Reçel refers to fruit preserves in Turkish cooking, and strawberry is one familiar variety. Methods vary: an Ordu preparation uses wild strawberries in a separately cooked syrup. This small home-kitchen batch instead macerates ordinary strawberries with sugar. It is not presented as that regional recipe or as a shelf-stable canning method.
Çilek Reçeli — Recipe Card
Turkish strawberry preserves with whole berries
Makes 40 servings · Approximately 750–850 g, depending on reduction; about 40 portions of 20 g. The 8-hour rest is refrigerated maceration; allow up to 12 hours if needed, plus cooling time.US cup = 240 ml · tablespoon = 15 ml · teaspoon = 5 ml. Cup and weight conversions are approximate. Australian cooks: use a 15 ml measuring tablespoon.
Ingredient quantities and servings are scaled. Cooking times, pan sizes, frying oil depth, and temperatures stay the same; cook larger batches as needed.
Ingredients
How to make Çilek Reçeli
Prepare and macerate
Wash sound strawberries under running water, drain and remove the green tops. Leave small berries whole and halve larger ones. Combine the prepared fruit and sugar in a nonreactive bowl, cover and refrigerate at 4°C (40°F) or below for 8–12 hours, until plenty of juice collects.
Prepare the equipment
Wash and rinse two small heatproof containers with lids, each about 400 ml, and let them dry. Keep them warm before filling. Put a small plate in the freezer. Choose a deep, heavy-based saucepan at least 3 litres (3 US quarts) in capacity; bubbling sugar needs headroom.
Dissolve and simmer
Transfer the berries, juice and all remaining sugar to the pan. Warm gently for 5–8 minutes, folding carefully with a heatproof spatula until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a steady, uncovered simmer and cook for about 15–20 minutes, swirling the pan occasionally. Skim surface foam for a clearer appearance; skimming is not a preservation step.
Add lemon and check the syrup
Stir in the lemon juice and simmer for 3–5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat while testing: place a little syrup on the cold plate, wait 1 minute, then tilt it. It should run slowly rather than like water. If needed, simmer for another 2–3 minutes and test again. The cooled preserve should be spoonable, not stiff.
Cool and refrigerate
Let bubbling subside for 5 minutes. Carefully divide among the warm containers, leaving about 2 cm (¾ inch) of space, and loosely cover while cooling briefly. Refrigerate within 2 hours of taking the pan off the heat; close the lids once chilled. This is a refrigerator preserve, not a pantry canning recipe.
Bring this recipe to your kitchen with a printable copy.
Print recipeRecipe from MyTurkishRecipes · https://myturkishrecipes.com/turkish-strawberry-preserves-cilek-receli. Quantities reflect your selected serving scale. Cooking times are estimates; follow the doneness cues.
A few helpful kitchen notes
Refrigerator only
Lemon juice, sugar, warm filling and a lid do not make this recipe shelf-stable. Do not invert the containers or store them in a cupboard. For pantry storage, use a separately tested canning recipe and its complete processing directions.
Fruit and texture
Use fresh, undamaged strawberries. This version is not designed for frozen fruit, which releases a different amount of water. Keep the batch size unchanged and use the cooled syrup test: ripeness and pan width affect cooking time and yield.
Dietary notes
The listed ingredients contain no wheat or dairy. Check accompaniments separately. For a vegan preparation, choose sugar suitable for vegans.
Measures and yield
US measures use a 240 ml cup and a 15 ml tablespoon. Sugar is approximately 200 g per cup; weighing is more reliable. Expect roughly 750–850 g of preserves, depending on evaporation, or about 40 small portions of 20 g (about 1 tbsp).
How to store and reheat Çilek Reçeli
Keep at 4°C (40°F) or below from the day it is made and use within 2 weeks. Serve with a clean spoon, return promptly to the refrigerator and discard the entire container if mold, fermentation, gas or an unusual odor appears; do not scrape off mold. Freeze any excess promptly in freezer-safe containers with expansion space for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator.
Çilek Reçeli: questions and answers
Why is this runnier than supermarket jam?
This is a fruit-and-syrup preserve without added pectin. It thickens when cold but should remain spoonable, with visible strawberries.
Can I reduce the sugar?
Not as a direct change to this recipe: it changes syrup concentration, texture and keeping quality. Choose a separate refrigerator fruit-spread recipe designed for less sugar.
Can I leave a sealed jar in the pantry?
No. A lid that appears sealed is not a substitute for a tested canning process. Keep this batch refrigerated.
