The best strawberry jam is like summer in a jar, but better. See, when you buy a pint of strawberries at the grocery store or farmers market, even at the peak of the season, they may or may not be sweet and delicious. It’s a real gamble! The best strawberry preserves, on the other hand, are always sweet and tangy and perfectly ripe tasting. Plus, you don’t have to worry about that one annoying moldy strawberry spoiling the whole bunch.
In two separate taste tests, we tried everything from pricey French jam to Smucker’s to find the best tasting strawberry jam you can buy. We wanted ripe, fresh strawberry flavor, plus a little bit of signature berry tang. In preserves, we wanted nice, juicy chunks of berry meat; in jam, we wanted a combo of excellent flavor and spreadability. We added a low sugar strawberry jam and a sugar free strawberry jam to the list this time around, too. Here’s our definitive ranking of the best strawberry jam for your next slice of toast or PB&J.
- Great Value Sugar Free Strawberry Preserves
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Sugar, in one form or another, is a pretty important component in strawberry jam and strawberry preserves, so making a sugar free strawberry jam that tastes good is no easy feat. This sugar free strawberry jam from Walmart is made with Splenda and you can certainly taste the difference, but it has enough good qualities to make our list of the best strawberry jam. It has a nice, natural consistency that includes some seeds to remind you that this concoction originated from actual strawberries. The flavor reminds me a bit of sugar free strawberry Jell-O (not our favorite of all the Jell-O flavors)—but if you eat a low or no sugar diet for health reasons, you’re probably pretty okay with that. Also, we can say from experience that when it comes to sugar free strawberry jam, you can do a lot worse than this. For real, steer clear of Smucker’s sugar free jam! —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Giusto Sapore Imported Italian Strawberry Jam
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Giusto Sapore Italian strawberry jam is excellent, but it’s a bit pricey. It’s a gentle jam—instead of being sweet and gelatinous, it has an almost applesauce-like texture. It’s unique, but it works. The flavor is fresh, understated, and you can tell they use good quality sugar, too. A customer review on Amazon says, “Italy does it again.” I agree, Michael DeRiggi! This one is different, but it’s some of the best strawberry jam to slather on any hot breakfast item, like a pancake, frozen waffle, or slice of French toast, if you don’t want a sugar overload. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- Bonne Maman Strawberry Preserves
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I buy this brand of strawberry preserves quite often and I think that means I’m a fool for marketing. Somehow, the name “Bonne Maman” entices me every time. When I see French words, I hand over my money. I’m a chump like that. Still, I think Bonne Maman makes some of the best strawberry preserves you can buy, even if they lean a bit sweet. They use cane sugar and regular sugar, so their product is even sweeter than Smucker’s, if you ask me. But there’s no high fructose corn syrup, if you’re watching that sort of thing. It comes in a cute jar, too.—Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Dickinson’s Pure Seedless Pacific Mountain Strawberry Preserves
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There’s an oiliness to Dickinson’s strawberry preserves that gives them an extra bit of opulence. This jar of jam is luxurious and rich, with a deep strawberry flavor that isn’t bogged down by an excessive amount of sugar. I consider this the best strawberry jam for toast, but I would also eat it on waffles, a croissant, my hand, etc. It’s damn good, and a little on the pricey side, but, hey, sometimes you have to pay a little more for good products. Plus, it’s the official strawberry jam of Cracker Barrel. You know, that place where you can sit in an old chair and play checkers just like your grandmother! —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Smucker’s Low Sugar Strawberry Preserves
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Even if you aren’t watching your sugar intake, this is some of the best strawberry jam for people who think strawberry jam and preserves are entirely too sweet. Smucker’s low sugar is very mild and pleasant. It’s certainly still sweet, but the sweetness tastes more natural, like it actually came from very ripe strawberries rather than corn syrup or sugar. This is made without corn syrup, and unlike sugar free strawberry jam, without artificial sweeteners, too. It really tastes like fresh, tart strawberries and has a nice texture that includes lots of macerated strawberry. It’s very good! When it comes to the best strawberry preserves, Smucker’s knows what they’re doing. —Gwynedd Stuart
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Smucker’s Strawberry Jam
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Smucker’s Strawberry Jam contain high fructose corn syrup, but, hey, live a little! This jam is flavorful and spreadable and has a good-ass tang to boot. We also loved the crunchy, seedy texture. This jam is gelatinous, decadent, delicious, and fresh tasting. Smucker’s is a beloved American brand with a nostalgic flavor reminiscent of a classic diner breakfast. It’s the stuff you put on your toast when you hit the 24-hour diner for a late night meal after the bars close. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Trappist Strawberry Preserve
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These preserves have a jiggly, clear, gelatinous quality that we love. They’re also the brightest, most citrus-forward strawberry preserves on this list. There are big strawberry chunks in here, too, if that’s your thing. Personally, I appreciate any added texture in the best strawberry jam or preserves. Without a doubt, though, the thing we loved most about this jar of strawberry preserves was just how much it tastes like strawberry. The flavor isn’t fake; it’s pure and intense. The cost is pretty high, but it’s an excellent product that’s worth the extra scratch. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
- Crofter’s Strawberry Organic Spread
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Sometimes even the best strawberry jam makes you feel like you’re drowning in sugar, as if you just ate a bunch of candy—not Crofter’s, though. By definition, fruit spreads have less sugar than your typical jellies or jams, and this fruit spread has the signature fruity tartness of a fresh strawberry, and none of the added garbage. There’s a very short list of ingredients on this jar, and that’s good! Plus, it’s relatively accessible and affordable. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- St. Dalfour Strawberry Fruit Spread
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St. Dalphour may sound like a French prison or a private island owned by Jeff Bezos, but make no mistake, this is the best strawberry jam you can buy (yes, even though it’s technically a fruit spread). Tasty, tart, sweet, and fresh, it took the number one spot with ease. This stuff looks and tastes like it was homemade from fresh, ripe strawberries. It has a nice, grainy strawberry-seed texture to it. As I write this, I swear I can actually hear managing editor Gwynedd Stuart eat it. There’s nothing wrong with uber-processed strawberry jam, but when you taste the best strawberry jam, you get attached. —Danny Palumbo
Credit: Sarah Demonteverde / Amazon
Best Sugar Free
Best Splurge
Best Sugary
Best Seedless
Best Low Sugar
Best Ol’ Reliable
Best Citrussy
Best Organic
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Welch’s, Knott’s Berry Farm, Great Value, D’Arbo, Market Pantry, Good Good, 365 Strawberry Spread, Kirkland Jam, Mrs. Miller’s, Fruitful Fair, Smucker’s Sugar Free Strawberry Jam, Signature Select Strawberry Jelly, Smucker’s Reduced Sugar Fruit Spread
