Last Updated on 17th December 2021 by
Blueberry jam is a super simple topping to make that is so much better when you make it yourself. This is one of those foods that is often packed with additives in the store-bought version. There are so many preservatives and unnatural substances in the grocery version of blueberry jam that anyone trying to live healthy should at least consider making it themselves.
You can make this recipe with just a few ingredients and put it together in about 30 minutes as well, so there’s not a lot of effort involved. I think once most people know how simple and quick this is to make, they will want to know how to make blueberry jam for themselves and try to make a batch on their own.
How to Make Blueberry Jam without Pectin
You can make blueberry jam a few different ways, and I want to share with you one way that uses no preservatives and no pectin. I want this one to be as natural as possible, so if that is what you are looking for, then start here with this recipe.
I’m going to show you how to make homemade blueberry jam with as few ingredients as possible and still have it taste great and have the right texture and consistency.
How to Make Blueberry Jam without Pectin
Ingredients
- 4 cups of fresh blueberries
- 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup of white sugar
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, blueberries, and lemon juice in a saucepan.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, and cook for about 30 minutes. That will give you perfect blueberry jam that tastes amazing and has the right thickness for jam.
How Long to Cook Blueberry Jam
How do you know when the blueberry jam is done cooking? The cooking time may vary based on the
So, how do you tell when it is fully cooked? You will be stirring it as it cooks, and once the jam mixture becomes thick, you can stop cooking it.
This is how to make blueberry jam with fresh blueberries and to ensure that the blueberry jam comes out right every time. Don’t continue to cook the jam after it thickens. At that point, you can turn off the heat and allow it to cool. Once it cools completely, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight jar.
How to Make Blueberry Jam with Frozen Blueberries
I showed you how to make jam using fresh blueberries, but you can use frozen blueberries as well. The fresh blueberries work best to limit how much sugar you have to add, since they are naturally going to be sweet already. However, frozen blueberries work too, but they will be more acidic than fresh berries. They will have a taste that is tarter than fresh blueberries. That means you have to use more sugar.
Frozen blueberries have a tough skin as well, and you probably want to soften them up. You can do that by macerating the food in the fridge. This simply mean soaking it in water in the refrigerator for a few hours, and that makes the skin softer and easier to work with.
How to Make Blueberry Jam without Sugar
You can make blueberry jam without using any sugar at all if you like. What I use instead of blueberry jam is just 4 pinches of xanthan gum. This makes for a great substitute, and there are other sugar substitutes you can use. Other than that, you can use the same recipe that I gave you above.
Remember that the fresh blueberries are naturally sweeter, so there’s less need for added sugar. If you are making blueberry jam without any added sugar, I suggest fresh blueberries rather than frozen blueberries. If you do use frozen blueberries for your jam, you may need to add more xanthan gum to sweeten.
How to Make Blueberry Freezer Jam
To make your blueberry jam last longer by making blueberry freezer jam. Using this method can make your blueberry jam last for up to six months longer. Use the same recipe as above with sugar, lemon juice, and fresh blueberries, as well as some pectin.
To make this, bring the first three ingredients to a boil. Once they are boiling, add in the pectin and mix and let that boil for only one minute. From there, you will take the jam out of saucepan and put it into canning jars.
Seal these up tightly but wait to put it into the freezer until they have cooled all the way. Putting them into the freezer too soon can cause the jars to shatter. Allow them to cool at room temperature on the counter, and when they are cool you can put them into the freezer store them for months at a time.
If you don’t put your blueberry jam into canning jars and freeze it, it will last for about a month. Your frozen blueberry jam can last from anywhere from six months to a year, depending on how well it is stored and the freshness of your blueberries.
It’s a good idea to place a date on the blueberry jam jars that you will be storing long term. I like to put the batch date and the expiration date there for my convenience, so I don’t have to look up that information later.
How to Make Blueberry Jam with Pectin
Pectin is a great thickener to use when making jam. Blueberries will already come out thick naturally, because they contain some pectin. However, the jam might not be as thick as you like or as you are used to in less you add some pectin to the recipe.
I prefer keeping my blueberry jam mixture as natural as possible and usually leave out the pectin, but you can add it if you like. Use a package of pectin for every six cups of fresh blueberries when making blueberry jam. One pack of fruit pectin usually contains 3 ounces. So, you can adjust your recipe accordingly.
Keep in mind that pectin won’t make your jam last any longer than normal.
Now you have a few ways to make blueberry jam using different types of blueberries in a few different ingredients. A lot of people will add some cinnamon to the jam mixture, but it is completely optional.
How Do Jam, Jellies, and Preserves Differ?
Usually, all three of these toppings will have fruit and sugar and often pectin as well. They use the fruit differently, however. Jam uses crushed fruit, which makes it come out a little chunky but very soft and very easy to spread.
Jelly uses fruit juice, giving you a smooth texture and look. It should come out firm, if it is made properly. Preserves are made using chunks of fruit, and this is placed into a suspension of syrup or jelly.
Although all three products involve sugar and fruit—and pectin in most cases—these three types of preparation utilise fruit differently. Jelly uses fruit juice, so the resulting spread is homogenous in look and texture, which should be firm.
Jam works with crushed fruit, so it’s less smooth than jelly, softer, and easily spreadable. And preserve uses chunks of fruit—like half peaches or quarters of apple or lemon—that are suspended in a jelly or syrup.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!
