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Fresh tasting and delicious, this Blackberry Freezer Jam is so easy to whip up. Just three ingredients and 20 minutes (including clean up!), and you’ll have homemade blackberry jam made by your very own hands.
Freezer jam is one of those recipes that can be a gateway project to actual canning. Since it is so easy and tastes amazing, you’ll start wanting to make jam all the time!
Today, let’s tackle some homemade low-sugar blackberry freezer jam!
You’ll also want to check out our Blueberry Freezer Jam, Strawberry Freezer Jam, Raspberry Freezer Jam, Peach Freezer Jam, or Blackberry Freezer Jam.
If you’re feeling adventurous, try your hand at Low-Sugar Strawberry Jam which is an actual canning recipe. It’s still incredibly easy but you’ll need some canning equipment (related: Canning Supplies Equipment List).
And if you have a plethora of leftover blackberries, try your hand at Blackberry and Apple Crumble, Blackberry Pancake Syrup, Blackberry Simple Syrup, or making Homemade Gluten-Free Blackberry Crisp.
CAN I USE LESS SUGAR IN FREEZER JAM?
Yes, but my recipe already calls for less sugar than the pectin company recommends. If you plan to reduce the sugar even more, please note the consistency of the final product will be impacted.
HOW LONG DOES FREEZER JAM LAST?
Low-sugar blueberry jam is good for three weeks in the fridge or 9-12 months in the freezer.
CAN I USE ALTERNATE SWEETENERS IN FREEZER JAM?
Yes. If you want to replace the sugar with an alternative sweetener, you can. For Splenda you would want to use a 1:1 ratio, so 1 cup of sugar would be 1 cup of Splenda.
To replace with Stevia, you would use 1 tsp of powder or liquid concentrate to 1 cup of sugar. Please note, without the “bulk” of the sugar, your freezer jam is very likely to be much runnier if using Stevia.
CAN YOU MAKE JAM USING FROZEN FRUIT?
Yes! You can absolutely use frozen blackberries to make this jam. Allow them to defrost first and discard any blackberry juice that results during the thawing process. Learn how to freeze your own in this post on Freezing Blackberries.
PRO TIPS/RECIPES NOTES:
- If you are using frozen berries, allow them to sit out at room temperature for a few hours or overnight to thaw.
- If you’re using glass jars, make sure you leave 1/2 inch of headspace when filling the jars. Headspace is the space between the top of the food and the top of the jar. You need to give the jam a bit of room to expand in the freezer. Don’t just jam it in there…<—–not sorry!
- You’ll need about 6 cups of blackberries to yield 3 1/2 cups of smashed berries.
MORE RECIPES LIKE THIS:
Blackberry Freezer Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups blackberries (to yield 3 1/2 cups of lightly mashed blackberries)
- 1/3 cup freezer pectin
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Use a potato masher or pastry cutter and lightly smash the blackberries.6 cups blackberries
- Measure 3 1/2 cups of blackberries into a mixing bowl.
- Add 1 cup of sugar and 1/3 cup of freezer jam pectin to the blackberries. Mix with a large spoon for three minutes.1/3 cup freezer pectin, 1 cup sugar
- Pour into your preferred containers, leaving 1/2 inch of space between the tops of the jam and the tops of the jars.
- Place lids on the jars, and allow them to sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Then label and freeze!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this and it didn’t set. I did it according to recipe.. exactly…
What can I do to thicken it ??
Hi Phyllis, have you tried chilling it before determining the final texture? I’m hesitant to recommend anything until we know what the final texture is.
I have a TON of blackberries and I want to make some blackberry freezer jam but I don’t like all the seeds.
I assume I can strain most of the seeds out either with a strainer or with cheesecloth. Is that correct?
However, if I strain the majority of the seeds out, does that change anything in the recipe? Do I need more pectin? Sugar? How much should I use?
Thank you for your help!
Brenda
Yes if you strain out most of the seeds it will be pretty liquidy. Without knowing exactly how many you’re going to strain out, it’s hard to say how it will impact the overall texture.
I would increase the pectin by 1 tbsp but would be leery about increasing the sugar too much. One thing you could do is to cook the (seeded) jam down for about 5 minutes in a pan on medium-low. It takes away the true nature of a freezer jam, but it will activate all the natural pectins in the blackberries. That will give you a better overall texture without blasting it with sugar.
I want to know about those lids your using, where did you get them?
They’re made by Ball and they’re usually near the canning supplies in any store that sells them. You can also buy generic versions online: https://amzn.to/3xQwhgQ
I love them because you can use a dry erase marker to label them and it washes off when you’re done with that batch of whatever is in the jar.
Great recipe! I made 4 batches of blackberry jam yesterday using homegrown fruit that had been frozen. The 1st batch was a bit runny since I didn’t look at the quantity of the pectin (1/3c) in the ingredients list. The amount of pectin in the instructions was what I used initially (1/4c) and I can verify that it leaves the finished product somewhat runny. But the next 3 batches came out perfectly. Love the taste!!! And very easy to make. I now have 20 jars of blackberry jam to last for the entire year.
Kat, many apologies for that error. I’ve updated the recipe card to reflect the pectin change.
On the flip side, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the jam and now have a nice freezer stash!
Does the sugar dissolve without cooking?
It does! The 3 minutes of stirring required allow the sugar and pectin to fully incorporate.
I used Ball Freezer Pectin, expires 2022.
I did remove the seeds, but adjusted pectin and sugar per your suggestion.
It is not chilled, but I can try refrigeration.
By the way, there was no need to heat/cook anything? I’ve done freezer jams for decades, and usually there’s a few min of cooking.
Another question – could I sub honey for the sugar? If yes, 1:1 or adjusted?
It really is no-cook! Keep in mind that freezer jam has a softer set than traditional jams even after chilling.
I have never used honey for freezer jam so I can’t say what the results would be. I have used it when making low-sugar jams using Pomona’s pectin. But that requires cooking.
Just tried this and mine did not set up. How can I salvage it?
Dinna, I’d be happy to help. I have a bunch of questions to hopefully pinpoint what might have gone wrong.
1) you say you just tried this. Have you put any in the fridge yet? It’s often not set until it is fully chilled. Maybe pop a jar in the fridge and wait 3 hours to see.
2) did you remove any seeds from the blackberries?
3) how old was your pectin and what brand did you use? I had a batch not set for me this year after making freezer jam for over 10 years. Turns out my pectin was expired. I was so sad!
If it makes more sense to respond via email, you can email me at sarah@www.sustainablecooks.com
We got the chance to go blackberry picking today and this was the first recipe I tried out this year. The spilled jam was delicious. It’s now sitting on the counter waiting to go into the freezer. But when is it actually ready to eat? I’ve got a fresh loaf of bread that needs some jam!
It’s actually ready within just a few hours. No need to freeze if you want to eat a jar today! We always freeze all but 1 jar.
And I’ve now removed one jar from the freezer for dessert!
Mmmmm, it will be a great night!
You should totally put a link to those lids you use for your jars!! Not sure if they are mentioned in another post or not..
Also this looks so easy! I’m hoping to pick a ton of blackberries when they are ripe, I’ll have to try the jam!
I should because I LOVE them! But, honestly, the cheapest price is at Fred Meyer or Wal-Mart. Do you have a Freddy’s in your new town?
Pinning this recipe to try with frozen blackberries as I don’t have ready access to fresh ones.
It works great with frozen berries. I used some we had frozen last year!