You will love this classic recipe for Blackberry Jam, made with ripe, aromatic berries at the height of their season. This is the ultimate way to preserve blackberries so that they can be enjoyed throughout the coming months. All you need are three ingredients to make this delicious jam: blackberries, sugar and lemon juice – no pectin is required.
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Why we love this recipe:
It takes no time to prepare and your small amount of effort will reward you with jam which has a fresh, vibrant, blackberry flavour. My simple, traditional recipe for Blackberry Jam contains just three ingredients; blackberries, sugar and lemon. It is not necessary to add pectin to this recipe.
You may feel that jam is difficult to make. Let me assure you that it is not. I will show you how to do it with step-by-step instructions. You just need to invest a little of your time; when you finish and see your own produce lined up, you will know that it was time well spent.
You’ll love this recipe because:
- Jam making is a great way to preserve some of nature’s seasonal bounty to enjoy throughout the cooler months ahead – if it lasts that long.
- Homemade jam is infinitely superior to shop-bought. You will not find any unwelcome additives, artificial preservatives or thickeners that you may find in a commercially prepared Blackberry Jam. For me, one of the most important parts of home cooking is the knowledge that I control the quality of the ingredients.
- You can use this delicious Blackberry Jam in so many ways. Spread it on toast for breakfast, serve with scones and cream, make mini tarts, fill sponge cakes or drizzle over our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream. You are only limited by your imagination.
Ingredients in this recipe:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
Blackberries – use fresh berries in good condition, ideally with some slightly unripe berries as they will contain more pectin.
Sugar – regular granulated sugar is best.
Lemon juice – use freshly squeezed lemon juice. The juice is vital, it aids in the setting of the jam.
Step by Step Instructions:
To begin, place two small saucers or plates in the freezer. You will use these to test when the jam is set.
Sterilise the jars by heating in the oven. Full directions are in the recipe below.
- Wash and thoroughly dry the blackberries. Cut the berries in half or quarters.
- Add the blackberries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan.
- Mix well with a wooden spoon.
- Turn the heat on low, stir until the sugar dissolves and then increase the heat to a rolling boil.
- Boil for 10 minutes stirring frequently. Turn off the heat and spoon a little of the jam onto a chilled saucer.
- Let it stand for 30 seconds to cool, then run your finger through it. If it wrinkles, it is ready. If it is still quite liquid, put it back on the heat and boil for a further 1-2 minutes, and retest.
- Allow the Blackberry Jam to sit for 10 minutes before carefully ladling into jars. This helps the chunks of fruit to disperse evenly throughout the jam.
- Carefully ladle your jam into the hot jars and put the lids on to seal. After cooling, wipe the jars to remove any spills, and store in a cool, dark place. Enjoy your jam!
Tips for success and FAQs:
When selecting fruit, ensure that the blackberries are at their peak of ripeness. Do not use berries that are over-ripe, soft or bruised. They may cause the jam to spoil. Good quality fruit is essential to obtain the best flavour. However, it is an advantage to have some which are slightly under-ripe as they will contain more pectin and acid, both of which assist with setting the jam.
When making your own preserves, always ensure you are sterilising the jars you will store them in. This is very simple to do:
- Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed in the dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well.
- Preheat the oven to 130 Degrees C (270 F) and leave the jars in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
You will not need any special equipment to make this recipe. You need a large, wide saucepan. The large surface area allows faster water evaporation, giving the jam a concentrated flavour. Without a large saucepan, there is the risk of it boiling over. Avoid aluminium, copper or iron pans; the acid in the fruit may react with the pan, giving the jam a metallic taste. As well, I use a long-handled wooden spoon to keep my hand away from the bubbling jam.
If you follow the recipe instructions precisely and your jars are thoroughly sterilised, the Blackberry Jam should be shelf-stable for a year, possibly longer. When you open a jar, store it in the fridge.
Conventional jam requires a lot of sugar. When you see it weighed out it is slightly alarming but please don’t reduce the amount of sugar. The sugar not only sweetens the fruit but it helps the jam to set and acts as a preservative. If you reduce the sugar, in short, your jam may not be shelf-stable.
You will find that most jam recipes contain fruit and sugar as well as lemon juice. The lemon juice is an important part of jam making. It is not just for flavour. For the Blackberry Jam to set, it needs a balance of pectin and acid. The acidic lemon interacts with the pectin in the berries causing the jam to reach setting point.
Pectin is a naturally occurring starch that is found in varying degrees in fruits and vegetables. It is what makes jams and jellies firm when they are cool. When combined with acid and sugar, and cooked to a high temperature, it forms a gel. In this recipe, I add a small amount of lemon juice to boost the pectin content.
You can use recycled glass jars with metal lids that are in good condition or purchase new ones. Jars which have contained pickles are generally not suitable as they often hold the aroma. Save these for your own chutneys or pickles.
More delicious recipes for you to try:
We love to make the most of seasonal produce. Making jams, preserves, pickles and condiments is a great way to enjoy them year-round. Here are some more of our favourite recipes:
- Fresh Peach Chutney
- Strawberry Jam
- Preserved Chillies in Oil
- Apricot Jam
- Lemon Marmalade
- Plum Jam
- Grapefruit Marmalade
- Blueberry Jam
- Raspberry Jam
My Easy Blackberry Jam recipe is a great place to start if this is your first time making jam. Once you’ve perfected your jam making technique you will have the ability and equipment to make fresh jam for years to come. You just need to invest a little of your time; when you finish and see your own produce lined up, you will know that it was time well spent.
I would love to hear from you when you have tried this delicious Blackberry Jam.
Alex xx
Blackberry Jam
Ingredients
- 500 g (17.5 oz) blackberries See Note 1
- 375 g (1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp) sugar See Note 2
- 2 tablespoon (40 ml) lemon juice – freshly squeezed See Notes 3 and 4
Recipe Measurements:
For accuracy, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results.
Instructions
To Sterilise the Jars:
- Choose glass jars with an airtight, metal lid and ensure they have been washed in the dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water then rinsed well.Preheat the oven to 130 C. Place upright jars and lids on a baking tray. Heat in the oven for at least 20 minutes, then remove and immediately fill with jam. See Note 5.
To make the Blackberry Jam:
- Place two small saucers or plates in the freezer. See Note 6.
- Wash and thoroughly dry blackberries.Add the blackberries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan and mix well with a long-handled wooden spoon.
- Turn the heat on low and stir until the sugar dissolves. (This can take 5-8 minutes)If sugar crystals get caught on the side of the saucepan, scrape down with a spatula.
- Once the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat to a rolling boil.Boil for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. After 10 minutes, begin to check for the setting point. Your jam will likely take between 10-12 minutes, but it will depend on the width of your saucepan and how rapidly the jam is boiling.
- Turn off heat and spoon a little of the jam onto one of your chilled saucers.Let it stand for 30 seconds to cool, and then run your finger through it. If it wrinkles, even slightly, it is ready. If it is still quite liquid, put it back on the heat and boil for a further 1-2 minutes, and retest until ready. Alternatively, you could use a candy thermometer. Setting point is reached when the thermometer reaches 105 Degrees C (220 F).
- Skim any scum off the top of the jam with a spoon.
- Allow the jam to sit for 5 minutes to allow the fruit to disperse evenly.
- Carefully ladle your jam into your hot jars and put the lids on immediately. Allow the jam to cool completely. Wipe the jars to remove any spills, and store the jam in a cool, dark place.
Notes
- Ensure your fruit is freshly picked and of good quality. Avoid fruit that is bruised or over-ripe. The blackberries contain pectin which aids in the jam setting. If your fruit is older, it will contain less pectin.
- Do not reduce the amount of sugar. Whilst the sugar sweetens the fruit it also acts as a preservative and helps the jam to set. If you reduce the sugar, your jam may not be shelf-stable and may become mouldy.
- The Australian tablespoon is 20ml or 4 teaspoons. In many other countries, the tablespoon is 15ml or 3 teaspoons. Please adjust the measurement if necessary.
- Lemon juice not only balances the sweetness of the sugar, but it also contains acid and pectin which help to set the jam.
- Properly sterilising your jars is an essential process to remove bacteria that could cause your preserves to spoil. Wash the jars and lids either in the dishwasher or by hand in hot soapy water, and rinse well. Do not dry them with a tea towel. Place jars and lids on a baking tray. If you are using Kilner jars with rubber seals, be sure to remove the seals before placing the jars in the oven. The dry heat of the oven would damage the seals. Boil the seals separately in a saucepan for about 10 minutes. Heat the jars in the oven for at least 20 minutes. When your preserves are ready to bottle, use thick oven mitts or jar tongs to remove the jars. Do not place them on a cold surface as they may shatter. I place mine on a wooden chopping board which I cover with a tea towel. Always sterilise a few more jars than you think you will need. It is better to have too many jars than not enough.
- The chilled plates are used to quickly cool the jam when testing the setting point.
- Always choose a large, wide saucepan that has enough height to enable the jam to boil vigorously. More surface area means the liquid will evaporate faster; having sufficient height means you can boil the jam at a higher heat and maintain the fresh flavour of the blueberries. Avoid aluminium, copper or iron pans; the acid in the fruit may react with the pan, giving the jam a metallic taste.
- Do not use a metal spoon, it will become very hot. A long-handled wooden spoon is important to avoid being burnt by a splash from boiling jam.
- My jam reached its setting point about 10 minutes after it began to boil rapidly. Boiling time will vary depending on the size of your saucepan and the heat that you apply.
- If you prefer smooth jam, use an immersion blender carefully once you have taken the blueberry jam off the heat.
- If your finished jam has not set as much as you would like, don’t worry, it will still be delicious stirred into some plain yoghurt or served over our No-churn Vanilla Ice Cream. Or, if it is slightly over-set and is very firm, it will be a lovely accompaniment on a cheese board.
- Please note, the nutritional information is based on one whole jar. The nutritional information is an estimate only.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Jess
Making it for the second time with Blackberries that I picked in my Dad’s paddocks. Thanks for the lovely recipe and all the helpful tips.
Alexandra Cook
That is lovely to hear, Jess! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Maggie
Hi Alexandra, Thankyou for a wonderful recipe! Scrumptious and easy jam.
And thank you for explaining about the difference of 5ml between UK and AUS spoon measurements. All my measuring spoons turned out to be out of whack with Aussie recipes! My cakes have always been a bit wrong – now I know why. And I bought my set of measuring spoons in the heart of Melbourne!
Your small batches of jam are perfect to keep pace with the sporadic ripening of fruit in our thornless blackberry patch. So thank you again for great info on cooking the brightest yummiest blackberry jam.
Alexandra Cook
Hi Maggie, thank you for your fantastic feedback on the Blackberry Jam. I am delighted that you enjoyed it and know it would be especially good made from homemade Blackberries. I appreciate that you took the time to contact me. 🙂
Catherine harris
perfect recipe, you can double or triple easily but need to cook for a little longer.
Alexandra Cook
Thanks, Catherine!
Enjoy your jam 🙂
Maggie Mether
Love the jam! We can’t believe the show-worthy glowing colour.
And it tastes as good as it looks.
Thank you, Alexandra, for straight-forward and clear instructions for making this
Jam. Two at a time works out really well, just keeping pace with ripe blackberries in our private “plantation”. 😂
Alexandra Cook
Hello Maggie!
So lovely to hear that you enjoy the jam.
And it sounds like you have plenty of blackberries – what a treat 🙂
Thanks so much, Alex
Gloria
This homemade jam is the best.
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Gloria!
Pleased you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Elizabeth
Loved this recipe – so easy to make and great jam.
Alexandra
Hi Elizabeth!
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment – enjoy your jam!
Athena
Thanks for the recipe! Made this jam today and is complete success. My berries needed a lot of washing and were mostly ripe to overripe. I had to boil longer to set but the jam is perfect! Thanks!!
Alexandra
Hi Athena, thank you for your feedback on the Blackberry Jam. I am delighted to hear that you enjoy it. 🙂
Stef
Easy and delicious!! 😍
Alexandra
Hi Stef, I am delighted that you enjoy the Blackberry Jam. Thank you for letting me know. 🙂
Niranjan
Made the jam today, my berries were a bit overripe so I added some pectin and it is perfect made 2.5 kg jam.. thank you.
Alexandra
Hi Niranjan,
Thanks for your comment – hope that you enjoy your jam 🙂 Alex
Giangi
Super delicious! Thank you for sharing. We all loved it.
Alexandra
Thank you, Giangi!