Canning Delicious Strawberries Step by Step

Canning strawberries to store for winter without using freezer space. Learning how to can strawberries is a fun way to save them to use all year long! Strawberries are coming into season in our area, with their ripe, juicy, sweet selves!

My family can’t seem to get enough of these tasty jewels, and they can usually eat them faster than I can cut or preserve them. I’ve taken to canning some of the berries in secret just to have some for winter!

Learning how to can strawberries is a fun way to save them for all-year-long use!

Can You Can Whole Strawberries?

Yes, it is possible to can whole strawberries so long as you remove the tops, or calyx, and preferably the cores, or hull. Strawberries are surprisingly fragile, so it’s best to can them whole if you want to enjoy the fruit as is and not in the form of preserves or pre-made pie filling.

Can You Can Sliced Strawberries?

Yes, it’s possible, but the results might not turn out very well since they tend to soften to the point of turning into pulp if they are sliced ahead of time.

We will be canning whole strawberries in this guide, but if you want to try canning them sliced, make sure you get the firmest variety that you can find. Soft varieties just fall apart.

Supplies and Tools

Strawberries are a little trickier to can compared to other fruits, but if you already have a water bath canning setup, you should have everything you need between that and your own kitchen. In any case, review the supplies below for a few specialty items. 

Strawberries: you can’t get canned strawberries without fresh strawberries, of course! You can improve the results by picking the firmest and reddest variety that you can find.

Strawberries are quite soft and have a tendency to fall apart during preparation and subsequent canning. That’s fine if you want strawberry pulp, but not if you want whole strawberries for other recipes!

Water: you’ll need water to complete the canning process, of course, and also to make simple syrup that you’ll need for packing the berries.

Sugar: sugar is the other ingredient needed to make simple syrup for packing, but we also need an extra quantity of sugar in order to sugar the berries for maximum quality and flavor.

It’s tempting to skip sugaring the berries directly, but I can promise you that the results will not be as good!

Citric Acid: strawberries tend to discolor in storage after canning, but citric acid will prevent that and help them taste a little bit fresher. This stuff is readily available from most retailers that sell canning supplies or online.

White Vinegar: you need a little white vinegar in order to properly clean your strawberries and, especially, to neutralize mold spores that might be present and can completely ruin your efforts.

Canning Jars, Quart, or Pint Size: you can use any kind of canning jar that you prefer for this operation, and they could be new or used to your preference.

Whichever one you choose, make sure you look them over closely for any signs of damage, cracking, dents or other faults that could result in a bad seal and ruined strawberries.

Jar Lids: assuming your jars don’t have attached or reusable lids, make sure you get a matching quantity of brand-new lids to put on them.

You should never attempt to reuse lids because they are highly prone to failure and that will mean spoiled strawberries. Get extras if you’re making multiple batches and just in case you do have a failure and need to reprocess a jar.

Bands: unlike lids themselves, lid bands are reusable as long as they aren’t damaged. Cracking, warping, serious denting, rust and other issues are disqualifiers for service.

Water Canner: you’ll need any extra large pot capable of holding your canning rack and all of your jars. If you get a water bath canning kit, this will be the main item that is included.

Saucepan: a separate and somewhat smaller pot for making a quantity of syrup used for packing the strawberries.

Skillet or Shallow Pan: unlike most other kinds of fruit, you won’t simmer the strawberries directly in the syrup in the saucepan above. You’ll want to sugar them and then gently simmer them in a separate skillet or shallow pan immediately prior to packing. This improves the flavor because they’ll be simmering in their own juices after sugaring.

Jar Tongs: a specialized set of canning tongs that are designed to grip and lift a canning jar safely and under control so you don’t get burned when placing them in boiling water or taking them out.

You can get away without these if your rack has long handles that allow you to pick up the entire rack for loading and unloading, but they’re still a really good thing to have.

Can Rack: a canning rack is placed on the bottom of your large canning pot to keep the jars themselves off of the bottom.

If the jars are in contact with the bottom, air bubbles that are rising to the top during boiling will cause them to shimmy and shake, banging into each other and possibly breaking.

A good canning rack will have long handles that allow you to lift the entire rack and the loaded jars out of the water or place them in the water safely.

Funnel: this is a specialty funnel that fits neatly on the rim of your chosen jars and makes it easy to pack the jars with the contents and then pour syrup over them without making a mess and contaminating the threads and rim.

Sounds like a nice city, but it’s actually very important since a contaminated rim can cause seal failure.

Ladle: a common slotted kitchen spoon will help pack your hot strawberries into the jars once the time comes.

Bubble Remover Tool: make sure you have a thin spatula or a specialty bubble remover tool to help you agitate the contents of the jars after packing with the berries and syrup. This is needed to remove air bubbles which can cause spoilage in a loss of quality after canning.

Knife: a paring knife is all you will need to prep your strawberries by cutting off the tops.

Strawberry Huller (Optional): you don’t have to have one, but a specialized strawberry huller tool will help you pop off the calyx and also the core, or hull, in one easy movement.

Cutting Board: any cutting board you prefer will work for prepping the strawberries so long as it is completely clean.

Paper Towels: you’ll need paper towels for dealing with messes, of course, but also for wiping off the rims of your jars immediately prior to putting the lids on.

Timer: any timing device of your choice. You can use the clock on your stove top, a separate kitchen timer, or a timer app on your phone. Just be sure that it works, because timing is everything if you want to can successfully!

Quite a list of supplies, but like I said it is all stuff that you should have already assuming you have a canning kit. Now, keep reading and we will get right to the steps.

Canning Whole Strawberries,  Hot Packed, Step by Step

The following steps will walk you through canning whole strawberries using a hot pack method. Be sure that you review all of these steps, and totality, before you begin because some of the processes are time-sensitive.

Step 1: sanitize equipment. Before you do anything else you must sanitize all of your equipment that will be touching the strawberries, the syrup, or the jars.

Wash everything with hot, soapy water and give it a good hot rinse or just run it through the dishwasher on a hot cycle right before you get started.

Step 2: wash strawberries. First, you’ll want to swish your berries in a solution of 1 cup of white vinegar to 1 gallon of water. This will ensure that any mold spores are killed. If you don’t can them, this is also a great way to get them to last longer in the fridge!

Step 3: prep strawberries. Next, cut the green parts off and remove the hull. I use a very sharp knife to slice the tops off, and I don’t worry a whole lot about losing some of the berries myself.

Put the prepped berries in the skillet or shallow pan. Don’t use a bowl, that’ll just create more dishes for you to clean later.

Step 4: sprinkle strawberries with sugar. You will use 1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar for each quart (pound, 450 grams) of strawberries. You need this much for preservation.

Trust me, I cut this amount in half one year, and they were terrible when I went to use them. Toss the berries until they’re fully covered with the sugar, like so:

Let the sugared berries sit in a cool place for about 2 hours to make sure the sugar is dissolved. This is a good time to get your canner, jars, and lids ready.

Step 5: set up workspace. Take the time to get all of your equipment and supplies in order before you go any further. Make sure all of your pots and pans will fit on your stove.

Be sure that you have a room above the large pot to raise and lower the jars without hitting anything and keeping them under control. Protect your counters from hot jars with folded towels or clean cutting boards.

Step 6: fill large pot with water, boil. Fill your large canning pot with water.

You should add enough water so that the level is about 1 inch over the tops of the lids once they are all in place. But do allow for displacement to prevent overflows!

Once you are set, turn on the heat and bring the water to a boil…

Step 7: preheat jars. Load your canning rack, if it has handles, or use your jar lifter if it doesn’t, and place the jars into the boiling water on top of the canning rack.

Be careful and avoid getting splashed so you aren’t burned. Leave the jars to preheat while you work through the following steps.

Step 8: prepare syrup. Prepare a light syrup for packing the strawberries. In the smaller of the pots, bring 9 cups of water to a boil and add to that 2 ¼ cups (450 grams) of sugar once the water is boiling.

This is enough for a 7-quart-jar load. If you’re using pint jars, use 5 ¾ cups of water and 1 ½ cups of sugar instead.

Once added, stir gently until it’s fully dissolved. Pour in ¼ to ½ tsp of citric acid per quart of strawberries at this time.

Step 9: simmer strawberries with juice separately. Gently bring your sugared berries to a boil, ensuring all the sugar is dissolved.

Step 10: pack jars. Working quickly, while the berries are simmering, remove the jars from the canning pot and place them nearby. Then use a slotted spoon to remove the strawberries, and carefully load them into the jars using your funnel.

Take care to avoid messes, and pack the strawberries in as tight as you can without crushing them. They will shrink during the canning process.

Step 11: cover with syrup. Once the jars are packed, take the still boiling syrup and carefully pour it into each jar using the funnel – covering the strawberries completely and leaving a half inch of headspace at the top.

Step 12: release air pockets. Still working quickly, grab your spatula or de-bubbler and gently stir the contents of each jar, working your way around the rim. Try not to puncture or crush any of the berries. 

Step 13: attach lid and band. Grab a damp paper towel and quickly wipe off the rim and threads of each jar. Put your hot lid and band on, screwing on finger tight.

Step 14: load jars into canning pot. Using the rack or your jar lifter, load all of the jars back into the large pot, taking care not to get splashed.

Make sure that you keep the jars perfectly upright and level during this process. If the contents of the jars press against the lid, it could cause seal failure.

Step 15: bring canning pot to boil. Let the water in the canning pot come back to a boil, turning the heat up somewhat if necessary.

Step 16: start timer for processing. Once the water is back to a rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes. You’ll let them process for 10 minutes before you cut the heat.

Step 17: turn off heat. Once your timer goes off, shut off the heat on the canning pot but do not disturb the jars.

Step 18: rest jars. Let the jars rest inside the canning pot for at least 5 minutes and preferably a few minutes longer before you remove them.

Step 19: remove jars. Carefully lift out the jars using your canning rack or your jar lifter as appropriate.

Once again, make sure that you do not tilt the jars at all, or else you might cause the seals to fail. Your jars are going to be scalding hot, so protect your counter where you set them.

Don’t set them anywhere where they could be exposed to a chilly draft, and do not set them on a stone or room temperature metal surface because temperature shock could shatter them.

Step 20: cool jars. Let your jars sit, completely untouched, for at least 12 hours. Depending on the size of your jars they might need up to 24 hours to cool down completely.

Step 21: check lids for proper seal. Once the jars are completely cool, check the lids by pressing on them with a finger. They should not flex, move, or wiggle.

If they all pass this first test, remove the bands and then carefully, gently, pick up the jars by the edges of the lid alone. It should not pop, hiss, or come off. If any of your jars fail the lid test, check the section after these instructions for what to do.

Step 22: wipe down. Assuming the canned strawberries have passed the lid test, take a damp paper towel and wipe off the outside of the jars to remove any sticky residue that might be on them after the process.

Step 23: store. Place your canned strawberries in any cool, dark area that is protected from freezing, drafts, or extremely high temperatures.

Step 24: Done! And that’s it! Your sweet canned strawberries will last in the pantry for up to a year, ready for use and whatever recipe you wish!

What Can You Do if a Lid Fails?

If the lid on any jar fails the test outlined above in the steps, don’t panic. You’ve got two choices.

The first choice (and my preferred method for dealing with a single can that has gone bad) is just to pop it in the fridge and then eat the strawberries within a couple of days. There’s nothing wrong with them, but they won’t stay preserved so that’s why you went to eat them up.

Your other option is to reprocess them. Assuming that no more than 24 hours have passed, pour the strawberries into a fresh, sanitized jar and reprocess them in the canner using a brand-new lid.

Do not reuse the failed lid. Once processing is finished and they have cooled, perform the lid check again as above, and assuming they passed, they are ready to store.

Helpful Hints and Tips

• Canned strawberries are awesome for desserts. The very best way to use canned strawberries is for desserts. The fruit itself and that deliciously sweet syrup go great on pancakes, cheesecakes, and more.
• Don’t be afraid to experiment with different strawberries. Strawberries can be frustrating because they are often so soft they fall apart, leaving you with a jar of strawberry puree or pulp. That’s fine if you have a use for it, but if you are still struggling to keep the strawberries intact during storage, seek out firmer berries.
• Try different kinds of syrup. Tastes differ greatly when it comes to canning syrup. A light syrup most closely replicates the actual sugar level of strawberries, but combined with the textural changes some people think they aren’t quite sweet enough. You might try a medium syrup instead or, if you have very sweet strawberries, an extra light syrup for your next batch.