Calling all blueberry lovers for this super simple 4-Ingredient Blueberry Jam Recipe (made with no added pectin)! This powerful antioxidant berry is simmered with zero refined sugar and perfect to top on pancakes, fresh toast or serve on happy hour cheese and crackers! Takes about 10 minutes to whip up!
Homemade blueberry jam is so simple to make and made without adding pectin or preservatives! Use fresh or frozen blueberries and add the jam to toast or in this healthy Peanut Butter and Jelly Oatmeal Bake, added to Chia and Hemp Seed Superfood Oatmeal and in this Strawberry Granola Crumble in place of strawberries.
The other day I was at the gym chatting with my friend Lucy (amazingly fit friend with 5 children that you want your body to be perfectly muscular, lean and fit-like!) about healthy dessert recipes. She was soon heading to a kindergarten party for her son and wanted to bring a healthy dessert dish with fruit. She wanted a baking dish recipe that can easily be served as bars and pan-fed.
Peaches are still in season for another month or so, but I mentioned blueberries in a crumble. Blueberries because they are delicious and easy year-round. Even frozen blueberries are bursting with flavor and can easily be turned into blueberry jam as the center in muffins, custards and crumbles. That conversation (thank you Lucy!) struck my creativity to share this amazing blueberry jam recipe that I make all the time for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kiddos! A jam or jelly made with no pectin. Just whole fruit jam!
I have a giant bag of organic blueberries in my freezer now from Costco. They are only about $14 per 4 pound bag… FOR ORGANIC!!!! And they taste fantastic! We use frozen blueberries all the time for making homemade blueberry jam recipes, blueberry ice cream, blueberry sauce over pancakes, blueberry muffins, desserts and added in healthy smoothie recipes.
Tips and How to Make and Freeze Blueberries for Jam or Jelly:
- If you have fresh blueberries and want to save them to make this blueberry jam recipe for a later time simply freeze your fresh flowering fruit. And please consider that the amount of water in berries varies as do the size of the berries.
- When making a homemade jam with fresh berries, simmer until slightly thick in consistency (not watery). So for smaller wild blueberries less cooking time is needed, and full-bodied plump blueberries slightly longer.
- The best blueberries are freshly picked. Remove any stems or stray leaves, and place berries in a colander and rinse thoroughly. Let the blueberries dry on a towel to release extra water.
- Pat the blueberries dry with a towel. Put the dry blueberries in a Zip-lock back pushing out any extra air. Place in the freezer until ready to use. Or arrange blueberries on the towel lined baking sheet. The towel helps the blueberries not to stick during the freezing process.
- Freeze the blueberries in the freezer for about 4 hours. After 4 hours, transfer them to a freezer Zip-lock bag if not previously done.
How to make homemade blueberry jam (or blackberry jam, raspberry jam or strawberry jam) without pectin:
- Add 2 cups of fresh or frozen fruit to a saucepan. Add sugar, lemon and a sprinkle of salt.
- Simmer slowly for about 10 minutes on low. Throughout the simmering process, stir continuously and with a potato masher, mash the berries until thick in consistency.
- Let the jam cool then store in an airtight jar with a lid. The jam will store for about 3 weeks refrigerated.
Blueberries are one of the most amazing “super fruit” fruits that you can consume. Fresh or frozen, blueberries are so high in antioxidants. They can actually help to ward off heart disease. Why? Well first off because they are a whole food/real food ingredient and anytime you consume real foods your body does a little happy dance. Blueberries are high in fiber, potassium, folate, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and phytonutrients.
Phytonutrients are plant based foods. Whenever you consume plant based foods your body is smiling joyously at you! Plant based foods are packed with chemicals that help protect plants from germs, fungi, bugs, and other threats.
So what does that do for your body? Well it helps to protect YOU from germs, fungi, bugs and other threats…. aka, you are what you eat!
I will never forget the first time I ever went blueberry picking with Chase. The blueberries produced on the plants had a powder-like substance coating them. Was this a hidden spray I thought? Not at all and totally opposite! Blueberries, grapes, and certain plums produce a waxy, silvery-white substance on the surface which acts as a barrier against insects and bacteria and helps to seal in the fruit’s moisture. Completely safe to eat and wears away after the fruits handling.
Homemade blueberry jam can be canned and stored. We love fresh preserving foods for a later time in our Ball Mason Jars. But occasionally I do not even go there because we eat local produce way too fast. But if you don’t have the luxury of living in a gorgeous climate most of the year, canning your homemade blueberry jam is a must! Blueberry jam recipes kinda tastes like candy that you will want to scoop out of the jar and eat year round!
I made and photographed this homemade jam recipe quite a while ago. Tonight I made it again to ensure the perfect consistency. This blueberry jam checks out to be the best blueberry jam without pectin. All you have to do is just simmer it slightly to free the juices from the blueberries which makes it thick and spreadable. I never have pectin in my pantry. Not quite sure why since I always seem to need it for canning recipes! I started making my own jams and jelly recipes with frozen or fresh organic fruit without pectin. The sugar I use is usually Xylitol or coconut sugar for its low glycemic index. But you can also use Stevia for a sugar free blueberry jam.
School is right around the corner, can you believe it? Make a giant batch of this easy low sugar blueberry jam and have almost a months worth of spreadable homemade jam for school lunches. Perfect for healthy PB&J’s! Nothing processed here, just all natural homemade deliciousness!
Ok y’all, I am off to grab a scoop right now as a little “night cap”!
