I've pared down this homemade jam recipe to produce a small batch mixed berry jam recipe using three different types of seasonal berries - strawberries, blueberries and raspberries - and far less sugar than is traditionally called for, but still with loads of fresh, delicious fruit flavor. Yields 8 ounces of jam.
Use any berries you have to preserve them in this no-pectin berry jam. Both fresh and frozen berries work well in this recipe. Spread this sweet and tart jam on my ready-in-30-minutes Flaky 2-ingredient Self Rising Flour Biscuits!
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Use Seasonal Fruit to Make Homemade Jam
I love summertime and its bounty of fresh fruit. I started making my own jam a few years ago using seasonal fruit and am continually surprised at how easy it is to do this at home. This recipe is the perfect way to use up berries before they go bad.
This is a refrigerator jam. This means no canning is required for long-term storage. Since this berry preserves recipe yields just 8 ounces of jam, it's the perfect amount to store in the fridge for a few weeks. It'll be gone before you know it!
Homemade Jam has less sugar
My favorite part of making this easy mixed berry jam recipe is the ability to control the amount of sugar that goes into it. Have you ever read the nutrition label on the back of store-bought jams or jellies? There's loads of sugar in there.
I tested several batches of this jam to get the amount of sugar just right. It needed to be enough to balance the tartness of the fruit but not too much that it was overly sweet. The amount of sugar and sweetness in this version is just perfect. Having said that, feel free to adjust the level of sugar to your taste preference.
How to Make Mixed Berry Jam
Making homemade jam is not difficult at all. And since this recipe produces about one eight-ounce jar of mixed berry jam, there's no canning or preserving required to store excess jars.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Be sure to keep close by the stove while the jam is cooking. When the berries begin to break down and the water naturally in them evaporates, the sugars that are left behind tend to burn very easily. So, continue stirring the berries, especially as the liquid thickens, to avoid burning.
- Experiment with the types of berries in this recipe! Try anything that's seasonal and inexpensive, just retain the quantities listed. Try adding in different types of citrus zest, sprinkling in some vanilla seeds from fresh vanilla beans, or adding in some freshly grated ginger to spice it up a bit.
This Small Batch Mixed Berry Jam goes perfectly with these recipes:
Like this recipe? Follow me on Pinterest for lots more recipes just like this one! And don’t forget to pin this recipe for later by clicking on one of the images below the recipe. Or, click on any of the images in this post to save to Pinterest.
FOR ALL MY FAVORITE BAKING TOOLS INCLUDING THOSE USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE, CHECK OUT MY BAKING RESOURCES PAGE!
Did you enjoy a KICKASS BAKER recipe? Please share a comment and leave a 5 Star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Rating on this recipe! We appreciate you sharing your feedback!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces strawberries hulled and quartered
- 6 ounces raspberries
- 6 ounces blueberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon, lime or orange juice
Instructions
- Toss the berries and sugar together in a large, heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch Oven. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, periodically tossing to coat and to dissolve the sugar (this process helps coax the juices out of the fruit). Place a small plate in the refrigerator to chill (you’ll use this later to test the consistency of the jam).16 ounces strawberries, 6 ounces raspberries, 6 ounces blueberries, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Bring the fruit to a strong simmer over medium heat until the berries burst and the juices start to boil, about 15 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook the jam, at first stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon or spatula, then more frequently as the juices thicken. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated and the fruit has begun to break down, 40 – 50 minutes. How much it breaks down will depend on the fruit’s type and ripeness: for example, strawberries are likely to retain more of their shape, while raspberries will break down almost entirely. As the jam cooks, the liquid will reduce, the sugars thicken and the natural pectins activate. You’ll notice the liquid go from a rapid, rolling boil with smaller bubbles to a slow, thick, tar-like boil with larger bubbles: This is the stage at which it’s most important to stir constantly along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and sticking (sugar is heavier than water and will concentrate there, increasing the chance that the fruit will burn) It’s also the stage at which splattering may occur, so take care in stirring.
- Once the jam reaches a slow, thick boil, add lemon / lime / orange juice and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the jam returns to its previous consistency (before you added the juice), about another 5 minutes. To test the consistency, spoon a bit of jam onto the chilled plate, return it to the refrigerator and chill for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through it: it should hold its shape on either side without appearing watery or runny. If it’s not there yet, cook a few minutes more (note: some fruit, like strawberries, contain more water and less natural pectin than other fruit, like raspberries. This means the jam will never be quite as thick or gelled, but it will still be delicious).1 tablespoon fresh lemon, lime or orange juice
- Once jam has reached the right consistency, remove from the heat. Add jam to an 8-ounce canning jar, mason jar or two 4-ounce jars and store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Store jam in the refrigerator, using within a couple of weeks.
- Recipe adapted from Alison Roman.
Nutrition
Comments
Katie
Recipe worked perfect. Thanks! I swapped blackberries for blueberries evenly (it’s what we had). Worked well, just a seedier final product.
Kim
So glad to hear you loved it!!
Mairi
Hi, I would love to try this recipe..
You mention:
(click the 2x, 3x buttons in the recipe card below!)
I have looked .. can’t seem to find this
thanks
Kimberlee Ho
Hi Mairi! The look and feel has evolved since I wrote that, so you won't see those buttons anymore, however, if you go to where it says "Servings" you can click on the '1' and slide the slider up to increase the servings and the ingredients will adjust based on the number you select. I hope that helps! Enjoy 😀.
Cher
After seeing the price of jam rising at the stores, I found your recipe and thought I'll give it a whirl. An hour later I had a delicious jam and filled up my previous (low sugar) jam jar. Absolutely delicious and easy! Next time I'll use orange juice instead of the lemon juice for little less acidity but otherwise awesome. Was surprised that I didn't need pectin and that was another bonus. I won't be buying jam again. Thanks for posting this!
Kimberlee Ho
How wonderful! So glad to hear this, Cher!
Carmen Wishlow
Can i make this with frozen berries that I thaw?
Kimberlee Ho
I haven't tried it with frozen berries, but I don't see why it wouldn't work.
Stefanie KB
I am so happy I found this recipe. It's my go to recipe for jam! It is super easy and tastes perfect! I love that it has less sugar, you get so much more of the actual fruit flavor instead of just sweet (like store bought).
I will buy frozen mixed berry fruit with no sugar added or use whatever berries I have on hand.
Kimberlee Ho
How wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing, Stefanie!
Geraldo
I blog frequently and I seriously appreciate your information. This
article has really peaked my interest. I will book mark your site and keep checking for new details about
once a week. I subscribed to your Feed as well.
Kelly
I notice if you click on the link to increase the size of the batch that it doesn't increase the amount of sugar. I'm okay with that but wanted to check to see if it was a mistake.
Kim
Hmm I will have to look into this! Thanks for letting me know!
Christine
This came out delicious, I'm always glad to see small batch recipes, as someone's I just want to use what I have a opposed to buying a few pounds of fruit.
Kimberlee Ho
Woo hoo! Love this! So glad you appreciate the quantity and the recipe 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Dave G
I was lucky enough to try the jam that Kim made....and it was phenomenal 🙂 Another excellent item that Kim makes!!
Kimberlee Ho
Thanks for being such a great taste tester!
Patricia
I made this today and it's delicious. It didn't take as long to thicken as the recipe calls for, just under 40 minutes. It is great, tastes like real berries '
I do have a question. Could you freeze this? I don't see why not but wanted to ask.
Kimberlee Ho
Absolutely! It'll keep in the freezer for at least 3 months. Be sure to store it in plastic vs glass in the freezer. I'd recommend leaving more headroom when freezing than when storing in the fridge, as it'll expand in the freezer. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Rebekah King
Used this as a guideline with some black, rasp, and blueberries! I winged it because I had approximately 50 total oz, I could have added more like 1.5 cups of sugar than just the 1 and a quarter ish I did but I want to eat it with a spoon!
Kimberlee Ho
Sounds delish!!
Kay
Berry jam came out so good! Simple ingredients which is awesome
Kimberlee Ho
So great to hear, Kay!
Johnson
Wow. Wow. Just wow.
This is the best preserve I've ever had. Whether from family, neighbor, or a store.
You should warn readers that the yield will likely be half a jar though. I tripled the recipe, promising a friend a jar while still cooking, and I taste tested so much I ended up w 1.5jars.
Oh, and wow. It's friggin GOOD.
Kimberlee Ho
Love hearing this! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Susie
I made this with strawberries, blueberries and garden grown blackberries and raspberries. I also had to quadruple the recipe given the berry combo and me trying to clean out the fridge before the fruit went bad. I also had fresh berries that were still on the sour side so upped the sugar just a smidge to fight the tart. Finally, I also went ahead and canned these using a water canner and sealed lids. Thanks for the recipe, this was so easy and yummy!!
Kimberlee Ho
Sounds delicious, thanks for sharing Susie!
Sabrina
How long would the water bath be?
Kimberlee Ho
Hi Sabrina! I haven't tried to can these, so I don't know for sure, however, typically for 8 ounce jars the water bath is 10 minutes. I hope that helps!
Susie
I boil mine for 18 min for 8oz jars. Water should be rolling boil, 2” above jars once in bath. Set out and they will seal on their own as they cool. Good luck.
Kimberlee Ho
Wonderful, thanks for sharing this, Susie!
Paige
Hi, could I use coconut sugar, maple syrup or honey in place of the granulated sugar? Thanks.
Kimberlee Ho
Sure!
Alexandria Lancaster
Could I can this recipe?
Kimberlee Ho
Yes definitely!
Monica Rotzien
Enjoy the low sugar and no pectin ingredients. Just finished making it and can think of so many uses. Maybe even a Victoria Sponge Cake.
Kimberlee Ho
Wonderful!! Enjoy 😊
Carrie Lewis
This is so good! I just finished a little batch of it because I had some berries in the fridge and didn’t want them to go bad. Than you!!!
Kimberlee Ho
That workout perfectly! So glad you loved it.
Tracey
Easy!
Just raspberries and blueberries. I added 2 teaspoons of maple syrup, and used raw caster sugar. Had to keep my husband away from it. Excellent recipe, dead easy for a novice. Great as a Xmas present for neighbours and friends 🥰
Kimberlee Ho
Your neighbors must love you for gifting them this! Thanks for sharing how you modified the recipe - it's helpful for other bakers.