Small Batch Blueberry Jam (No Added Pectin)

Jam packed with real blueberry flavor, this small batch blueberry jam tastes like summer in a jam jar. With no added pectin, a hint of cardamom, and less sugar than anything you’ll find at the grocery store, this recipe gives you a thick, chunky blueberry jam that tastes like blueberries first and sugar second. Made with fresh or frozen blueberries, it works any time of year.

Thank you Oregon Blueberry Growers for sponsoring today’s post. To learn more, check out their website at Oregon Blueberries.

Why I Make Jam in Small Batches

One of my favorite things about summer is the abundance of fresh berries. I eat them by the handfuls, pile them on pancakes, and throw them into my churned blueberry ice cream and streusel-topped blueberry muffins. Even so, I often find myself with more than I can eat before they go bad. That’s where small batch jam comes in.

Making large batches of jam can be a whole production –– lots of jars, canning expertise, and a kitchen that’s out of commission for hours. Small batch jam skips all of that. No special equipment, no canning knowledge required, and it freezes beautifully if you want to stretch that summer berry flavor into winter.

When berry season rolls around, you won’t find me committing myself to processing or storing berries by the crate, but you will find me using up my less-than-perfect berries with small batches of jam like this one or my rhubarb strawberry jam.

Selecting the Best Blueberries for No-Pectin Jam

The best blueberries for jam making will include mainly ripe (but not overripe) blueberries, with a handful of under ripe blueberries thrown in. As blueberries ripen, their naturally occurring pectin, which helps the jam to thicken, begins to dissolve. Using all ripe or overripe berries, will make it very difficult for your jam to set up without the use of added thickeners like derived pectin, agar agar, or cornstarch.

Don’t have access to fresh blueberries? Check the freezer section! Whole frozen blueberries work just fine, but it will need to cook slightly longer than the recipe directs in order for it to thicken.

The Importance of Sugar in Jam

The sugar has a job here beyond just sweetening the jam. If you omit it all together, you won’t actually have jam. One of the main reasons I prefer homemade jam is because I don’t like the blueberry flavored sugar that often passes for blueberry jam at the grocery store. Creating this recipe based on my personal preference, it does have less sugar than most store bought jam, but the sugar that is included is necessary for both texture and flavor.

If you do choose to reduce the sugar further, be aware that it could make it difficult for your jam to set up properly. What you can do is swap the granulated sugar for other types of sugar like brown sugar, raw sugar, or honey. I have not, nor do I intend, to test this recipe with artificial sweeteners, but if you try it and it works, please let me know!

Tips and Tricks for Small Batch Blueberry Jam

• Use a wide shallow pot. It increases the surface area and allows water to evaporate more quickly.
• After you wash the fresh berries, let them dry completely before using.
• No blender? You can use a food processor, or a knife to cut the berries in half, or use a potato masher later in the cooking process to help break up the blueberries as they cook.
• Do not use overripe fruit for making jam. In fact, adding in a handful of under ripe blueberries will help the jam to thicken.
• Fresh lemon juice is nice, but bottled lemon juice will do the job just as well.

Serving Suggestions

Enjoy your jam slathered on homemade biscuits, serve it on your next cheese and charcuterie board, use it as a filling for homemade blueberry pastries with rough puff pastry, or turn it into a fruit and yogurt parfait with maple hazelnut homemade granola.

How to Store

The combination of cooking alongside the natural preservatives of acid in the lemon juice and sugar means that this delicious blueberry jam can be refrigerated in an airtight container for a week or longer, if you can get it to last that long! To increase the storage time, use sterilized jars that have been submerged in boiling water for 30 seconds.

This blueberry jam can also be frozen for up to six months. If freezing in glass jars, I recommend leaving 1/2″ – 1″ of clearance to give the jam room to expand as it freezes. I also recommend letting the jam freeze with the lid off to prevent the jar from cracking. You can place the lids on after 6 – 8 hours to lock in the flavor.

The only way to make this jam shelf-stable is to use proper canning procedures.