Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe (2024)

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This low sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe is far superior to anything you can buy at the store! This Blackberry Jam Recipe is tart, yet sweet, and just tastes like a summer day!

Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe (1)Pin

Blackberries are the only fruit that I prefer to deseed. The seeds are so large in blackberries, in comparison to raspberries! I freeze the juice until the weather cools down because it is so hot when we pick them, I can’t bare to turn on the canning pot to fight with air conditioner! It seems like a waste of energy.

I promise, this is last jam recipe I will do this year! In my defense though, a lot of you are looking at all of my jam recipes, all year long, so I don’t feel too bad! 🙂

Wild Blackberry Preserves

We have about 2 acres on our property that has wild blackberries growing on them. We rather nurture them a bit, because we so love the fruits of our labor. Eric and I have been picking them for years, so we are pretty careful picking them. The issue is not putting your hand in to reach a huge, plump blackberry, the danger is in pulling your hand back out! The thorns are angled so that the extraction is the dangerous part.

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A few years ago, when my in-laws started staying with us for the summer, in their motor home. My Father-in-law and our neighbor across the street had this competition going, I swear, like, who could get the biggest berry. The biggest berry is inevitably in the middle of the patch! The competition ended up being who could get their arms and legs more scratched up by blackberries! They both looked like they had been through a war! 😂 Deep, painful gashes for weeks! Heros I tell ya, all for the elusive biggest berry!

Don’t miss our complete step by step guide to canning.

Ingredients you need

  • blackberries – use either fresh or frozen thawed berries
  • lemon juice – always use bottled lemon juice when canning
  • water
  • sugar
  • pectin – for low sugar jam use low / no sugar pectin
  • butter to reduce foaming – optional
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How to make this Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe

For Seedless Jam

We prefer Seedless Blackberry Jam or more accurately, blackberry jelly, so I deseed the blackberries.

  1. Use Kitchenaid Juicer attachment to de- seed blackberries, if desired. Alternately, heat the berries with a bit of water in a large saucepan. Smash the berries with a potato masher. Let cool slightly. Then strain the juice through cheesecloth or a fine mesh sieve. It is so much easier with a juicer.

I did it for years, even though I had a Kitchenaid Juicer in the closet. “Why?” you ask. Because, dear reader, until my friend Laura, with her “Canning tomato sauce in my Kitchen” post reminded that I had one, I did not think about that! Um, what?

  1. This bowl contains the seeds and bigger chunks of pulp.
  2. This bowl contains the juice needed to make the Blackberry Jam
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Finishing the Jam

  1. Add the juice with water to a large pot.
  2. Mix the pectin with 1/4 c. sugar, to help the pectin not to clump. Add to the pot with the juice. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon. When it comes to a full rolling boil (one that can’t be stirred down), add the rest of the sugar all at once. Again, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil and continue to boil hard for at least 1 full minute. Skim foam if necessary.
  3. Immediately ladle into hot sterilized jars.
  4. Wipe rims with damp paper towel.
  5. Put on lids and hand tighten rings. (Not too tight!)
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Place jars in a water bath canning pot and process for 10 minutes. Adjust for altitude, here is a great graph!

Let jars rest in canning pot an additional 5 minutes. After the rest, remove the jars from the canning pot and let cool on the counter for 24 hours. After a short amount of time you will here the lids “pop” that is always a good thing because that means that they have sealed.


Check the lids for seal after the 24 hours. Any lids that snap in the middle have not sealed properly and should be stored in the fridge and used up first. The sealed jars are best stored in a cool, dark place, like a basem*nt.

Making Sugar Free Blackberry Jam

You can easily make this jam with no sugar! Substitutions to white sugar include;

  • Turbinado, or raw sugar
  • Honey
  • Splenda, or other sugar substitute
  • Molasses (color of finished product will change)
  • Corn Syrup
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Biting into this Low Sugar Blackberry Jam in the middle of February cheers me up and makes me think that indeed, one day soon, I will be picking more blackberries!

  • Blackberry Pie Recipe- for fresh or frozen berries
  • Low Sugar Strawberry Jam
  • Blackberry Simple Syrup
  • Summer Recipes
  • Easy Homemade Cherry Jam
  • Seedless raspberry jam
  • Blueberry jam
  • canning pot
  • half pint jars
  • Canning tool set
  • kitchenaid vegetable strainer

The flavor of this homemade blackberry jam is for superior to the stuff you buy at the store. It perfect for slathering on your morning toast or makes a great pb&j.

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I hope you enjoyed the post today for this Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe! Thanks for stopping by! Don’t forget to sign up for my mailing list so that you don’t miss any new recipes!

If you have an interest in growing your own fruits and vegetables, these posts are packed full of information about how to get that big harvest by the end of the season!

Don’t miss my How to Start a Garden Series! The first part is Planning Your Garden! Second is Preparing the Garden Site.

The third is Choosing Plants and Planting Your Garden. The fourth is Garden Maintenance, and the last is Harvesting a Garden and Preserving the Harvest, this post has over 100 FREE recipes for preserving your harvest!

Enjoy! And have fun cooking!

Xoxo,

Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe (8)Pin

Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe (9)Pin

Low Sugar Blackberry Jam

This low sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe is far superior to anything you can buy at the store! This Blackberry Jam Recipe is tart, yet sweet, and just tastes like a summer day!

See Step by Step Photos Above!Most of our recipes have step by step photos and videos! Also helpful tips so that you can make it perfectly the first time and every time! Scroll up to see them!

4.80 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: jam, sauce

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Process time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 32 tablespoons

Calories: 18kcal

Author: Beth Neels

Cost: $8

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Juice blackberries, either with this attachment for your kitchen aid, using a food mill or other juicer, or by hand. The easiest way to juice them by hand is to let them cook down for about 15 minutes in a bit of water. Then run the juice through a sieve lined with cheesecloth. Juice can be frozen for later use.

  • Prepare jars. Wash in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. It is no longer recommended to sterilize jars. Just start your canning pot heating. It can take up to 45 minutes to heat the water. Let the jars sit in hot water until ready to fill.

  • Place washed lids in a small saucepan and cover with boiling water. Let sit until ready to use. I also add my ladle and funnel to this pot to sterilize them.

  • Add juice and water to a large, heavy bottom pot. Heat over high heat.

  • Meanwhile, mix low sugar pectin with 1/4 cup of sugar to keep the pectin from clumping, Add the mixture to the pot. Stir constantly, after pectin is added.

  • Bring blackberries to a boil and add pectin/ sugar mixture. Bring to a full boil (one that can’t be stirred down).

  • Add the rest of sugar all at once. Again, bring to a full boil and boil for 1 full minute

  • Fill jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Wipe rim of jars with clean, damp paper towel and place lid on. Add band and tighten to fingertip tight.

  • Place filled jars into canning pot and bring to boil. Low boil for 10 minutes.

  • Turn off heat and allow to sit in water for 5 minutes. Remove them to counter and let them cool.

  • After 24 hours, check lids by pushing down in center. If lids flex up and down, the jar is not sealed and should be refrigerated.

  • Jars that have sealed should be stored in a cool place for up to a year. (If it lasts that long!)

  • This recipe makes 2 half pint jars jam.

Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe (13) See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!

Video

Notes

Recipe yields 2 half pint jars.

Recipe can be multiplied, but don’t do more than 5 times the recipe. The jam has a tendency not to set properly.

Store in a cool place.

If lids have not sealed, store those jars in refrigerator and consume those jars first.

It is not mandatory that seeds are removed, but the seeds from blackberries are so numerous and so large that jams with seeds is not as appealing. (Seeds get stuck in your teeth.)

Nutrition

Calories: 18kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 9mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin C: 4mg | Iron: 0.1mg

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Originally published 9/17/18 Updated 3/16/22.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and purchase something, at no additional cost to you. See FTC Disclosure, here.

Low Sugar Blackberry Jam Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What happens if you use less sugar when making jam? ›

Less sugar may allow for greater bacterial growth. As a result, process times may be longer for these low-sugar or no-sugar jams and jellies. Some pectin products include preservatives to reduce bacterial growth, as well as to preserve color.

How do you thicken jam without sugar? ›

Add pectin.

Whisk a tablespoon of powdered pectin (preferably the no-sugar-needed variety) into the pot of cooking jam. Test for thickness and add another tablespoon if needed.

What is the ratio of sugar to berries when making jam? ›

The amount of sugar you need to make jam depends on the amount of pectin in your chosen fruit, but generally the fruit-to-sugar ratio for traditional jams is 1:1 (ie. 450g/1lb sugar to 450g/1lb fruit).

Does lemon juice thicken jam? ›

Lemon is crucial to balancing those sweet flavors, but it also helps the pectin to firm up the jam. It can be added at the start of the cooking process or towards the end, but what must be taken into account is that adding liquids to the jam mixture will inevitably require the jam to cook for longer.

What is the minimum sugar content for jam? ›

Jam Definition

To legally be called a jam, the recipe must contain a minimum of 60% sugars (including natural fruit sugar and added sugar).

Can I use regular pectin for low sugar jam? ›

The amount of sugar required for proper gelling is dependent on the concentration of pectin in the natural fruit or in the commercial pectin added to your recipes. Low- sugar jams and jellies are best prepared with commercial pectin preparations and us- ing the recipes developed specifically for that purpose.

What is a good substitute for sugar in jam? ›

Many fruits can be safely canned without sweeteners at all, although I do prefer to sweeten my jams with local honey. Maple syrup is another good option. Lemon or lime juice is typically added to increase the acidity and make jam safe for canning.

How to thicken blackberry jam? ›

Commercial pectin helps thicken jam made with low-pectin fruits, like blackberry jam, or vegetable jelly recipes, like pepper jelly. It comes in powder or liquid form, but the former is the most common. Add powdered pectin to the fruit juice, chopped fruit, or strained purée before heating the jam mixture.

What is a natural thickener for jam? ›

Cornflour (or cornstarch) combined with lemon juice is a great alternative to pectin. It thickens up jam really well, combined with the sugar and heat. Also, this recipe is gluten free!

Should you stir jam while it's boiling? ›

5. Do Not Stir Once Mixture Is Boiling. Once your jam/marmalade it has reached a rapid rolling boil do not stir it. Stirring it will alter the temperature of the jam/marmalade meaning it will take longer to reach the setting point.

Can you use brown sugar instead of white sugar when making jam? ›

You certainly can! you won't find it in a commercial jam as it adds extra flavour, and the course white sugar they use sets firmer and clearer than brown, but in a blueberry jam, which sets very thick with whatever sugar you use so brown sugar is a great choice for a deeper flavour.

Why not use pectin in jam? ›

Some people use it to good effect, but I tend to avoid it because I have gotten much better results by just using pectin-rich fruit that is just ripe enough, and then dialing in on the sugar and acid and heat. Jams that I've made with added pectin have often turned out too thick and rubbery, with a dull flavor.

What happens if you don't put lemon juice in jam? ›

It's Not Only About Pectin

There's another reason why lemon juice is added to most jam recipes: for safe canning and to prevent the growth of bacteria. Bringing the pH level down means jars can be sealed in a regular boiling water bath in a reasonable amount of time (sometimes as little as 10 minutes).

What to use instead of pectin? ›

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

Is citric acid or lemon juice better for jam? ›

But citric acid is not used for adding flavor. It is used more like a preservative. For jams or jellies I would strongly suggest you use lemon juice.

Does the amount of sugar affect jam setting? ›

An important part of jam is, of course, the sugar content, which is vital for the flavour and also plays a role in helping jam set. Many jam recipes recommend the use of a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar in jam-making.

Does more sugar help jam set? ›

Since pectin is activated by sugar, it requires using a considerable amount of sugar to activate the pectin and set (i.e. thicken) your jam. If you try to cut back on the sugar, it won't set properly.

What is the effect of concentration of sugar in jam? ›

The processing parameters showed a significant difference in the moisture content of the developed jam (Table 3). The increase in the concentration of sugar, pectin, and temperature from 45% to 55%, 3% to 5%, and 95°C to 105°C, respectively, was found to lower the moisture content slightly.

What should the sugar concentration be for jam to keep well? ›

Achieving the right quantity of sugar is just as important as the right quantity of pectin for creating a nice preserve. In general, the final concentration of sugar in the preserve should be between 60-65%.

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