7 Amazing Beginner Homemade Jam Recipes

Homemade Jam

There is no better way to preserve the bounty and freshness of the summer season than homemade jam. And it is super easy to make and do it yourself. Discover 7+ amazing homemade jam recipes including strawberry jam, low sugar jam and jams with no pectin.

Preserves

Fruit preserves are spreads that include sugar as it’s main preserving agent. These include fruit jam, fruit jelly, marmalades and fruit spreads.

Marmalade

Marmalades are fruit preserves made from boiling the juices and rinds of citrus fruits in sugar and water. Most commonly orange marmalade.

Jelly

Jelly is a clear fruit spread made by removing the seeds and pulp during the jam making or preserving process. Grape jelly is a commonly used fruit gel.

Fruit Spread

Fruit spread is a jam with no added sugar that focuses on the flavor of the fruit. Fruit spreads are generally (but refer to product data) diabetic friendly.

Harvesting The Season

Making homemade jam has become a traditional summer harvest and preserve activity in our home. Raspberry jam, blueberry jam and applesauce are usual items on our canning list. This year we may try ground cherry jam and peach jam.

How Do You Make Jam From Scratch

Making fruit jam from scratch is fairly easy to do and a great beginner preserving or homesteading task. You will require berries or crushed fruit, sugar, pectin, lemon juice and a big pot for making the jam in. Jars or containers for storage will vary on whether you are freezing or canning the jam.

How Do You Make Jam Step By Step

A basic step by step jam making recipe is as follows:

Ingredients:

4 Cups Crushed Berries or Fruit

4 Cups Sugar

1 Package of Pectin

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

Instructions:

Layer crushed fruit and sugar in your jam making pot. Add lemon juice and bring fruit to a boil. Boil for one minute.

Refer to the type of pectin you are using for when to add. We use a liquid pectin and you add it once removing the boiled thickened fruit and sugar mixture from the heat.

Carefully transfer jam mixture into jars and prepare to can. If canning refer to your canning recipe. General jam canning instruction for our area is to boil jars for 10 minutes. Then let stand for 24 hours to cool and set.

What Is The Secret To Making Jam

Some will say pectin. Others will say fresh fruit. I believe the secret in making jam is making jam you will enjoy eating or gifting. Also being creative, learning and experimenting with new recipes. For example I can’t wait to try this Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade recipe from Canning Crafts.

What Is The Ratio Of Sugar To Fruit When Making Jam?

The general ratio of sugar to fruit in making jam is one to one. But I have seen fruit preserve recipes that call for more or less sugar. And other recipes that call for honey or monk fruit or maple syrup to be used as the sweetener.

Can You Make Jam Without Pectin?

Yes, you can make jam without pectin. Some fruit and berries are high in natural pectin and work great in no pectin recipes. Blueberries and apples are examples of high pectin fruits.

You can also make no pectin jam using chia seeds as a fruit spread thickening agent.

What Is Freezer Jam?

Freezer jam is a very popular form of making jam that doesn’t involve canning or processing the jars of jam to extend it’s shelf life. You simply follow the freezer jam recipe, fill the freezer jam jars leaving a 1/4 inch head space for expansion and freeze until you are ready to use. Learn about all the other food items you can freeze to save money.

How To Make Homemade Jam

Making homemade jam is a simple process of heating up sliced crushed fruit and sugar to create a thickened spread. Pectin or no pectin can be added to the recipe.

Most jam recipes are an equal fruit to sugar ratio, about a 1/4 cup of bottled lemon juice and pectin. Each recipe will vary. Below you will find some amazingly easy homemade jam recipes.

Making Jam With Chia Seeds

If you are looking for a healthy low sugar alternative to the high sugar supermarket jams with pectin. Quick and easy homemade jam made with chia seeds is a great alternative.

Chia seeds give the fruit spread a jam like consistency without the use of pectin. In this great 3 Ingredient Chia Seed Strawberry Jam recipe from The Busy Baker honey is used as the sweetener. It’s a simple and easy fruit spread you can make in minutes.

Liquid Pectin Versus Powdered Pectin

Pectin can be purchased and it can be made (with a lot of work). Store bought pectin comes in powdered pectin and liquid pectin form. Preference is in the cook. We prefer to use a liquid pectin.

Basic Strawberry Jam Recipe

Strawberry jam is one of the most popular jams to make. Strawberries are usually the first berries of the season for people to start preserving and making into jam. Happy Mothering has a great Strawberry Jam recipe everyone should try.

Best Jam Recipes

I think the best jam recipes are a personal preference. I have friends who hands down love homemade blackberry jam and others who prefer raspberry, grape or blueberry jam.

But I think homemade jam is way better than commercial store bought jam. If you don’t want to make your own jam this year support local and purchase a jar of homemade jam from your local farmers market.

Unusual Jam Recipes

Jams and jellies come in many different forms. The most common but unusual jelly to spread on toast is mint jelly commonly served with lamb dishes. Jams and jellies can be used as a condiment or spread with main dishes. Here are some great unusual jam recipes that can be spread on a biscuit or served as a dressing or dip.

Maple Peach Whisky Jam – Kelly Neil

Wine Jelly – The View From Great Island

Carrot Cake Jam – Canning Crafts

Onion Jam – Attainable Sustainable

Bacon Jam – Souffle Bombay

How To Make Jam From Frozen Berries

We actually did this, this year in fact. We made raspberry jam and blueberry jam from frozen berries. I had run out of homemade jam and still had the freezer stocked with berries so it worked perfectly. You need to defrost the berries first and follow the regular jam recipe step for step. I have heard that some people cook the jam longer when using previously frozen berries versus fresh to ensure all the liquid gels.

Why Use Frozen Berries In Jam

Harvest season is a busy time of year and you want to be able to preserve all of your produce before it spoils. Freezing berries and fruit is quick and easy. You can later defrost the fruit you want to use for jam at anytime throughout the year.

7 Amazing Homemade Jam Recipes

Three Citrus & Vanilla Bean Marmalade – Canning Crafts

Low Sugar No Pectin Blueberry – Melissa K Norris (Great Recipe)

Strawberry Jam – Happy Mothering

Vanilla Peach Jam – Family Food Garden

Raspberry Jam Without Pectin – The Idea Room

Easy Plum Jam – A Baker’s House

Apple Jam – A Family Feast

Jam Recipe Canning

Jams, jellies and marmalade can all be canned in a water bath for longer shelf life. Most jams once canned can be stored for one year. Each canning recipe is different and the duration the jam jars are in the canner will be based on your elevation. Most jams will water bath for 5 to 15 minutes. Please refer to the recipe for exact timing.

Jam Making Supplies

Other Canning Supplies

Jam Recipe Cookbooks

If you are looking for more jams and jelly recipes or other canning inspiration here are some amazing cookbooks:

Homemade Jam For Sale

Jams, jellies and preserves are one of those classic summer farmers market items. And they sell and they sell well. If you are looking for a local side hustle you can make and sell jams and jellies might just be your answer. Plus if you can do regular jams with a twist like bourbon peach jam or vanilla maple pumpkin spread it adds to your selection and attracts the clientele.

Homemade Jam Gifts

Jams make amazing gifts because people love homemade small batch food items. And jams are something everyone uses whether it be on toast or biscuits, over yogurt or ice cream. A cute gift idea would be a jam trio set or adding jam to a food basket or a jar of someone’s favorite flavor.