Raspberry Freezer Jam

The easiest Raspberry Jam recipe and quite possibly the only one you’ll want to make from here on out! It’s perfect for those of us who have no canning tools or canning skills and it’s such an easy to follow recipe! Even if you’ve never made jam you’ll find this a breeze to prepare.

Homemade Raspberry Freezer Jam

The other great thing about this jam, other than it’s addictive flavor is that it can freeze up to 1 year so you can enjoy a freshly flavored raspberry jam in the middle of winter! I love pulling a batch out at Thanksgiving to go with the Homemade Dinner Rolls or adding to my kids PBJ sandwiches in the school lunch rotation.

This has been my go to jam recipe for 10+ years. I’ve tried other jams (strawberry, peach, blueberry) but this is always the one I always kept coming back to and now it’s actually the only one I ever want to make.

Everyone who ever tries it LOVES it! I use the less or no sugar fruit pectin, which still has plenty of sugar added but it’s not overly sweet like I feel the original kind is. It leaves room for the raspberry flavor to really shine.

Every year I usually make two batches so we have enough to last for almost a full year. This year I actually did four batches using some berries we picked while in Oregon, that way I had some extra to give away to family.

What Ingredients go into Homemade Raspberry Jam?

• Granulated sugar – no substitutes (see notes below for no-sugar recipe)! Don’t try to use honey, coconut sugar maple syrup, no sugar sweeteners, etc. They won’t work for this recipe unfortunately. Also don’t try to adjust the amount of sugar added or jam won’t turn out the same.
• Fresh raspberries – use the best tasting raspberries you can find. It makes all the difference.
• For Less or No Sugar Fruit Pectin – I always use the Sure-Jell brand, I’ve actually never even seen another less sugar option but this one works perfectly.
• Water – though you may be tempted, don’t try to substitute with juice. Stick with water here.

What is Pectin and Where Can I Find It?

Fruit pectin is a heteropolysaccharide that is naturally formed in the cell walls of fruit (mainly citrus). It is commercially produced as a powdery white to light brown starch, and when heated with sugar pectin will cause thickening which makes it perfect for jams and jellies.

You can usually find it in the baking aisle or sometimes by the canning supplies at several nationwide grocery stores (I buy it at Kroger or Walmart). You can also buy it online on Amazon HERE.

How to Make Raspberry Freezer Jam:

• Have clean and dry storage containers or jars ready and set aside. I use 1 cup containers you’ll need about 8 or 9 of them since you don’t fill to the top.
• Use a dry measuring cup to measure out exact amount of crushed fruit. Pour into a large bowl, set aside.

• Measure out exact amount of sugar into medium pot or large saucepan. Add pectin powder and whisk to blend. Stir in water.

• Bring mixture to a full boil over medium-high heat stirring constantly. Boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove pan from heat.

• Immediately stir in crushed raspberries and stir 1 minute.

• Pour into prepared jars leaving at least 1/2-inch space at the top for jam to expand once frozen.

• Cover with lids.
• Let rest at room temperature 24 hours then transfer to freezer (I save one for the fridge).

How to Store Jam and How Long Does It Keep?

Store jam in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze up to 1 year. Once frozen thaw overnight in refrigerator. I store in glass jars but be sure to allow room for expansion as jam freezes or jars will crack. I use THESE. I like to use 8 oz. jars but 12 oz will work great too.

Can I Use a Different Type of Fruit?

Yes, but not with this exact recipe. Within the package insert of the mentioned brand of fruit pectin there’s also recipes for Apricot, Blackberry, Blueberry, Cherry, Peach, Raspberry-Peach and Strawberry freezer jams.

How Can I Make a No Sugar Jam?

I myself haven’t tried the recipes but you can find a strawberry no-sugar jam recipe HERE using this same type of fruit pectin (or there’s more recipes that come in the package insert of the pectin package).

Tips for the Best Homemade Jam:

• Use the best tasting raspberries. One time, the raspberries I bought to make this jam hardly had any flavor at all, so I had to get better ones because I wasn’t going to waste my time to make a lightly flavored jam. Use vibrant raspberries, even those that are a bit tart will work great here since that’s balanced by sugar.
• Don’t reduce or increase amount of sugar or jam may not set. Use level even scoops when measuring ingredients.
• Don’t double recipe or jam may not set. Make 1 batch at a time.
• Keep in mind some batches may set up a little differently than others but they should set up, if not there’s a solution mentioned within the package of the pectin. Some tend to be a little runnier than others (which I think can just vary based on the batch of pectin or the juiciness of the berries). Either way I love it just the same.

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