Making homemade jam is one of the most enjoyable things to do when summer rolls around! It’s the perfect sunny day activity, from going out to pick the fruit, to canning it in your kitchen. If you’ve been on the search for easy homemade jam recipes to try this summer, you’re going to love the ones we compiled for this post! From sugar-free jams, to easy 3-ingredient jams, to jams without pectin and more, add these recipes to your must-make list!
How to Make Homemade Jam
Homemade jam is easier to make than you may think! Whether you’re making jam with strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, plums, apricots, or figs, there are simple directions to follow for homemade jam recipes! Here are 6 easy steps to making homemade jam.
1. Pick (Or Buy) The Fruit
The first step is of course, choosing the type of jam you’re going to make. Once you’ve settled on that, it’s time to round up your fruit! If you can pick your own fruit for your jam, that’s the way to go. However, not everyone has fruit trees and berry bushes in their backyard or lives close to a pick-your-own farm, so buying them at your local farmer’s market is the next best bet.
2. Prep Your Jars
Before you start making your jam, you should get your jars prepped (we use these mason jars in our household!). Wash your jars in the dishwasher or with hot soapy water and then sterilize them by boiling them for 10 minutes. Keep the jars in hot water until they’re used.
3. Wash and Chop the Fruit
Wash the fruit and make sure to take off any leafs or stems. If you’re making strawberry jam, you’ll have to remove the hulls. Chop up your fruit once you’ve washed it, or you may also choose to crush it up a bit.
4. Pectin: To Use or Not to Use
Pectin has solidifying properties so it’s used to make many jams and jellies, but some people prefer not to use it. Without pectin, jams don’t gel as well, but it doesn’t mean it’s completely necessary (in fact, we’ve put together a list of homemade jam recipes without pectin below!).
Pectin is a starch known as a heteropolysaccharide that occurs naturally in the cell walls of fruits and vegetables. When cooked to a high temperature in combination with acid and sugar, it forms a gel.
If you don’t want to use store-bought pectin, it can be found in underripe fruit such as lemons and green apples. Thoroughly wash and toss a piece of lemon or green apple peel into your jam mixture. Discard it before adding your jam to its jar. If you choose not to use pectin at all, just be aware that your jam will have a runnier consistency.
5. Dissolve
Measure out the sugar and fruit and combine them in a big pot at room temperature, and let the fruit break down as the sugar dissolves. This should take about 20 minutes. Bring everything to a boil over medium heat, adding your pectin source (if you’re using one), some lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the jam thickens. Note that it will thicken more as it cools.
6. Jar the Jam
It’s time to get your jam in the jars! Place your jam in the sterilized jars. If the jam is being used for short-term use, cap the jar and allow it to cool before putting it in the fridge. If you’re looking to preserve it long-term, seal the jars and submerge them in boiling water, and simmer from 10-20 minutes. Allow them to cool, then store them.
4 Tips for Packing Homemade Jam
1. Make Jam in Small Batches
When you make jam in small batches, the fruit will cook quickly and the colour and flavour will be preserved much better.
2. Warm The Lids
Put the lids of your jars into a pan of hot (but not boiling) water for several minutes. This will soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids.
3. Remove Excess Foam Before Jarring
When you boil the sugar and fruit, there may be foam that accumulates at the top. This foam is just jam with a lot of air in it from boiling. It’s totally harmless, but tastes like foam, so it’s best to remove it before putting it in the jar!
4. Stir Before Putting The Lid On
This isn’t a do-or-die step, but often the fruit will float to the top of the jar, so it’s a good idea to stir it so it becomes more spread out. You can always stir them later when you open the jars, but some people like to do it to perfect their jam before they close them up!
10 Super Easy Homemade Jam Recipes
1. Homemade Strawberry Jam | I Heart Naptime
2. Mixed Berry Jam | Pip & Ebby
3. Instant Pot Blackberry Chia Jam | Pass Me Some Tasty
4. Peach Freezer Jam | Foodtastic Mom
5. Easy Fig Jam | The Suburban Soapbox
6. Sweet Cherry Freezer Jam | Casual Elegant Deliciousness
7. 3-Ingredient Blackberry Jam | Kleinworth & Co.
8. 3-Ingredient Carrot Jam | Veggie Desserts
9. Strawberry Champagne Jam Recipe | The Domestic Wildflower
10. Kiwi & Lime Jam | This Vibrant World
10 No Sugar Homemade Jam Recipes
1. Sugar Free Strawberry Freezer Jam | The Things I Love Most
2. Sugar Free Blueberry Jam | Sugar Free Londoner
3. Sugar Free Chia Jam | Ditch the Carbs
4. 5 Berry Sugar Free Jam | Skinny Ms.
5. No Sugar Needed Strawberry Jam | My Mood and Family
6. Keto Sugar-Free Jam | Low Carb Crave
7. Sugar Free Raspberry Jam | All Day I Dream About Food
8. No Sugar Maple Peach Jam | Busy Creating Memories
9. Mixed Berry Chia Seed Jam (Sugar Free Option) | Traditional Cooking School
10. Sugar Free Fig Jam | Nourishing Soulfully
10 Homemade Jam Recipes without Pectin
1. Strawberry Jam Recipe with No Pectin | Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
2. Scrumptious Blueberry Jam without Pectin | Bubbling Brook Budgets
3. Blackberry Jam without Sugar or Pectin | The Easy Homestead
4. No Pectin Apricot Jam | An Italian In My Kitchen
5. Easy Homemade Peach Jam with No Pectin | Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
6. Homemade Raspberry Jam without Pectin | Joyful Healthy Eats
7. No Pectin Berry Jam | Live Eat Learn
8. Basic Fruit Jam without Pectin | Kitchn
9. Homemade Cherry Jam without Pectin | Veena Azmanov
10. Homemade Artisanal Jam without Pectin | The Organic Prepper
Making jam is the perfect way to welcome summer! Try out these easy, delicious recipes and have jam all summer long!
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