Blackberry Jam without Pectin (Small Batch)

Homemade blackberry jam is easier to make than you think! This jam thickens up without the addition of pectin, has a concentrate blackberry flavor and and can be used in lots of different and delicious ways.

Have it with cream biscuits, top your favorite pancakes or spread it over a delicious brioche toast! This jam can be canned or you can just keep it well stored inside the fridge, and is an amazing addition to baking good.

Jump to:

• 🍇 Blackberries
• 🍯 Sugar
• 🍋 Lemon juice
• 🍳 How to make it
• 🥄 How to know jam is set
• 💭 Tips for success
• 🍴 FAQ
• 📖 Recipe

Homemade jam is AMAZING: nothing beats the freshness you get when making it at home. Follow this recipe and all the tips to get a great jam with no pectin added and less sugar than its store-bought version.

If you never made jam in your life, this is a good recipe to start. Same if you don’t know how to can a jar of jam. You’ll get about 450g os blackberry jam.

If you know and want to can it, do it! I don’t give instructions to canning, but it is possible, as I use only blackberries, sugar and lemon as ingredients.

🍇 Blackberries

The fresher the fruit, the better the jam. Avoid using overripe blackberries for making jam for a fresher taste as well for the jam to set properly.

Choose deep black, just ripe blackberries for the best blackberry taste. Discard any blackberry that’s dried or spoiled and remove any leaves or stems.

Blackberries should be used when ripe to make jam, so you’ll get the best flavor. But it is good to add some under-ripe berries when making it. If you’ve got it, substitute ¼ cup of ripe berries for ¼ cup of under-ripe fruit.

That helps the jam to set faster, as under-ripe fruit has more pectin than ripe. Just don’t make it only with under-ripe berries, or it will compromise the taste: you need most of it to be ripe for a strong berry taste.

Before cooking, crush your blackberries with a potato masher or in the food processor.

I’m against pureeing them. If using a food processor, pulse twice or three times, or just until the blackberries are lightly crushed. Jams that have bits of fruit are more delicious!

🍯 Sugar

Never made jam in your life? Stick with the amount of sugar this recipe calls for.

Reducing the sugar can make a mess: your jam will take longer to set, and you might accidentally overcook it.

I know: sometimes we just want to reduce the consumption of sugar. But this ingredient has more than one role in this recipe.

The purpose of sugar is not only to make jam sweet: it also makes the jam set properly and acts as a preservative. Lessening the sugar will increase cooking time, and the final product will also not last as long.

What sugar should be used for jam?

If you’re a beginner and still have some trouble recognizing when the jam is set, stick with granulated or caster sugar.

🍋 Lemon juice

You can choose between lemon or lime.

Don’t skip it, though. Adding an acid when making jam is more important than you think for it to set. It’s not only responsible for a well-balanced flavor but also helps to activate the pectin present in the berries, helping the jam to firm up.

🍳 How to make it

It’s better to use a large bottom pan: you want to minimize cooking time and optimize water evaporation, so the more berries in direct contact with the pan, the better.

A flat-ended spatula or spoon is also helpful, as it’s easier to scrap the bottom of your pan with it while the jam cooks.

Start macerating blackberries and sugar until berries are crushed and mixed with sugar.

Transfer the berries and sugar mixture to a heavy-bottom pan and add the lemon juice. Cook over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes before testing for doneness.

During cooking, foam will form at the top. You can skim it as it forms, or you can leave it to dissipate while jam cooks.

Also, while hot, jam will look like it’s not set. You’ll know if it’s ready by making one of the two tests below.

After ready, pour the jam into a sterilized jar, close the lid, wait for it to cool and then store it in the fridge. It lasts for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

You can double this recipe, but don’t triple if you’re new to this. Pectin is super easy to overcook, and once it happens, it loses all its thickening properties.

Cooking smaller batches allows jam to get an even heat distribution. A larger batch won’t heat equally in the pan, taking longer to cook.

🥄 How to know jam is set

Thick enough to spread, soft enough to spoon: that’s how jam should be.

Lots of factors can affect the cooking time: the pan you’re using, how hot is your stove, if you coated or not the berries.

Always perform these to know if the jam is ready: the spoon and the wrinkle test.

For the spoon test, you’ll need a spoon and a good eye.

First photo shows jam just after the foam dissipated: still very liquid, definitively not ready.

What you’re looking for is this: the jam needs to run down more together than in the first two photos. That usually happens after 20 minutes.

When ready, the consistency of the jam will change. It gets a thicker, glossier look.

For the wrinkle test, you’ll need a cold plate. Store one in the freezer just before beginning the recipe. Test by spooning a small amount of jam onto chilled plate and placing it back into the freezer for one minute.

If the jam is ready, it should have a jam-like feel after chilled and when pushed, it should look wrinkled. Tilt the plate: if the jam runs, it’s not yet set.

💭 Tips for success

Sterilize your jars. That’s important both for canned and refrigerator jam. You can do that by running a hot cycle in your dishwasher (both cans and lids).

Sort blackberries. For the best jam, you need to discard bad berries: dried, moldy or mushy ones should go. Also, look for leaves, stems and little bugs, particularly if they were hand-picked.

Macerate blackberries and sugar 30 minutes before beginning. It helps to release juices from the berries, dissolving the sugar faster. It is important to fully dissolve sugar, as that prevents your jam from crystallizing as it cools down.

🍴 FAQ