Not only is this Strawberry Jam  Gluten-free (uses agar agar), it needs just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make!!!I was in Charleston in South Carolina last weekend for a Blogger Conference and as fate would have it, their Farmer’s market opened on my last day there. So I headed over first thing in the morning and my oh my oh my! All that fresh organic produce was making me weep with joy (and a little sorrow). There was a stall with fresh loaves of crusty bread (sourdough included) – I think I cried more there! If I wasn’t driving back, I would have bought it all, but the long travel gave me pause and I stopped with a box of strawberries!

When I came back home, my berry-loving-husband wanted to dig in, but I forbade him from touching the strawberries until I’ve taken pictures, and so after half a day and a whole lot of pictures and patience, the action shot below happened. Totally worth it, even my husband agrees (begrudgingly, if that)!

I would have preferred to just eat them whole with some fresh cream or custard (yumm!), but all that dropping into a bowl of water took a toll on my pretty strawberries and a lot of them were bruised. So I did the only thing I could: turn them into Strawberry jam!

The best part about this jam, is that it uses honey (Vegans can use this Vegan Honey substitute) as a sweetener (not sugar) AND it’s gelled with Agar Agar, not pectin or gelatin. That makes this jam VEGAN + Gluten-Free + Paleo!!!! Oh and it also needs just 5 ingredients and 15 minutes to make!

The texture of this Strawberry jam might not be exactly the same as commercially made jams which are usually made with pectin. But that doesn’t affect the taste or awesomeness of this jam one bit! I’d rather take the healthier honey and agar over texture any day of the week!

Chilli Tip:

I stirred in the red chilli flakes right at the end, so you get tiny bursts of heat only when you bite into the flakes. If you want the heat to be more evenly distributed, then boil the red chilli flakes with the strawberries from the beginning.

Slather generously on your morning toast (be generous with the butter while toasting!), and enjoy your 15 minute, healthier-for-you, homemade Strawberry Jam with a slight chilli kick!

When you make these (which I really think you SHOULD!), be sure to SHARE YOUR PHOTOS with me through Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. I’d love to see what you cook from here and will share it with pride on my social media feeds.