Strawberry Basil Preserves
No pectin strawberry preserves made in the Ninja Foodi, thickened with grated Granny Smith apple instead of store-bought pectin. Five minutes under pressure and a full natural release keep the strawberry flavor bright and fresh.
Servings: 36 tablespoons
Calories: 27kcal
Equipment
- Ninja Foodi pressure cooker (or any electric pressure cooker with a Sear/Sauté function)
- Mix & Chop
- Box grater
- Paring knife
- Chef's knife
- Wide mouth funnel
- Small jelly jars with lids
- Heat resistant glove
- Large bowl for an ice bath
Ingredients
Strawberry Base
- 1 pound fresh strawberries, tops removed and quartered about 3 cups, or one standard grocery store container; cut into roughly ½-inch pieces
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed is fine for refrigerator preserves; use bottled lemon juice if you plan to can
Natural Pectin
- ½ Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and grated do not substitute a sweeter apple; Granny Smith has the most pectin
Optional Add-In
- ¼ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped sweet, Thai, or pesto basil, or any combination; the preserves are delicious without it too
Instructions
- Remove the tops from 1 pound of strawberries and cut them into quarters, about ½-inch pieces. You should have roughly 3 cups. Peel, core, and set aside half of a Granny Smith apple. Pick the leaves from enough basil to give you about ¼ cup once chopped.
- Turn the Ninja Foodi on, select Sear/Sauté on High, and press Start. There is no need to preheat any longer than it takes you to add the fruit.
- Add the quartered strawberries to the inner pot, then add 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
- As the pot heats and begins to sizzle, use a Mix & Chop to break up the strawberries. Push straight down and twist. This distributes the sugar and pulls the juice out of the fruit. No other liquid goes into this recipe, so that juice is what brings the pot up to pressure. Breaking the fruit up also means you will not be spreading a strawberry quarter on your toast later.
- Grate the half apple directly into the pot on a box grater. Grating releases more of the pectin than chopping would, and it disappears into the preserves so all you taste is a little extra fruitiness.
- Roughly chop about ¼ cup of basil with a chef's knife and stir it into the pot. Fresh herbs usually go in at the end of cooking, but here the basil goes in now so its flavor infuses all the way through the fruit while it cooks under pressure.
- Put the pressure lid on, turn the black valve to Seal, select High pressure, set the time to 5 minutes, and press Start. Because the mixture is already boiling, it will come up to pressure in about a minute.
- When the 5 minutes is up, let the pot release all of the pressure naturally. Do not flip the valve to vent. The red float valve usually drops in about 15 to 18 minutes.
- Open the lid. The preserves will be very hot and will look thin and liquidy, which is exactly right at this stage. They thicken as they cool.
- Set a wide mouth funnel over a small jelly jar and ladle the hot preserves in. This makes about 2 to 2½ small jars. The glass gets hot, so use a heat resistant glove if you need one.
- Set the filled jars in an ice bath to bring the temperature down quickly, then move them to the refrigerator for a couple of hours to finish cooling and set up before you use them.
Notes
PREP TIPS
• Have the apple peeled and the basil picked before you turn the Ninja Foodi on. Once the pot is hot, the strawberries move quickly.
• Cut the strawberries into roughly ½-inch pieces. One pound gives you about 3 cups, which is one of the standard containers from the grocery store.
• The preserves need a couple of hours in the refrigerator to cool and set up before you use them. That time is hands off and is not included in the total time on this card. COOKING TIPS
• No water or other liquid goes into this recipe. The juice the strawberries release on Sear/Sauté is what brings the pot up to pressure, so give them a few minutes and break them up well.
• Let the pressure release naturally, all the way. I tried a 10 minute natural release once and flipping the valve sprayed strawberry preserves everywhere.
• The basil goes in before pressure cooking, not at the end. It is the one time I break my own rule about adding fresh herbs late, and it is worth it for the flavor all the way through. PECTIN AND SETTING TIPS
• Grate the apple rather than chopping it. More surface area releases more pectin, and grated apple melts right into the preserves.
• Use a Granny Smith apple. Sweeter apples do not carry the same amount of pectin and will not set the preserves as well.
• Straight out of the pot the preserves look far too thin. They are supposed to. The set happens as they cool, so give them time in the refrigerator before you decide anything about the texture. VARIATIONS
• Leave the basil out entirely if you like. It is not an ingredient that has to be in here, and you will still have delicious strawberry preserves.
• Use one kind of basil or a mix. Sweet basil, Thai basil, and pesto basil all work. More basil gives you a more basil forward spread, less gives you a hint of it.
• To triple the batch, use 3 pounds of strawberries, 3 cups of sugar, 1 whole Granny Smith apple, and 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice. I would leave the basil out of a tripled batch that you intend to can.
• Serve it warm straight from the pot as a strawberry syrup over ice cream or pancakes instead of letting it set. SERVING SUGGESTIONS
• Spread it on toast, a biscuit, or a scone. Lemon basil scones are what we served ours with and the two are wonderful together.
• Spoon it over vanilla ice cream, yogurt, or cheesecake.
• Put a jar on a cheese board next to something sharp or salty. STORAGE
• Refrigerator: These are refrigerator preserves. Keep the jars covered in the refrigerator and take out only what you need.
• Not shelf stable: This batch is not canned, so it does not store at room temperature. If you want shelf stable jars, use bottled lemon juice for consistent acidity and follow a recipe that has been tested for canning.
• Freezer: Leave headroom in the jar if you freeze a batch, and thaw it in the refrigerator. NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on typical ingredient values and standard portion sizes. Actual nutritional content may vary significantly depending on specific brands used, ingredient substitutions, preparation methods, portion sizes, and individual cooking techniques. For precise nutritional information tailored to your specific ingredients and preparation, please consult with a registered dietitian or use laboratory analysis. This information should not be used for medical nutrition therapy or to manage medical conditions without professional guidance.
• Have the apple peeled and the basil picked before you turn the Ninja Foodi on. Once the pot is hot, the strawberries move quickly.
• Cut the strawberries into roughly ½-inch pieces. One pound gives you about 3 cups, which is one of the standard containers from the grocery store.
• The preserves need a couple of hours in the refrigerator to cool and set up before you use them. That time is hands off and is not included in the total time on this card. COOKING TIPS
• No water or other liquid goes into this recipe. The juice the strawberries release on Sear/Sauté is what brings the pot up to pressure, so give them a few minutes and break them up well.
• Let the pressure release naturally, all the way. I tried a 10 minute natural release once and flipping the valve sprayed strawberry preserves everywhere.
• The basil goes in before pressure cooking, not at the end. It is the one time I break my own rule about adding fresh herbs late, and it is worth it for the flavor all the way through. PECTIN AND SETTING TIPS
• Grate the apple rather than chopping it. More surface area releases more pectin, and grated apple melts right into the preserves.
• Use a Granny Smith apple. Sweeter apples do not carry the same amount of pectin and will not set the preserves as well.
• Straight out of the pot the preserves look far too thin. They are supposed to. The set happens as they cool, so give them time in the refrigerator before you decide anything about the texture. VARIATIONS
• Leave the basil out entirely if you like. It is not an ingredient that has to be in here, and you will still have delicious strawberry preserves.
• Use one kind of basil or a mix. Sweet basil, Thai basil, and pesto basil all work. More basil gives you a more basil forward spread, less gives you a hint of it.
• To triple the batch, use 3 pounds of strawberries, 3 cups of sugar, 1 whole Granny Smith apple, and 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice. I would leave the basil out of a tripled batch that you intend to can.
• Serve it warm straight from the pot as a strawberry syrup over ice cream or pancakes instead of letting it set. SERVING SUGGESTIONS
• Spread it on toast, a biscuit, or a scone. Lemon basil scones are what we served ours with and the two are wonderful together.
• Spoon it over vanilla ice cream, yogurt, or cheesecake.
• Put a jar on a cheese board next to something sharp or salty. STORAGE
• Refrigerator: These are refrigerator preserves. Keep the jars covered in the refrigerator and take out only what you need.
• Not shelf stable: This batch is not canned, so it does not store at room temperature. If you want shelf stable jars, use bottled lemon juice for consistent acidity and follow a recipe that has been tested for canning.
• Freezer: Leave headroom in the jar if you freeze a batch, and thaw it in the refrigerator. NUTRITIONAL DISCLAIMER
Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on typical ingredient values and standard portion sizes. Actual nutritional content may vary significantly depending on specific brands used, ingredient substitutions, preparation methods, portion sizes, and individual cooking techniques. For precise nutritional information tailored to your specific ingredients and preparation, please consult with a registered dietitian or use laboratory analysis. This information should not be used for medical nutrition therapy or to manage medical conditions without professional guidance.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 27kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.8g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 21mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 6.4g