This Homemade Mixed Berry Jam canning 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 from the 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.
*The foam forms because the berries fill with a lot of air from the boiling.
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:
We Love to Hear from YOU!
If you try this Mixed Berry Jam Canning Recipe or any other recipe on Suburban Simplicity, don’t forget to rate it and let us know how it went in the comments below. We love hearing from you! Better yet, use the hashtag #suburbansimplicity if you make the recipe.
Printable Recipe
Homemade Mixed Berry Jam Recipe
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
- 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.
Nutrition
This article was enhanced with more tips and resources in May 2019.
Canning Basics
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're excited, 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?
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Jason Peterson says
Why would you say that a doubled recipe won't set? The goal is to stir it so that the whole pot comes to the setting temperature of 105°. You can clip a meat thermometer to the pot with a wooden clothes pin. The U.S. cups measurement hides the true ratio of berries to sugar. Raspberries pack very loosely. A normal jam is about 5:4, which allows it to reach a high boiling point.
I always leave berries to ferment with sugar until I get around to tending to them. I feel that the sugar crystals help mash them up. If you take recipes at their face value, others will tell you that sugar will toughen the skins. Go figure.
I made it with black currants. They have intense flavor, color and provide pectin. They will dominate in equal proportions. Jam is a good way to use up imperfect raspberries.
Eve says
You weren't kidding about this being a bit more runny than other jams with pectin! This is more of a sauce than a jam. Will have to try it again with some pectin because otherwise it's tasty. I'd definitely recommend mashing up any larger berries ahead of time too as I had some large strawberries that took long time to cook down.
Cyndu says
Love this recipe made mine for a diabetic sugar-free turned out delicious
Erin Henry says
We love hearing this, Cyndu! So glad you like it!
K.Ann says
I finished making the jam, but it’s a little runnier that I like. I’m going to see how it’s doing in morning. Can I recook it with a little pectin to help firm it some. I have low sugar real fruit pectin.I have already water bathed it. Im listening to that beautiful sound of popping lids. Also I got 11
1/2 pints. As I was making it the house smelled so wonderful and the taste is great.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Erin Henry says
This recipe is a bit runnier since it doesn't use pectin. If you have already water-bathed it, I would see how it sets after it cools. I think you'll find it's a nice consistency for toast.
The house does smell wonderful after making this recipe!
Leigh-Anne says
I have a box I just bought of low sugar pectin and I wanted to add it to the recipe. I guess it would just make it a little more firm? I just wondered why that is never mentioned by anyone on here. I see a lot of people saying it's a little runny wouldn't that be a big help to add?
Erin Henry says
You're right, Leigh-Anne, this recipe doesn't use pectin, so it's a little runnier. We haven't tried adding pectin to it, so we can't say for sure what the result will look like. It will probably be more firm.
Colleen says
Peeled, cored and diced up apple added to the mixture will work as Pectin
Linda Davis says
I just made it -- with blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. Fantastic! Now I have a little bit of summer during the winter months. I didn't have a jar lifter so I wrapped my long tong 'paddles' with a few wide rubber bands. Worked great. Listening to my jars 'pop' now. Thank you. LD
Erin Henry says
You're inventive, Linda! Your jam sounds delicious! Great job with your homemade jar lifter!
Karabee says
I used your recipe to use some berries (raspberries, blackberries, cherries and a few stray blueberries). Sooo easy and really delicious! Can’t wait to mix a bit in with plain yogurt and spread on croissants!
Erin Henry says
What a good addition with the cherries! It's perfect with plain yogurt and definitely good on croissants!
Jen says
I’ve made mixed berry jam before but my family is not fond of seeds. Can I purée and strain the berries and how much purée should I use when I do this. I prefer low sugar recipes
Erin Henry says
Hi Jen, we have not tried the recipe with pureed and strained berry, however, it should work. I would keep the proportions the same, but I think the jam will probably turn out runnier.
WendyD says
I made this today with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. It was runny, but I let it cook a little longer and use my immersion blender to bust the blueberries. This thickened the jam up a bit. As I was putting it into jars I pushed it through a sieve to remove the seeds. Taste great and will be a great topping for toast, bagels, yogurt or pound cake. Thanks for the recipe, really helped make room in my freezer for the tomatoes coming in daily. ?
Riétte de Klerk says
Hi Erin, this mixed berry jam looks delicious and I want to try it. The photos show raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, but there are no strawberries in the ingredient list. Should there be strawberries in the recipe as well?
Can’t wait to try this jam.
Regards, Riétte
Erin Henry says
Hi there, you can use whatever mix of berries you like with this recipe as long as they add up to the total amount listed. Thanks! We like it with strawberries, but other berries work great too!