Homemade jam is the best! And the easiest tastiest way to make jam is to make freezer jam. No canning required! This Blackberry Freezer Jam recipe makes the most of fresh summer blackberries so you can enjoy the sweet jam all year long.
Summer is one of my favorite food seasons. The fresh fruits and vegetables are in abundance! When my kids were little, we'd spend summers picking raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, marionberries, and blackberries at local farms. Then we'd freeze the berries to use all year long in tasty treats like Banana Blackberry Oatmeal Muffins and Blackberry Scones.
And during blackberry season, some of those delicious fresh berries are turned into freezer jam. If you've never made jam from scratch before, have no fear! Freezer jam is the easiest way to make jam. This is a great recipe for beginning cooks!
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🫐 What is freezer jam?
Freezer jam is called freezer jam because, unlike traditional canned jam, it is stored in the freezer rather than being processed through a water bath or pressure canning method for shelf stability.
This method involves mixing fresh fruit with sugar and a freezer-specific pectin, then storing the jam in the freezer to preserve its freshness and flavor.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
In my personal opinion, this easy recipe for freezer jam is even better than traditional jam made through canning.
- Fresh taste and color - Freezer jam maintains a fresher taste and brighter color compared to traditionally canned jam. Since it isn't cooked extensively, the fruit's natural flavor and appearance are better preserved.
- Fast and easy - Making freezer jam is generally faster and easier than traditional canning. There's no need for sterilizing jars or using canning equipment. The process involves mixing the ingredients, filling the jars, and freezing them. So simple!
- Less heat - The fruit is not cooked as much, if at all, which helps retain more of its natural vitamins and nutrients.
- Lower sugar content - Freezer jam recipes often require less sugar compared to traditional recipes, making it a healthier option.
- Versatility - Since freezer jam isn't subject to the same strict preservation rules as canned jam, you can experiment more with flavors and fruit combinations.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Another great thing about blackberry freezer jam? You only need five simple ingredients that you either already have in your pantry, or are easy to find in any local grocery store.
- Blackberries - Use fresh blackberries. Wash and dry them before using.
- Sugar - Use granulated sugar for this recipe; do not substitute for a different type of sugar or use fewer cups of sugar than the recipe calls for as it will change the finished product and your jam may not set properly.
- Fruit pectin - This recipe calls for powdered fruit pectin. Do not substitute liquid pectin, as it will not work the same way in this recipe.
- Lemon juice - A little fresh lemon juice adds brightness, citrus flavor, and acidity to the jam.
- Water - You'll use a little water to help dissolve the pectin.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
You'll find measurements for the ingredients along with detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are step-by-step photos to help you make this easy jam recipe!
- Place blackberries in a large bowl and crush blackberries with a potato masher until there are no clumps of berries. *See Recipe FAQ note below for instructions if you prefer to strain out the seeds for a smoother, less grainy texture.
2. Add sugar to the bowl and stir until well combined and you don't see any more white sugar. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, heat the cup of water, lemon juice, and pectin over medium-high heat.
4. Whisk and bring to a full rolling boil, then boil for one minute while whisking vigorously. Turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the heat.
5. Pour the berry sugar mixture into the saucepan. Gently stir together until all ingredients are well combined.
6. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl or measuring cup with a spout, and pour evenly into a clean jar. Or, ladle the jam into a jar. Leave about ½ inch of space at the top of the jar before covering. Repeat until you have poured all of the blackberry jam into the jars.
Allow to sit, covered, at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, the jam is ready to use or freeze. Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks or freeze for up to one year.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
No, you don’t need to sterilize jars for freezer jam as you would for traditional canning. However, you should clean and dry the jars before filling.
Blackberries do contain quite a few seeds, so if you want to remove them from the jam, you'll need at least twice as many blackberries. After mashing them in a bowl, strain the berries through a fine mesh sieve over a separate large bowl, pushing down on the berries with a silicone spatula. Keep pressing down until you get as much of the berry liquid out into the bowl as possible. You will need 2 cups of the strained berry liquid to use it in this recipe, which is why you will likely need at least twice as many blackberries as the recipe calls for.
Most fruits can be used to make freezer jam. The best options include strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, marionberries, peaches, and apricots. Some fruits may need additional pectin to set properly.
You can store freezer jam in an airtight container like a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. You can also freeze for up to one year.
It’s not recommended to refreeze thawed jam because it can affect the texture and quality. It's best to portion the jam into smaller containers if you don’t think you’ll use a large amount at once.
If your freezer jam doesn’t set, it may still be used as a sauce or topping. Setting can be affected by the type of fruit, the amount of sugar, and whether the pectin was fully dissolved. It's important to make sure you're following the recipe closely and measure ingredients accurately.
🍽 Serving ideas
This easy blackberry freezer jam is perfect to spread on toast, bagels, and to use in peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
You can also serve blackberry jelly with many other types of breakfast pastries, like these Blackberry Scones, Almond Croissants or Air Fryer Biscuits.
Place the delicious jam into mini jars and use on a Brunch Charcuterie Board or serve with Charcuterie Cones.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this easy homemade jam recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you'll need:
- Large mixing bowl -
- Potato masher
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Measuring cup with spout or mixing bowl with pouring spout
- Mason jars
More blackberry recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Blackberry Freezer Jam
Equipment
- 1 fine mesh sieve
- 1 medium saucepan
- 5 12-ounce mason jars
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh blackberries
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1.75 ounces (1 package) powdered fruit pectin about 4 tablespoons
- ¾ cup water
- 2 Tablespoons fresh squeeze lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash and dry the mason jars. Set them aside.
- Rinse the blackberries, then use paper towels to soak off excess water. Place the berries in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher.
- In a separate large bowl, combine the 2 cups of blackberries with the 4 cups of sugar. Stir until well combined, then allow to sit undisturbed on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, add the water, lemon juice, and the powdered pectin. Stir.
- Bring to a boil and allow to boil for 1 minute while stirring regularly, until the pectin has dissolved.
- Remove from the heat, and add the blackberry mixture. Stir to combine, until the sugar from the berry mixture has dissolved.
- Ladle the jam into the prepared mason jars, leaving about ½-inch of space at the top of each jar. Or, transfer jam to a cup with a pouring spout and pour into the jars leaving about ½-inch of space at the top of each jar.
- Cover the jars and allow then to sit at room temperature for 24 hours.
- After 24 hours, your blackberry jam is now ready to enjoy! Keep refrigerated for up to 3 weeks, or freeze for up to 1 year.
Notes
- Measure out the blackberries carefully. You need exactly 2 cups to ensure the jam sets up correctly.
- Removing seeds: Blackberries can contain a lot of seeds. If you don't want a seedy jam, use a fine mesh sieve to strain the seeds, essentially pushing the liquid of the berries through into a bowl while removing the seeds. Note that you will need to measure out 2 cups of the blackberry liquid to make the recipe, so you'll likely start with a lot more blackberries if you decide to strain out the seeds.
- This recipe uses powdered pectin. You cannot substitute liquid pectin in this recipe as the measurements are completely different. If you have liquid pectin, please follow the recipe on the package of the liquid pectin.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a general estimate. Actual nutrition details may vary depending on the exact foods & brands you use to make this recipe. It does not take into account any substitutions, toppings, or optional ingredients.
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