‘Tis the season for canning. One of the easiest things (in my opinion) to can is jam. If you have never tried canning before, this is a good thing to try for your first thing. It can be done in your home without a lot of special equipment and the results are super yummy and rewarding. Today I am going to share with you our favorite Raspberry Jam Recipe. This is a Pectin Free Raspberry Jam.
Raspberry Jam Recipe (without Pectin)
Ingredients:
- · 5 cups of fresh, perfectly ripe (not over ripe raspberries)
- · 2 ½ cups of regular granulated sugar
Materials:
- Canning Jars (Amazon)
- new canning lids (in the canning section)
- canning rings (optional)
- 2 large stock pots
- jar tongs (or lifter)
- potato masher
Directions:
1. Put the small plate into the freezer. You’ll use it to plop a drop of your hot jam on when you think it’s ready.
2. Unscrew the lids from the jars and pop off the inner lids.
3. Sterilize the jars (lids off) by putting them in your dishwasher about an hour before you use them or by boiling them (lids off) in the large canning pot for about 10 minutes (you can put you jar funnel and lid lifter magnet with the jars to sterilize them too)
4.Fill the 8-inch saucepan or pot about half way with water, bring to a boil and drop the inner lids into the boiling water. Sterilize them for 10 minutes.
5. Wash your berries and crush to taste in a steel pot. If you like fruit-chunky jam, crush them about half way, for smoother jam crush them a little more, (raspberries will disintegrate quite a bit when heated so you don’t have to crush them all the way)
6. Once the fruit is crushed, add 2½ cups of granulated sugar and mix it up.
7. Turn the heat to high for the first 5 minutes stirring constantly.
8. Turn the heat down to medium and stir constantly for about 20-25 minutes.
9. At about 20 minutes or when you jam starts to look gooey, test the consistency by taking the saucer out of the freezer and dropping a small dollop of jam on it. If it doesn’t run or drip off the plate, it’s done.
10. Take the jam pot off the heat, set it aside and let it cool.
11. Using the jar funnel, fill each jar and leave 1/4 inch of space at the top. Put on the lids and tighten.
12. Fill your canning pot with water enough to cover the closed jars and bring to a boil.
13. Put the filled jars in the rack and lower into the boiling water and let it boil for about 15 minutes.
14.Turn off the heat, remove the rack of jars and let them cool to room temperature.
As you are cleaning up you should hear tiny little popping noises as your jars of jam seal one by one. It is the best sound ever! If you end up with a little extra that will not fit in a jar…or you have half a jar of jam…you can simply put that jam right in the fridge and use it because it will not seal properly to store on your shelf.
To download a copy of the Raspberry Jam Printable Labels click on the link below and then select Previous Downloads:
{Raspberry Jam Printable Labels}
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Previously I had shared some different printable Jam labels. So if you would like to print those labels for some different kinds of jam you can find them here:
Interested in seeing some other Canning Recipes? Check these out:
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Thanks for these instructions on making jam! Think I’m going to try it substituting the sugar for the right amount of Stevia. :)
Thank you for the recipe!! It looks amazing!!
Do you also have a recipe for peach jam? Peaches are in season in Korea, but not raspberries.. ;( Thank you!!
Very pretty!
I NEVER allow my jam to cool!! Always put in jars immediately!! If you let it set and cool there is always a chance of bacteria getting in. I have been canning for 40 years and have canned thousands of jars of food!
I agree you leaving the jam to cool is never recommended.
How long will the jars of jam stay good for?
They should last a couple of years if they are sealed properly.
Why does the sugar harden about 2 inches at the bottom of the jars after being refrigerated for a little while? It kind of solidifies.
There are some great tips here that may help answer your question: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/08/jam-making-101-pectin-sugar-gel-point.html
Carolyn- you can often get 18 months to two years out of your higher sugar products like jams and fruit canned in syrup. As long as the seal is good and the lid seems properly concave, your product should be just fine.
Great recipe even used it to make blueberry jam to. Thank you
You are welcome! Blueberry sounds delicious!
Can you use frozen raspberries
Becky- Yes you can use frozen berries. Great question.
I would like to try making this recipe in a couple of days for Mother’s Day gifts for 3 people. Could you please give me an answer as to how many, and what sized, jars this makes. Thank you.
Deanna- About 1 1/2 c. per pint jar, roughly. Hope this helps. Thank you.
This is great and all but how much does this make ?? How many onces ? Quarts ? Pints ??. So 5 c of berries 2.5 sugar …Im sure that doesnt work out to 7.5 c of jam ..Does it.
It make a little over 1 quart of jam. Thanks and Enjoy!
Can this recipe be doubled or tripled? I want to make several 8oz jars of jam at one time.
Jean- Yes, it can be doubled or tripled. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Can I add lemon juice to balance out the sugar content? I find it a bit sweet and don’t want to reduce the sugar too much because I’m afraid
it won’t preserve well.
Kylie- I would think that would be ok as long as you don’t add too much. That may cause it to be to runny.
How many jars does this make and what size jar?
It make a little over 1 quart of jam. Thanks and Enjoy!
Would it be ok to double the recipe?
Jo- Yes that should work!
What should I do it don’t seem to be thickening?
Gail- If you are wondering what causes jam or jelly to not thicken and how you can fix it you’ll find there is more then one cause but it’s easy to fix your recipe. Jam and jelly not setting is usually a problem that is caused by temperature, pectin problems, or incorrect measurements.
Try one of these 2 methods:
Instead of thickening the jam on the stovetop again, pour the jam out into a rimmed baking sheet and “dry” it out in a low oven (say 200°F) for an hour or two. This will concentrate the flavor and reduce the jam’s moisture without any hands-on cooking. It might be a little bit more tedious than the other methods, but it works wonders on delicate jams like apricot or persimmon.
How To Fix Jam And Jelly That Didn’t Set 1. Refrigeration. If it’s been over 24 hours and your jam or jelly hasn’t set take one of the jars and place it into the fridge. Sometimes the cooler temperature can help make it set up nice and firm. When it’s well-chilled remove it from the fridge and check to see if it has jelled.