Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin | Delightful Mom Food (2024)

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Calling all blueberry lovers for this super simple 4-Ingredient Blueberry Jam Recipe (made with no added pectin)! This powerful antioxidant berry is simmered with zero refined sugar and perfect to top on pancakes, fresh toast or serve on happy hour cheese and crackers! Takes about 10 minutes to whip up!

Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin | Delightful Mom Food (1)

Homemade blueberry jam is so simple to make and made without adding pectin or preservatives! Use fresh or frozen blueberries and add the jam to toast or in this healthyPeanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bake, added to Chia and Hemp Seed Superfood Oatmeal and in this Strawberry Granola Crumble in place of strawberries.

The other day I was at the gym chatting with my friend Lucy (amazingly fit friend with 5 children that you want your bodyto be perfectly muscular, lean and fit-like!) about healthy dessert recipes. She was soon heading to a kindergarten party for her son and wanted to bring a healthy dessert dish with fruit. She wanted a baking dish recipe that can easily be served as bars and pan-fed.

Peaches are still in season for another month or so, but I mentioned blueberries in a crumble. Blueberries because they are delicious and easy year-round. Even frozen blueberries are bursting with flavor and can easily be turned intoblueberry jam as the center in muffins, custards and crumbles. That conversation (thank you Lucy!) struck my creativity to share this amazing blueberry jam recipe that I make all the time for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kiddos! A jam or jelly made with no pectin. Just whole fruit jam!

I have a giant bag of organic blueberries in my freezer now from Costco. They are only about $14 per 4 pound bag... FOR ORGANIC!!!! And they taste fantastic! We use frozen blueberries all the time for making homemade blueberry jam recipes, blueberry ice cream, blueberry sauce over pancakes, blueberry muffins, desserts and added in healthy smoothie recipes.

Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin | Delightful Mom Food (2)

Tips and How to Make and Freeze Blueberries for Jam or Jelly:

  1. If you have fresh blueberries and want to save them to make this blueberry jam recipefor a latertime simply freeze your fresh flowering fruit.And please consider that the amount of water in berries varies as do the size of the berries.
  2. When making a homemade jam with fresh berries, simmer until slightly thick in consistency (not watery). So for smaller wild blueberries less cooking time is needed, andfull-bodied plump blueberries slightly longer.
  3. The best blueberries are freshly picked. Remove any stems or stray leaves, and place berries in a colander andrinsethoroughly. Let the blueberries dry on a towel to release extra water.
  4. Pat the blueberries dry with a towel.Put the dry blueberries in a Zip-lock back pushing out any extra air. Place in the freezer until ready to use. Or arrange blueberries on the towel lined baking sheet. The towel helps the blueberries not to stick during the freezing process.
  5. Freeze the blueberries in the freezer for about 4 hours. After 4 hours, transfer them to a freezer Zip-lock bag if not previously done.

How to make homemade blueberry jam (or blackberry jam, raspberry jam or strawberry jam) without pectin:

  1. Add 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit to a saucepan. Add sugar,lemon and a sprinkle of salt.
  2. Simmer slowly for about 10 minutes on low. Throughout the simmering process, stir continuouslyand with a potato masher,mash the berries until thickin consistency.
  3. Let the jam cool then store in an airtight jar with a lid. The jam will store for about 3 weeks refrigerated.

Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin | Delightful Mom Food (3)

Blueberries are one of the most amazing "super fruit" fruits that you can consume. Fresh or frozen, blueberriesare so high in antioxidants. They can actually help to ward off heart disease. Why? Well first off because they are a whole food/real food ingredient and anytime youconsumereal foods your body does a little happy dance. Blueberries are high in fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and phytonutrients.

Phytonutrients are plant based foods. Whenever you consume plant based foods your body is smiling joyously at you! Plant based foods are packed with chemicals that help protect plants from germs, fungi, bugs, and other threats.

So what does that do for your body? Well it helps to protect YOU from germs, fungi, bugs and other threats.... aka, you are what you eat!

I will never forget the first time I ever went blueberry picking with Chase. The blueberries produced on the plants had a powder-like substance coating them. Was this a hidden spray I thought? Not at all and totally opposite! Blueberries, grapes, and certain plums produce a waxy, silvery-white substance on the surfacewhichacts as a barrier against insects and bacteria and helps to seal in the fruit’s moisture. Completely safe to eat and wears away after the fruits handling.

Homemade blueberry jam can be canned and stored. We love fresh preserving foods for a later time in our Ball Mason Jars. But occasionallyI do not even go there because we eat local produce way too fast. But if you don't have the luxury of living in a gorgeous climate most of the year,canning your homemade blueberry jam is a must! Blueberry jam recipeskinda tastes like candy that you will want to scoop out of the jar and eat year round!

I made and photographed this homemade jam recipe quite a while ago. Tonight I made it againto ensure the perfect consistency. This blueberry jam checks out to be the best blueberry jam without pectin.All you have to do is just simmer it slightly to free the juices from the blueberries which makes it thick and spreadable. I never have pectin in my pantry. Not quite sure why since I always seem to need it for canning recipes! I started making my own jams and jelly recipes with frozen or fresh organic fruit without pectin. The sugar I use is usually Xylitol or coconut sugar for its low glycemic index. But you can also use Stevia for a sugar free blueberry jam.

Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin | Delightful Mom Food (4)

School is right around the corner, can you believe it? Make a giantbatch of this easy low sugar blueberry jam and have almost a months worth of spreadable homemade jam for school lunches. Perfect for healthy PB&J's! Nothing processed here,just all natural homemade deliciousness!

Ok y'all, I am off to grab a scoop right now as a little "night cap"!

📖 Recipe

Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin | Delightful Mom Food (5)

Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin

Danielle Fahrenkrug

Calling all blueberry lovers for this super simple 4-Ingredient Blueberry Jam Recipe (made with no pectin)! The powerful antioxidant flowering plant is simmered with zero refined sugar and perfect to top on pancakes, fresh toast or serve on happy hour cheese and crackers! Takes about 10 minutes to whip up!

3.65 from 20 votes

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Condiment

Cuisine American

Servings 4 ounces

Calories 42 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan combine the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and salt. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes. Turn the heat down to low-medium to simmer and mash up the blueberries with a potato masher until the blueberries are squished and released their juices.

  • Let it simmer uncovered, until the mixture has thickened, about 7-10 minutes. Let cool then transfer to a glass container and refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.

Notes

The mixture will solidify more after it cools. You can use monk fruit sugar, Xylitol, coconut sugar or regular sugar (although we usually try to avoid processed sugars as much as possible).

Nutrition

Calories: 42kcalCarbohydrates: 11gPotassium: 56mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 40IUVitamin C: 7.4mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 0.2mg

Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @DelightfulMomFood or tag #delightfulmomfood!

Recipes to use this Homemade Blueberry Jam:

Strawberry Granola Crumble

No Added Sugar Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bake

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Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin | Delightful Mom Food (7)

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More Healthy Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes

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About Danielle Fahrenkrug, Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach

Danielle Fahrenkrug is an entrepreneur, self taught chef, and food photographer turned 3x cookbook author. Her passions of helping others with healthy eating led her to becoming a certified health and nutrition life coach. She is also a wife, mother of four, and loves the beach, animals, and fitness.

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Comments

  1. Barbara says

    Hi! I made this and love it! I’m making another batch, and part of the batch is for littles, who prefer a puréed consistency. I’m thinking I’ll process the partially thawed blueberries before I cook them, rather than after I’ve made the jam. Do you think this is the best way to proceed? Thank you.

    Reply

    • Danielle Fahrenkrug says

      Hi Barbara!Thank you for sharing your experience- I am so glad you enjoy this blueberry jam recipe!That will probably work (simmer time may need adjusting), although I have always pureed for my kids after making the jam.

      Reply

      • Barbara says

        Thanks! I went ahead and puréed and then made the jam. After 24 hours, I put all but one jar in the fridge. I tried it on toast... and it’s too thin! I’m thinking I will defrost all in freezer, and cook all of it longer, until it’s thicker. I did simmer it for the full 10 minutes, and I did try a dollop on a plate I’d put in the freezer. Do you think this may work, or have a different way to fix it? It still tastes great. Thanks! Barbara

        Reply

        • Barbara says

          I meant to say that after 24 hours in the fridge, after cooling on the counter, I put all but one jar in the freezer. Oops!

          Reply

  2. Laura Gerken says

    My husband and I just finished making blueberry jam from your no-pectin recipe. I didn't know jam could be made with out pectin and such a very little amount of sugar. I had to use refined sugar. But I will shopping for coconut sugar.

    This recipe allows the full favor of the berry to shine through!
    Thank for sharing-----just so thrilled at the small amount of sugar.

    Reply

  3. Laura Gerken says

    Hi, It is Aug.11, 2019. I hope you see this today. My husband and I just picked 32 lbs. of blueberries. Oh --- so yummy. I'd like to try your jam recipe. Can I use processed sugar. It's what I have on hand right now, I would like to freeze my jam for later enjoyment. The fresh frozen berries will be a real treat this winter.

    Thank you,
    Laura
    Michigan

    Reply

    • Danielle | Delightful Mom Food says

      Oh fresh is best- yumm!!! Yes, you can use processed sugar:-). Thank you for checking and let me know how it goes!

      Reply

  4. Brenda says

    Can organic cane sugar be used instead? Thank you for such an easy jam recipe!

    Reply

    • Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says

      Yes, you can use organic can sugar in the jam.

      Reply

  5. Pat Bowmaster says

    You should rename this to Blueberry Jam without ADDITIONAL pectin. All berrys - in fact, all terrestrial plants - have pectin as a component of their cell walls.

    Reply

    • Danielle @ Delightful Mom Food says

      Thank you Pat for you comment, Great suggestion on changing it to additional pectin due to berries already having it in them. Thank you for taking the time to comment.

      Reply

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Blueberry Jam Recipe Without Pectin | Delightful Mom Food (2024)

FAQs

How can I thicken jam without pectin? ›

Lemons - Juice of one lemon and zest. Sugar - To help thicken and sweeten. I don't recommend substituting for a sugar alternative. Cornstarch - Optional, but works well as a thickener in place of pectin.

What happens if you don't use pectin in jam? ›

You don't have to, but proceed carefully. "If you are really anti-pectin, you can omit it, but you'll need to cook the jam longer. Doing so will remove most of the water content in order to get it to set up properly and in turn, will result in a smaller yield," adds Wynne.

Does lemon juice thicken jam? ›

I do occasionally add a satchel of lemon wedges to a jam when I know there is likely to be lower amounts of pectin, like with strawberries. This helps add extra pectin that the berries don't have, but in lower amounts than if I were adding commercial pectin.

How do you thicken homemade blueberry jam? ›

The easiest way to thicken your jam is to allow the sugar and blueberry mixture to cook down by boiling. Then thicken and set into a gel by using pectin. How long does it take for blueberry jam to set? 24 hours.

How do you fix jam that didn't set without pectin? ›

To remake cooked jam or jelly without added pectin, for each 1 L (4 cups) jam or jelly add 25 mL (2 tbsp) bottled lemon juice. Heat to boiling and boil jam or jelly hard 3 to 4 minutes, then test for signs of gelling.

What can I use instead of pectin for jam? ›

What Are Substitutes for Pectin?
  • Citrus peels. Citrus peels—especially the white part, or pith—are naturally packed with pectin. ...
  • Cornstarch. Cornstarch is a natural thickener that works as a seamless substitute for pectin.
  • Gelatin. Gelatin is a viable option for non-vegans or non-vegetarians.
  • Extra sugar.
Aug 10, 2021

How did people make jam before pectin? ›

Preservation using honey or sugar was one common method and the Ancient Greeks also used to use honey to preserve quince. Syrups made from honey and sugar were also used to preserve food; honey has no moisture so it preserves any food encased within it.

Why people avoid pectin? ›

Pectin is high in fiber. Fiber can stick to some medications in the stomach and intestines. Taking pectin at the same time as medications that you take by mouth might decrease how much medication your body absorbs. This can decrease how well these drugs work.

How did people make jelly before pectin? ›

Before the availability of commercial pectin products, traditional jams and jellies were made by cooking fruit or fruit juice with sugar until the mixture reached a jelly-like consistency.

Can I use bottled lemon juice in jam making? ›

Generally, it's advised to add one tablespoon of lemon juice per pound of fruit. However, if you follow the jam recipe closely, you may wish to use bottled lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice has a standardized level of acidity, so there'll be no question whether you've added enough.

Can you use bottled lemon juice to set jam? ›

By using bottled juice, you ensure that your preserves have a consistent level of acidity, which makes them safe for canning. And when making jams or jellies, the degree of acidity in any citrus juice added affects the natural fruit pectin's ability to gel.

What happens if you forget to add lemon juice to jam? ›

If your recipe called for lemon juice and you forgot to put it in, your mixture will not be acid enough for safe canning.

Why is my homemade blueberry jam runny? ›

Cooking jam without pectin requires practice and patience. A runny batch happens even to the best home jammers. If, after waiting, you find the jam is still too loose for your liking, empty the jars back into a wide pot and cook again. Wash and sterilize the jars and try again.

Can you overcook blueberry jam? ›

There are some ways to salvage overcooked jam. You usually don't have to toss the whole thing, unless it is scorched. If the jam tastes burnt, you might as well face facts and just get it out of your sight and into the garbage. There is no way to rehabilitate scorched jam.

Why isn t my blueberry jam thickening? ›

Some fruits have natural pectin and thicken well without help. Other fruits must have pectin added. You can add pectin to any jam to speed the thickening process. To get a thick jam, I add pectin (powdered for fruit jams, liquid for pepper jellies), and cook the heck out of it.

What is a natural thickener for jam? ›

Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits like lemons and oranges contain pectin, and the zest and juice can be added to the fruit mixture to help it set. Chia seeds: Chia seeds can be used as a natural thickener for jams and jellies. Simply mix them with water to form a gel, and add the gel to the fruit m.

What ingredient thickens jam? ›

Pectin, naturally found in fruit is vital to make your jam set. With low-pectin fruits like strawberries, help them along by either mixing with pectin-rich fruit like gooseberries or by using jam sugar (with added pectin and citric acid).

How do you thin stiff jam? ›

If it isn't scorched though, here are some ideas to try: Slowly heat it in the microwave a few seconds at a time and then use it as usual. If it is still too thick, add some water while heating it in the microwave and then use it as a delicious and unusual pancake or ice cream syrup.

How do you thicken jam without pectin or sugar? ›

If you really want to thicken it to a more spreadable consistency, the easiest way is to heat it up with some thickeners such as cornstarch. Arrowroot flour is more delicate and taste-neutral, but most cooks won't have it. Unflavored gelatin may also be used. Bring the syrupy “jam” to boil in a pot.

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