Homemade Blackberry Jam (Easy Recipe with No Pectin)

It’s the season for wild blackberries, and making homemade jam is the perfect way to preserve these natural delights. This homemade blackberry jam recipe uses natural sweetener and no additional pectin—just simple ingredients that compliment the naturally sweet, tart flavor of blackberries. If you’re looking for a homemade jam that’s delicious and healthy, this one’s for you!

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Easy

The hardest part of making blackberry jam is picking the berries! After that, add all ingredients to a pot and let it cook down. Next, strain it through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Now it’s ready to store or enjoy!

Healthy

This is not only a low sugar blackberry jam recipe, but also uses minimally processed, natural sugar. This means you can enjoy the vitamins and minerals in natural sweeteners as well as the many health benefits of blackberries! You can use regular sugar if you prefer, but I find the natural sweeteners to be just as delicious. 

Delicious

Blackberry jam is sweet, a little tangy, and full of rich berry flavor. In low sugar jams, the natural flavor of the berries really shine and can be enjoyed in a wide variety of ways!

How to Serve Homemade Blackberry Jam 

Spread over sourdough toast: toast and jam, the perfect combination!

Add to buttery biscuits: homemade blackberry jam with buttery, flaky biscuits makes a wonderful addition to breakfast or an afternoon snack. 

Serve with pancakes or waffles: take a break from maple syrup and try blackberry jam instead!

Enjoy with homemade ice cream: turn classic vanilla ice cream into a fruity, berry flavored treat!

Serve over cheesecake: blackberry jam is a delicious alternative to tart cherries or strawberries over cheesecake. 

Snack with fresh cheeses and crackers: blackberry jam is a perfect companion to soft cheeses like high quality brie and sourdough crackers!

Mix into yogurt: give plain yogurt a delicious berry flavor!

Spread over meats: try this jam as a unique glaze for your next grilled pork or chicken. 

Bake into cookies: making thumbprint cookies? Try blackberry jam flavored!

How to Store This Homemade Blackberry Jam

There are a few options for storing this jam. 

Refrigerating: if you are making a small batch, you can simply store it in the refrigerator for up to about a month, monitoring for signs of spoilage like mold or bubbling from fermentation. 

Freezing: if you are making more than you can consume within a month, the easiest way to store more long term is in the freezer! To freeze jam, leave about 1 inch of space at the top of the jar for expansion. Place the jar of jam i the freezer without a lid to freeze. Once fully frozen, secure the lid on top. Store for up to a year in the freezer!

Water bath canning: this is a method of preserving high-acid foods like jam by sealing them in jars and boiling them in water. The heat kills bacteria and creates a seal that keeps the jam shelf-stable for up to a year. To water bath can, fill hot sterilized jars with jam, seal with canning lids, and boil fully submerged for 10–15 minutes. Use a jar lifter to get the hot jars out, then let them cool. You can learn more about water bath canning on the Ball Mason Jar Website. 

Why Remove the Seeds?

I love the the texture of the seeds in raspberry jam, so the first time I made blackberry jam I did not remove the seeds. I then realized that blackberry seeds are much different from raspberry seeds, as they are larger and harder (especially when using a wild variety). This adds a bitter flavor and unpleasant texture to the jam. It’s a little extra work to make seedless blackberry jam, but so worth it!

What Kind of Blackberries to Use?

You can use any variety of blackberries to make this jam! The tastes will vary slightly, as varieties like wild blackberries will be more tart and a little less sweet than store bought blackberries. I generally use wild blackberries in this recipe. You can even use frozen blackberries to make this batch of jam! 

What Kind of Sugar to Use?

I recommend using panela sucanat cane sugar for this recipe. This is sugar in a minimally processed, more natural state that has a fairly neutral flavor which works well in jam recipes. 

Why Add Blueberries to Blackberry Jam

Blackberries can be quite tart – especially wild blackberries. I like to use blueberries in this jam to balance the sweetness, without having to increase the amount of sugar. Fresh blackberries and blueberries can be harvested at about the same time of year, making them a perfect pair of berries jam making!

How to Make Homemade Blackberry Jam

Add blackberries, optional blueberries, fresh lemon juice, and sugar to a large saucepan. 

Place the pot on a stove set to medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. 

Once the berries have become more of a liquid, lower the temperature to medium low and keep stirring frequently and mashing with a potato masher or whisk. Make sure to stir frequently so it doesn’t burn on the bottom.

Prepare a fine mesh sieve placed over a large bowl. 

After about 40 minutes or so, the berry mixture will begin to turn into gel. Once the berry mixture has just begun to reach the gel stage (but is still slightly liquid), remove from the heat and quickly transfer berry mixture to the prepared sieve.

Push the jam through the sieve with a sturdy wooden spoon. The jam will thicken slightly as it cools in the sieve, so it may take a while to get the jam through. Remove the jam from the bottom of the sieve with a rubber spatula and place in the bowl. 

Transfer jam to jar/s or sanitized canning jar/s with the rubber spatula. 

Preserve jar/s with the water bath method or simply store in the refrigerator or freezer. 

Enjoy!

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Homemade Blackberry Jam (Easy Recipe with No Pectin)

It's the season for wild blackberries, and making homemade jam is the perfect way to preserve these natural delights. This homemade blackberry jam recipe uses natural sweetener and no additional pectin—just simple ingredients that compliment the naturally sweet, tart flavor of blackberries. If you're looking for a homemade jam that’s delicious and healthy, this one’s for you!

Cuisine American, Amish

Keyword blackberry,, homemade jam

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8 oz

Equipment

• 1 large saucepan
• 1 Large Bowl
• 1 fine mesh sieve
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 rubber spatula
• 1 spoon for stirring
• 1 whisk or potato masher
• 1 clean 8 oz jar for storing

Ingredients

• 2 cups blackberries, fresh or frozen and thawed
• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen and thawed (or substitute with more blackberries)
• 2/3 cup natural cane sugar (ideally sucanat/panela sugar)
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Add blackberries, optional blueberries, fresh lemon juice, and sugar to a large saucepan.
• Place the pot on a stove set to medium heat and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently.
• Once the berries have become more of a liquid, lower the temperature to medium low and keep stirring frequently and mashing with a potato masher or whisk. Make sure to stir frequently so it doesn't burn on the bottom.
• Prepare a fine mesh sieve placed over a large bowl.
• After about 40 minutes or so, the berry mixture will begin to turn into gel. Once the berry mixture has just begun to reach the gel stage (but is still slightly liquid), remove from the heat and quickly transfer berry mixture to the prepared sieve.
• Push the jam through the sieve with a sturdy wooden spoon. The jam will thicken slightly as it cools in the sieve, so it may take a while to get the jam through. Remove the jam from the bottom of the sieve with a rubber spatula and place in the bowl.
• Transfer jam to jar/s or sanitized canning jar/s with the rubber spatula.
• Preserve jar/s with the water bath method or simply store in the refrigerator or freezer.
• Enjoy!

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8 oz jam jars with lids

Panela Sucanat (natural cane sugar)

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