If you can put bananas in pajamas, then you can put bananas in jam. And if you put bananas in jam then you can put less sugar in the jam. And if you put less sugar in the jam then you can actually taste the fruit. And if you actually taste the fruit in this Easy Strawberry Banana Jam then you will taste the happy sweet harmony of a classic fruity duo: bananas and strawberries!
A jam recipe, well that’s nothing new! But I promise I have plans for this jam. Plans for a pastry that needs jam. And while I do almost always have a jar of store-bought fruit-sweetened jam nestled on the door of my fridge next to ketchup and almond milk and maple syrup, homemade is still my first choice.
Banana jam is actually a thing, but I’ve never had before. Strawberry jam is so commonplace it’s almost boring, and I find it can be really tart unless you load up on the sugar. Now banana with strawberry–that’s a joyous jam combination. Sweetness perfectly amplified with only a quarter cup of coconut sugar.
I just love the flavor of banana + strawberry! Just those two alone make for the perfect fruit salad in my opinion. You can leave this jam chunky, but I opted to blend it very briefly for a textured but not outright chunky consistency.
Jam making requires about 30 minutes of stove time, it’s about the easiest 30 minutes in all of cooking. I personally stood by the stove reading a book enjoying the sweet scent of soon-to-be jam.
Sidenote…the book I’m reading is called Gutbliss and it’s been quite interesting. Lots of good info about inflammation and the gut microbiome and hormones and all that good stuff. It’s not specifically vegan, but the author is very pro plant foods. If you are wondering why I bring it up, then you can read this personal update post. Right in the middle of jam making might not be the ideal time to bring up digestive health, but I thought I’d share anyways.
From bananas in pajamas to digestive health, this was a strange post. I apologize for the weirdness, but I assure you the jam is on point. And the recipe coming up later this week using this sweet pink concoction will be just as excellent…
PrintEasy Strawberry Banana Jam
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 lb . strawberries (about 15, sliced)
- 2 ripe bananas (sliced)
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 25-30 minutes until thickened.
- Cool, then blend briefly for a textured but not too chunky consistency.
- Transfer to a jar and keep in the fridge.
Such a smart recipe! Love how you swapped out the sugar for banana.
Thanks Vivian! It still ended up quite sweet too, makes me wonder if the coconut sugar is even necessary…might have to experiment some more 🙂
Wham bam banana jam!!! I LOVE it! Perfect for some oaty oats or a sammie or a bagel or…just some good fruit spooning! And you don’t even need chia seeds here!
Chia in jam is so expected, and I just hate to be predictable even though I love my chia 😀 I need one of you GF bagels, it’d be perfect!
I love strawberry jam but I’ve never thought to make it with bananas. Genius idea!! 😀
Thanks Sarah! And excess of almost overripe gotta-be-used bananas has it’s benefits 😉
Oh wow! Yes please! This is soooo easy! Perfect to solve all the strawberry jam in a hurry cravings:)
Hahaha yes! And we all know that’s a universal problem 😀
This jam is so beautiful Natalie – banana and strawberry is such an amazing combination, and I’ve never tried them together in a jam before. That’s such a great idea. Yummm!!!
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Thank you Harriet! It’s hard to come up with novel jam combinations, it seems they have all been done by now. This might not be totally new but still different and really good together 🙂
I have never made jam before! I eat enough PB&J you’d think I have. I will have to try this soon! Also, I had no idea you had a Youtube channel! I’ll subscribe and watch some soon!
PB&J is the bomb! I usually just buy the jam too tbh, but homemade is so easy I really should make it more often 😀 Plus it’s fun to play around with flavors! I recently tried a blueberry + vanilla + anise jam recipe that was amazing too! Anyways, it’s worth a try 🙂 And yeah I am on YT! I subscribed to you guys, hope to see more videos from you soon too 🙂
Oh Yeah! I can only imagine putting this deliciousness into a nice big bowl of oatmeal! Goodness right there 🙂
Mmm hmmmmm 🙂 It’s pretty spectacular swirled into nicecream too!
Joyous jam combination indeed!!! This looks wonderful! And what’s even better….I have all three ingredients on hand. I’ll definitely have to try this, but maybe I need to wait to see what exciting recipe you’re pairing this with! We don’t use jam very often and I’m guilty of using more store-bought than homemade…fruit sweetened, of course 😉 I’ve gotta ask – do you have an insanely small cookie cutter to create those adorable strawberry and banana hearts?!?
I’ll have to check out that book, too – something else is causing trouble for me and maybe this book can help me a little. Thanks for sharing! Hope you’re feeling well, my friend. xoxo
Yay! So fresh strawberries are starting to show up again up there too?! Oh don’t feel bad at all, I’ve only made homemade jam like 3 times in my life it’s usually store bought for me too! And I do actually eat jam quite often. But there are some good fruit sweetened ones so I don’t feel too bad 😀 I do have an insanely small cookie cutter, a whole set of them actually. There’s a flower and a heart and a star and a moon and a diamond and I don’t even remember what else. Haven’t used them in forever but they’ve finally found their use with fruity cutouts 🙂
I’m sorry that you are having gut issues again too. This book is really informational and interesting, but you are probably already doing most of her recommendations. It’s pretty much just a whole foods plant based diet. I’ve recently just quit all the supplements they had me on and feel better haha. And I’ve been experimenting with aloe vera juice which seems to be helping too. Good luck with finding the problem behind your troubles <3 xoxo
Haha. Now I have the bananas in pajamas song stuck in my head! And I’ll never divorce it from your jam 😀
I’ll have to check out Gutbliss — never heard of it. I’m half way through reading 4 nutrition books myself. 80/10/10 9finally :S), Eat to Live, You Can Heal Your Live, and… one that I’m really liking — The Yoga of Eating (def recommend!).
Lol I don’t even remember the song…which is probably a blessing haha!
I just downloaded Eat to Live, and I’ll check out the Yoga of Eating one too! Thank you 🙂
I really love the simplicity of this strawberry jam. I’m usually way to lazy to make my own jam but this one, I could make that work. 🙂 Also strawberries + bananas = perfect combo.
I’m usually too lazy too, but it really is ridiculously easy I have no excuse. But I did still just buy some blueberry jam yesterday so…yeah still lazy 😀
This looks so yummy! How long does it stay fresh in the refrigerator? Thanks for all your amazing recipes!
The longest I’ve tested is about 3 weeks, but it was perfectly fine for that long in the fridge! I’m guessing you could probably go a month even 🙂
Could i also use other fruit?
Sure!
Could I use frozen strawberries?
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Absolutely! Enjoy Natalie😊
Thank you 😊
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Can you blend the strawberries and bananas 1st?
Sure, that will work too. I would leave it a little bit chunky though instead of completely smooth. Hope you enjoy 🙂
I just think of combining banana and strawberry jam. You prove that this idea is totally perfect. Thank you!
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It’s such a yummy combo and unexpected in jam, but I highly recommend it!
I’m making this right now but I’m wondering if you could freeze it?
Hmm I’ve never tried freezing it (or freezing jam period) but it could work. I’m not sure what the consistency would be like after defrosting, you will just have to try it and see 🙂
I am wondering if u can can it and put it on the shelf instead of the fridge
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Since this jam doesn’t have the same high sugar content as typical jams it needs to be refrigerated or it will go bad🍓🍌
Could this jam be made in an instant pot, therefore eliminating the stirring?
I don’t have an instant pot and haven’t ever used one, so I can’t really say. But you could find an instant pot jam recipe and follow the instructions for that with these ingredients, that’d be my best suggestion 🙂
Love the recipe! So tasty. Just wondering if I could ommit the sugar or use white sugar? I used coconut sugar and the jam color was too brown.
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Love the recipe! So tasty. Could I ommit the sugar or use white sugar instead? Because I used coconut sugar and the jam color was too brown.
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Yep, you could use regular white or can sugar instead for a brighter color! You could try omitting it, but it might be too tart 🙂
How much does this make?
About 1 cup 🙂
I really want to try this jam! but I’m severely allergic to coconut…. is there another way to make it?
Sure, just use cane or brown sugar instead!