My Simple Blueberry Jam is made with just 3 ingredients and no added pectin. It tastes out of this world good, no wonder it’s so popular!
I have never made blueberry jam before but I’m thrilled to bring you my Simple Blueberry Jam recipe today after a freak bargain find at the weekend! I managed to find 4 trays of blueberries priced up at £3 each for 3 p each, there was a whole crate that were on their sell by date.
We ate one tray but the rest were destined for jam, although I did have to throw away just over a third of the remainder as they were soft and over ripe which is not good for eating or jam making. However, I’m really not complaining at that price, I’ve never seen blueberries so cheap nor so many of them reduced before!
I can’t remember the last time I had blueberry jam! But I have never had home-made blueberry jam!
I can’t tell you how amazing this Simple Blueberry Jam is. The depth of flavour is just incredible and totally delicious.
The Pectin Debate
I was reading about the pros and cons of pectin use in jam the other day and the point was made that although by using pectin you achieve a shorter cooking time and a slightly higher yield, you don’t get the intensity of flavour that you get with a longer cooking time where more moisture is evaporated away.
I had never really thought about this before as I never use pectin or jam sugar in my recipes. Well apart from my first ever jam where I used jam sugar but I didn’t like the stiff texture. Also, looking back, the flavour was not a patch on my One Punnet Strawberry Jam which just uses lemon juice to aid the setting.
Blueberries are naturally low in pectin so apart from using only the firmest just ripe or slightly under ripe fruits you need to add pectin or lemon juice which aids the gelling process by interacting with the sugar.
If you’ve never made jam before it’s never too late to learn, I only started making jam in the last 4 years and just got hooked.
Jam making Tips
The important things are to sterilise your jars, freeze some saucers for testing and always stir your jam or you will burn it to the bottom or your pan.
If you get the set too runny you can always pour back your jam and boil it up again until it reaches setting point. You get better at judging this as time goes on but I’ve only ever got it wrong once. I like a soft set jam but I pushed the boundary a bit far that time.
How long will Blueberry Jam keep and how should it be stored?
As with all homemade jams, it’s best eaten in the first year but jam will last years and be safe to eat as the sugar acts as a preservative. Just store in a cool, dark, dry place (I keep mine in a cupboard in my garage). Once opened, keep in the fridge and eat within a few months. Using a clean spoon to serve it will preserve it’s shelf life.
Can you use frozen blueberries to make Blueberry Jam?
Yes, just use them in place of fresh blueberries, they will thaw when you heat them up with the sugar and lemon juice.
More inspiring Recipes for a glut of Blueberries:
- Apple & Blueberry Tarte Tatin – Fab Food 4 All
- Blueberry & Lemon Soda Bread – Fab Food 4 All
- Blueberry & Banana Pancakes – Fab Food 4 All
- Fresh Blueberry Flapjacks – Tinned Tomatoes
- Blueberry Banana Buckwheat Layer Cake – Domestic Gothess
- Blueberry & Blood Orange Smoothie – Recipes from a Pantry
- Blueberry & Rose Almond Bars – Tin & Thyme
- Blueberry Custard Ice Cream – Kavey Eats
- Blueberry Brioche – Patisserie Makes Perfect
- Blueberry Orange Upside Down Cakes – Family Friends Food
Tutti Frutti Jam
More Blueberry Jam Recipes:
- Blueberry & Lime Jam – Fab Food 4 All
- Tutti Frutti Jam – Fab Food 4 All
- Summer Fruits Jam – Fab Food 4 All
If you grow your own blueberries or ever see a bargain like mine then do try my Simple Blueberry Jam which makes one good sized jar. You can always scale the recipe up to make more if you have more but remember it will take longer to reach setting point!
Let me know how you get on by leaving a comment and rating below. Better still tag @FabFood4All on social media with your pictures as I love seeing my recipes come to life!
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Simple Blueberry Jam - no pectin, just 3 ingredients!
Ingredients
- 600 g firm blueberries stalks and mushy ones removed
- 400 g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash the blueberries in a colander.
- Put the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice into a preserving pan.
- Place the pan over a gentle heat to slowly dissolve the sugar crystals, stirring with a wooden spoon from time to time.
- As the sugar starts to melt and the fruit warms up, take a potato masher to mash the blueberries, leaving some whole if desired.
- Once the sugar has completely dissolved turn up the heat and bring the pan to a rolling boil and time for 15 minutes, stirring all the while (to prevent the sugar burning on the base).
- Take the pan off the heat and test a few drops of the jam on a frozen saucer and place in the fridge for a minute. If when you push your finger through it the jam forms a crinkle and is gel like then it’s ready. Otherwise boil for another couple of minutes and repeat process until ready.
- Pot up the jam in a sterilised hot jar using a small ladle or jam funnel.
- Screw on lid immediately.
- See notes for storage instructions.
Notes
Sterilise 1 x 450 ml jar by washing in hot soapy water or take straight from dishwasher, filling with boiling water, emptying and then placing in oven for 20 minutes at 140°C then leave in oven until jam is ready. Washed lids should be sterilised with boiling water and then left to drain. Once cool in the jar this jam is ready to eat. Store in a cool, dark, dry place and consume within 12 months for best colour and flavour although will be safe to eat for many years. Once open keep in fridge and use within a few months.
Barb
Can u convert the measuring into cups
Camilla
Hi Barb, the long and the short of it is no as unlike something like sugar or water that has the same size per level cup (and therefore weight), a cup of fruit eg blueberries can differ a lot and once you scale up the error it becomes a very big one. I love my jam recipes too much to give out misinformation as fruit isn’t cheap. I’ve been on US Amazon and for a few dollars you can get a set of digital scales which will make all your cooking and baking more accurate.
Garry
Hi!
Great recipe. It turned out really well.
Thanks for sharing.
Camilla
Thanks Gary, hope you try some more of my jam recipes:-)
Erica
This is the most simple and delicious recipe. No need to purchase from the store when you can pick your own berries and turn it into jam.
Camilla
So true and so very glad you like the recipe:-) Hoping I get enough blueberries for jam next year:-)
gloria
can this jam be frozen
Camilla
As this jam is shelf stable I’ve never frozen it. I would use a freezer jam recipe if you want to freeze your jam.
Lois Thurston
This method of canning is very dangerous. It is outdated and proven unsafe. Either waterbath your jelly or steam can it. NEVER in the oven!
Camilla
Hi Lois, I don’t can my jams, it’s not something we do in the UK or Europe as far as I’m aware. There are no recorded cases of anyone ever having fallen ill with Botulism (or anything else) from homemade jam. Indeed the last case of Botulism in the UK was over 100 yrs ago from some manufactured pate. However I fully respect that in the US Botulism is a problem and that some people prefer to take extra precautions and carry out canning. So I expect those readers to take my recipes and adapt them to their own preferred method accordingly. So we’ll have to agree to differ on this tried and tested method being very dangerous in the UK as there is no evidence to back up that claim.