Skip to Content

Homemade Blackberry Jam

Sharing is caring!

I am all about making homemade jams and jellies these days. This last week, I tried my hand at making homemade blackberry jam. So far, this has been my favorite.

Thanks to Ball® Home Canning for sponsoring this post and sending me the all-new jelly jars to store my homemade jams in!

Making homemade blackberry jam is not hard at all. In fact, making any jam or jelly is pretty easy.

When it comes to canning, there are several types. There is pressure canning (which my mom did a lot of when I was growing up). You can also do water bath canning (what you do for a lot of salsas and jellies). And there is freezer canning (like I did with the strawberry jam I recently made).

How to Make Homemade Blackberry Jam

First, you want to make sure that you get really good ripe blackberries. You can use fresh or frozen — either one works well. For this one, I used fresh. The store had a great deal on the berries, so I bought two of the large packs to make this jam with.

You are going to need pectin.

Pectin is what will make your jelly set up well. There are two kinds of Pectin — powdered or liquid. Either one works fine.

And then you need jelly jars.

For me, there has only ever been one jelly jar that I've used and that is Ball® Home Canning. Growing up, the jars were covered in beautiful diamond cuts.

My mom had jars that had specialty lids. Sometimes, she would have me cut rounds of fabric and string to place over the top to dress them up when she gave them away.

I've loved this memory my entire life and so I now pass on that tradition myself. Except — I use the new Ball® Home Canning Jars.

The new jars are smooth sided, making it easier to see your jams and jellies better. But don't worry — the Ball logo is still up front and center on every single jar.

Let's Get that Homemade Blackberry Jam made!

Now that you have your star ingredients, it's time to make that jelly! Before you do though — you need to prepare your jars for canning. Heat jars in a stock pot of simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.

Using a potato masher, smash your berries really good. I like my jam chunky so I never puree my fruit. For me, those chunks of fruit make for a delicious piece of toast.

Once you get your berries mashed, add in your sugar and boil on the stovetop for a couple of minutes. That gives the sugar time to melt and it will create the most beautiful liquid you have ever seen.

At this point, you can add in your pectin and lemon juice (if you are adding that) and boil for 1-2 more minutes.

Pull your jars out of the hot water bath and dry them off. Then, ladle the hot jam into the jars making sure to leave 1/4″ headspace at the top.

Center the lid on the jar and apply the band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place the jars in the boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.

Process jars 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove jars from canner and let them stand 5 minutes. Cool the jars on the counter for 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when the center is pressed.

It's really that simple. It's not rocket science and the jam is better than any store-bought jam you will find. For more information on canning and preserving, please check out Ball Home Canning.

Looking for other jam and jelly recipes? Check these out!

Yield: 6 half pint jars

Homemade Blackberry Jam

Homemade Blackberry Jam

Make this easy homemade blackberry jam today to serve on top of fresh hot biscuits or a piece of toast.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups blackberries, crushed
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 4 1/2 tbsp Ball Real Fruit Pectin
  • 6 half pint size Canning Jars
  • Water Bath Canner

Instructions

  1. Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
  2. Combine berries in an 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.
  3. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary.
  4. Ladle hot jam into a hot jar leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
  5. Process jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

80

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 35Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 0g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Lynn

Sunday 15th of October 2023

I have made this twice and both times it turned amazing. I had never made homemade jam and was surprised how easy it was.

Jennifer Sikora

Monday 16th of October 2023

I love hearing that Lynn! This is my favorite jam too.

Kristen

Friday 15th of September 2023

This recipe turned out great - but it only made 4 jars for me. So super small batch but the flavor is so good! Will make again for sure.

Jennifer Sikora

Sunday 17th of September 2023

Hi Kristen. It probably is because the size of your berries. I usually make smaller batch jelly recipes because it is just me and my husband.

Dawn

Wednesday 30th of August 2023

Hi. Just for clarity…in your written, paragraphed instructions above you have sugar added first and boil. Then add pectin and lemon juice and boil. However, in the recipe below that, the pectin is added first and boil, then add sugar all at once and boil.

Jennifer Sikora

Friday 1st of September 2023

Either way works fine. I have done it both ways. I will fix the instructions to match.

Linda

Monday 17th of July 2023

I made this jam and gave almost all away have had people call and ask for more. It was great recipe.

Jennifer Sikora

Tuesday 18th of July 2023

IT is my go to jam and I always get rid of every single jar I make (with the exception of what I keep for myself.)

Harrison

Friday 18th of February 2022

You call for 4 1/2 tbsp of Pectin. Is this supposed to be 4 1/2 TSP of pectin. If recipe is correct, why not just 2 Tbs of Pectin? It's an odd way of presenting the amount.

Jennifer Sikora

Tuesday 22nd of February 2022

No -- It has the correct amount of pectin in it. 4 1/2 TABLESPOONS.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Skip to Recipe