Homemade Mixed Berry Jam Recipe (2024)

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This Homemade Mixed Berry Jamcanning recipe is so delicious you’ll want to put it on everything from pancakes and toast to waffles and ice cream. Or eat it right fromthe jar!

And make sure you sterilize your jam jars correctly!

It's a family tradition to pick fresh berries from the local farms around the area on Father's Day.

That's why we had to make this Easy Mixed Berry Jam!

With all the strawberries we picked this year (in 90-degree heat, mind you), we made one of our favorite small batch jams - Strawberry Chia Seed Jam. Without any added refined sugar, this stuff is healthy and fabulous!

Traditional jam making is so amazing because you get to enjoy fresh fruit all winter long! Plus, the berries have natural pectin in them, which thickens the jam after it cooks and cools, so there’s no need for adding extra pectin.

This jam is fantastic on everything from pancakes and waffles to toast and ice cream. Not to mention on yogurt parfaits!

Please note: Since this is a pectin-free jam, it doesn't set like a jam that uses pectin.

Giving Homemade Jam for Gifts

We make a big batch because berry jam is excellent for homemade gifts.

Christmas gifts.
Hostess gifts.
Teacher gifts.
You name it. This jam makes a great gift for it 🙂

To make your gift pretty and functional, include a tag with the name of your jam and the "made on" date!

How To Make Homemade Fruit Jam

This triple berry jam recipe doesn't use pectin. We saw so many recipes that didn't call for it, so we decided to try it. We prefer to keep the sugar to a minimum, so we went with a recipe with a high ratio of berries to sugar.

It turned out perfect! And with less sugar than most recipes.

You can experiment with different ratios of berries depending on your preference and what's ripe at the time.

Step 1: Get your canning jars ready

Have ready six hot, sterilized half-pint jars and their lids.

Here's how to sterilize jars for preserving.

Step 2: Marinate your berries

Place your washed and dried berries and sugar in a large bowl. Gently stir together and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Marinating the berries in the sugar before cooking brings out the flavorful fruit juices.

Step 3: Cook your berries

Gently stir together the berries and fresh lemon juice in a large nonreactive saucepan.

Bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently and removing any foam* with a wooden spoon until the jam has thickened, about 15 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Step 4: Place in sterile jars

Ladle the hot triple berry jam into the jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace (space at the top of the jar). Remove any air bubbles. Get the lids warming in a hot water bath (but not boiling).

Wipe the rims clean with a clean, damp cloth and seal tightly with the lids.

Step 5: Seal your jars

Put the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Make sure the jars are covered in water.

A jar lifter is the easiest way to take the hot jars out of the water.

How to tell if jam is done cooking?

Here's a little trick.

Place a few metal spoons or a small plate in the freezer when you start cooking. Then, add a small amount of the cooked jam to the back of one frozen spoon or plate and see if the jam thickens to your desired consistency.

If it is set and doesn’t run, you’re good to go.

If it’s too runny, cook and test again in 5-minute increments until the jam sets to your liking.

How long can you store jam?

You can store the sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. If a seal has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

This recipe makes six delicious half-pint jars of jam.

Cooking Notes:

The fruit tends to bubble up while cooking. A great way to remove the foam is with a spoon.
Since this is low sugar, pectin-free jam recipe, it tends to be a little runnier than traditional versions.
DO NOT increase or double the 3 berry jam recipe because the jam won't "set" (jell, thicken).
You place jar lids in a pan of hot water for several minutes to soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids. However, newer lids do not need this step.

Can you Make Jam out of Frozen Summer Fruit?

Frozen fruit has a higher water content than fresh fruit, making homemade jam runnier.

For best results, we recommend fresh fruit in this recipe. However, you can use frozen berries if you increase the sugar to 4 cups.

You Will Love These Easy Homemade Jam Recipes:

Strawberry Chia Seed Jam

Blackberry Chia Seed Jam

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Printable Recipe

Homemade Mixed Berry Jam Recipe

This Homemade Mixed Berry Jam recipe can be made with a variety of berries.

Equipment

▢
canning jars
▢
saucepan

Ingredients

▢ 4 cups raspberries
▢ 4 cups blackberries
▢ 4 cups blueberries
▢ 3 cups sugar
▢ ¾ cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Have ready 6 hot, sterilized half-pint jars and their lids.
Place the berries and sugar in a large bowl. Gently stir together and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
In a large nonreactive saucepan, gently stir together the berries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently and removing any foam, until the jam has thickened, about 15 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Ladle the hot jam into the jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids.
Put the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Make sure the jars are covered in water. The sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. If a sealed has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Makes 6 half-pint jars.
Adapted from The Art of Preserving, by Lisa Atwood, Rebecca Courchesne & Rick Field (Weldon Owen, 2010).

Notes

Cooking Notes:

The fruit tends to bubble up while cooking. Just remove the foam with a spoon.
Since this is a low-sugar, pectin-free recipe, it tends to be a little runnier than traditional versions.
DO NOT increase or double the recipe because the jam won't "set" (jell, thicken).
You place jar lids in a pan of hot water for several minutes to soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids.

★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

***Please note the nutrition information is calculated per jar.

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @Suburban_Simplicity or tag #suburbansimplicity!

This article was enhanced with more tips and resources in May 2019.

CanningBasics

No worries, If you've never canned anything before, don't be afraid to start. Once you know the basics, you'll be on your way to canning all your summer fruit and much more!

The benefits of Canning:

Gain control of the ingredients, including organic fruits and vegetables.
Preserve foods at their freshest point, which locks in nutrition.
The final product is chemical and preservative-free.
Store-bought brands just can't match the wonderful flavor of homemade!

This post contains affiliate links. Disclosure policy here.

Basic Canning Supplies:

Mason Jars - either ½ pint jars or 8 oz jars work well
Funnel -for filling regular and wide-mouth canning jars
Jar lifter - easily removes hot jars from the hot water
Magnetic lid lifter - removes canning lids from hot water
Bubble remover - for releasing trapped air bubbles

A great resource to get you started with all the basics of home preserving and step-by-step instruction is The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes. We'reexcited, blueberries are just about to come into season, so the canning supplies will be coming out again soon!

Have you canned jam before? What other fruits or vegetables do you preserve?

FAQs

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).

Discover More Details ›

What makes homemade jam thicker? ›

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.

Why do you put vinegar in jam? ›

Cider vinegar is a fairly mild vinegar and is used mainly to offset the sweetness of the sugar. The acid in the vinegar also helps the pectin in the jam sugar to set.

Discover More ›

Do you put lids on jars when jam is hot? ›

As soon as the preserves are spooned or poured into the sterilised jars or bottles, they must be correctly sealed to prevent deterioration. Fill the hot dry jars right to the top – preserves shrink slightly on cooling and a full jar means less trapped condensation. Seal the jars while still hot.

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What happens if I forget to add lemon juice to my 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. You have to open the jars and put the mixture into a sauce pan. (If you made the jam or jelly recently and you carefully remove the lids without damaging them, you can re-use the same lids.)

Learn More ›

What is the ratio of sugar to fruit for jam? ›

(2)Most jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar. I usually use a 75 % ratio, or 1 ½ pounds of sugar to every 2 pounds of fruit, unless the fruit is not very sweet, in which case, I adjust accordingly.

Get More Info ›

Is it better to use fresh or bottled lemon juice for jam? ›

Use bottled lemon juice in all canning for safest results. Whether adding lemon juice to tomatoes to acidify them safely or adding lemon juice to a jelly or jam, the best and safest choice is bottled lemon juice. Here's why. Bottled lemon juice is standardized, or uniformly acidified, per FDA regulations.

What is the percentage of fruit to sugar in jam? ›

(2)Most jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar. I usually use a 75 % ratio, or 1 ½ pounds of sugar to every 2 pounds of fruit, unless the fruit is not very sweet, in which case, I adjust accordingly.

Keep Reading ›

What is the ratio of pulp to sugar for the preparation of jam? ›

It can be prepared from one kind of fruit or from two or more kinds.In its preparation about 45% of fruit pulp should be used for every 55% of sugar. The FPO specification of jam is 68.5% TSS, 45% of fruit pulp and 0.5-0.6% of acid (citric acid) per 100 gm of the prepared product. Select good quality ripe fruits.

Read The Full Story ›

How much sugar should I put in my jam? ›

A recipe that calls for 4 cups of berries needs anywhere between 3 ½ – 5 cups of sugar for the jam to gel. Fruit butters, which are thickened by cooking and pureeing fruit and sugar until the desired texture, require half as much sugar as fruit. A recipe that calls for 4 cups of fruit puree needs only 2 cups of sugar.