grocery stores and online. If you can’t find it at your local grocery store, check with the front desk or manager as it’s stored in different places at different stores. There are two types of SureJell, regular and low-sugar. You want the regular or original variety for this recipe which comes in a yellow box (the low sugar version comes in a pink box).
• In order to ensure success with this Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam, don’t try to alter the ingredients. Lots of people are concerned about the amount of sugar in jam and jelly recipes. 7 cups of sugar might sound like a lot but this recipe makes a lot of jam.
• Sugar is not only a sweetener but it also helps with the set of the jam and it’s a preservative, as mentioned above. There are low sugar pectins on the market and it would be better to go with a recipe specifically designed for low sugar than to try to alter this recipe. Plus you only consume a small amount of jam at a time so each serving is not that much sugar.
• I often get asked if you can substitute dry and liquid pectins. The definitive answer is no. Occasionally it will work out but generally, the proportion of fruit to sugar often varies, depending on whether the recipe calls for dry or liquid pectin. To ensure success, it’s best to stick with the type of pectin that the recipe calls for.
• Measure carefully when making jam or jelly with pectin. The proportion of sugar to fruit is important and if you use more or less than what’s called for, the set of the jam can be affected with the final results being too thick or too runny.
• You might be wondering why there is ½ teaspoon of butter in this jam recipe. The butter helps eliminate most of the foaming that can occur while the jam cooks.
• Many jam/jelly/marmalade recipes call for measuring the sugar into a separate bowl, then adding it to the fruit. Why? It’s easy to lose track and add too much or too little and risk the results. I don’t do this but I do count out loud so I’m sure about how much sugar I’m adding.

Thought for the day:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
According to His great mercy,
He has caused us to be born again
to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1:3

What we’re listening to for inspiration:

His Mercy is More

If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.

Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam

This Strawberry Balsamic Black Pepper Jam is perfect with cheese and charcuterie, for a sandwich spread, a grilling glaze and much more! It also makes a fantastic gift paired with a log of goat cheese and some nice crackers and we’re offering free printable labels to adorn the jars!

Author: Chris Scheuer

Prep Time:
45 mins

Cook Time:
10 mins

Total Time:
55 mins

Servings: 128 servings

Calories: 45 kcal

Ingredients

• 4 ½
  cups
  prepared fruit
  you’ll need to purchase about 2 quarts of fully ripe strawberries to equal 4½ cups of the prepared (crushed fruit)
• ½
  cup
  white balsamic vinegar
• 1.75
  ounces
  49g1 box powdered fruit pectin (I use SureJell in the yellow box)
• ½
  teaspoon
  butter
• 7
  cups
  sugar
• 1½
  tablespoons
  freshly ground black pepper
  don’t try to use regular fine-ground pepper as your jam will get murky.

Instructions

For jam that will be processed with a hot water bath (for shelf stability):

1. Bring boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in a saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

2. Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time (I use a potato masher for this). Measure exactly 4½ cups of prepared fruit and the balsamic vinegar into a large saucepan (at least 6-8 quarts).

3. Add the powdered pectin to the strawberries in the saucepan and stir to combine. Add butter (to reduce foaming).

4. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) over high heat, stirring frequently.

5. Stir in sugar and return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Continue to boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

6. Add 1 tablespoon of the fresh ground black pepper and stir to combine. Take a little taste (careful, as it will be hot!) and add more pepper, if desired.

7. Ladle into the prepared jars, filling to within ¼ inch of the tops. Wipe jar rims and threads.

8. Cover the jars tightly with two-piece lids. Screw the bands on tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if needed.)

9. Cover the pot and bring water to a gentle boil. Continue to boil for 10 minutes.

10. Remove jars and place them upright on a towel to cool completely. After the jars cool, check the seals by pressing the middle of the lids with a finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

For jam that will be stored in the refrigerator (good for 2-3 weeks) or freezer (good for up to a year):

1. Wash the jars with hot soapy water, rinse well and set on a clean kitchen towel to dry.

2. Stem and crush strawberries thoroughly, one layer at a time (I use a potato masher for this). Measure exactly 4½ cups of prepared fruit and the balsamic vinegar into a large saucepan (at least 6-8 quarts).

3. Add the powdered pectin to the strawberries in a saucepan and stir to combine. Add butter (to reduce foaming).

4. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) over high heat, stirring frequently.

5. Stir in sugar and return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Continue to boil for exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

6. Add 1 tablespoon of the fresh ground black pepper and stir to combine. Take a little taste (careful, as it will be hot!) and add more pepper, if desired.

7. Ladle into the prepared jars, filling to within ¼ inch of the tops. Wipe jar rims and threads.

8. Cover jars tightly with lids and allow to sit at room temperature, undisturbed for 24 hours then refrigerate or freeze as desired.

Recipe Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

This recipe yields 8 8-ounce jars of jam.

Nutrition facts per serving (1tablespoon)

Calories 45kcal

Fat 1g

Saturated fat 1g

Trans fat 1g

Polyunsaturated fat 1g

Monounsaturated fat 1g

Cholesterol 1mg

Sodium 1mg

Potassium 8mg

Carbohydrates 12g

Fiber 1g

Sugar 11g

Protein 1g

Vitamin A 2%

Vitamin C 1%

Calcium 1%

Iron 1%