Want homemade berry jam without committing to a full pantry's worth? This small batch berry jam recipe delivers the vibrant, juicy flavor of your favorite summer berries in just one jar-no pectin, no canning equipment, no fuss. This easy method delivers big flavor in manageable quantities, perfect for everyday use!
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Why this recipe works
- Make jam when the berries are at their summer peak for the freshest flavor, or use frozen berries at other times of the year
- Uses just 1 pound (454 grams) of berries, in any combination you prefer. No wasted fruit!
- With no pectin or canning equipment required, it's easy to have fresh homemade berry jam in your refrigerator
Summertime is when there are so many fruits at the peak of flavor, like strawberries, blueberries, peaches, apricots -- the list goes on. And with all that seasonal goodness comes lower prices and availability.
I love to use fresh seasonal berries in recipes - Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream, Fresh Blueberry Pie, and Strawberry Mint Sorbet all speak to using berries at their peak ripeness.
And I like having the opportunity for mixing berry flavors, like in my Mixed Berry Crisp and Strawberry Blueberry Shortcake.
So it seems natural to want to preserve that fresh taste of summer in a homemade berry jam, one that's not full of preservatives or additives like in store-bought versions. And I don't want to have to buy oodles and gobs of berries just to make jam either.
The beauty of making small batch berry jam is that you can use fruit that's on sale without having to buy a lot at once. So there's no bushels of fruit to prep, no large batches of jam bubbling on the stove, no needing canning equipment, and no using up valuable pantry space.
Also, any fruit that's getting slightly soft from sitting in the refrigerator too long is perfect for jam.
You can use this delicious berry jam on toast, scones, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or use it to make fruit bars (like Cranberry Lemon Bars), tarts (like Bakewell Tarts), trifles, and even babka. You can even package it up as a gift for someone special!
Make homemade berry jam and preserve that fresh taste of summer!
Recipe ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make this small batch berry jam recipe:
Ingredient Notes
Homemade jam made without pectin is also called refrigerator jam. It's simply fruit boiled with sugar and a gel catalyst (in this case, lemon juice). It's a similar process to making fresh cranberry sauce.
Berries: You can use any 1-pound (454-gram) combination of berries you like, such as raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries.
Fresh is best, but you can also use frozen berries as well - just let them thaw and drain before cooking. If the fruit is too watery, it will take longer for the jam to set.
Sugar: While it complements the berries' natural sweetness, sugar also mixes with the liquid released from the fruit to make a simple syrup (like when making homemade chocolate syrup) that helps contribute to firming up the jam.
Lemon Juice & Zest: In addition to adding flavor, the lemon's acidity helps the natural pectin released from the fruit to set. This is what gives the mixture a jammy consistency.
See the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Using stone fruits for small batch jam
Stone fruits (like peaches, nectarines, and apricots) also make terrific refrigerator jam. Starting with 1 pound of fruit will yield about 12 to 14 ounces (about 340 to 400 grams) of chunks after peeling (if desired) and pitting.
Prep the fruit, then cook in the same manner as the berry jam recipe.
- Small Batch Peach Jam: Use about 4 to 5 medium-sized peaches, peeled, pitted, and cut into small chunks (check out how to peel and chop peaches for more info)
- Small Batch Apricot Jam: Use about 10 to 12 apricots, peeled or unpeeled (I don't bother to peel apricots as the peels just melt into the jam). Slice in half, pit, then cut into quarters
How to make small batch berry jam
Step 1: Combine the berries
If you're using strawberries, hull and cut them into chunks (see how to hull and chop strawberries for more info).
Place all the berries in a small saucepan and stir in the sugar. Stir in the lemon juice and zest to the berry mixture (photo 1).
Step 2: Cook the berry mixture
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved.
Keep the mixture at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, to keep the mixture from bubbling up (photo 2).
If desired, mash the berries as they cook using a potato masher or spoon.
Cook the mixture for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it starts thickening (the amount of time will be based on how juicy the berries are).
Step 3: Test for doneness
There are two ways you can see if the jam is done (photo 3.
One way is to use a digital thermometer to see if the jam has reached 218 to 221 °F (103 to 105˚C).
The other is to test the jam's thickness by seeing if it forms a gel on the back of a cool metal spoon (see below for more).
How to tell if the jam will set without a candy thermometer
Perhaps the hardest part about making a homemade fruit jam is how to tell if the jam will gel. Not cooking the jam base long enough gives you a soft, runny mixture. Cook the base too long, and the mixture becomes stiff and gelatinous. Neither scenario is what we're looking for.
Luckily there is a simple spoon test we can use from Epicurious: Dip a cool metal spoon into the hot fruit. Immediately lift it out and away from the steam and turn it horizontally. At the beginning of the cooking process, the liquid will drip off in light, syrupy drops. Trying again a minute or two later, the drops will be heavier. The jam is done when the drops are very thick and two run together before falling off the spoon. No more guesswork needed!
Step 4: Cool the jam
Remove the jam from the heat and adjust the sweetness if desired, keeping in mind that chilling dulls the overall sweetness level.
Pour into a clean pint jar with a tight fitting lid (photo 4).
Allow the jam to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes (and no more than 2 hours for food safety reasons). Transfer the jam to the refrigerator to cool completely.
The jam will thicken as it cools.
Berry jam texture variations
This homemade berry jam will be a bit chunky even if you've mashed the fruit during cooking. Here are two ways to alter the jam's texture:
- If you want a smoother texture, use an immersion blender to smooth out the jam prior to transferring to the jar.
- If you want seedless jam, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the hot jam into the jar.
Storage instructions
Storage instructions: Small batch berry jam made without pectin will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 weeks.
To freeze refrigerator jam, make sure to leave enough room at the top of the jar to allow the jam to expand. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using.
Yield Notes
This recipe makes about 1 cup of refrigerator berry jam.
Homemade jam troubleshooting tips
Even with the best of intentions, things can go wrong:
- If your jam is too runny: Make sure you test for doneness before removing it from the heat. If it fails either of the tests from Step 3, cook it longer.
- If your jam is too firm: You may have either overcooked it or used a little too much sugar. Either way, you can add water in one tablespoon increments to loosen it up a bit.
Questions asked and answered
Here are some questions you might have...
According to Food & Wine, all fruit naturally contains pectin to varying degrees. When making jams and jellies, it's the pectin that's released, allowing the jam to set. Commercially available pectin is used when making large batches of homemade jam - it speeds up the cooking and helps insure that the jam sets.
Since we are making a small batch of homemade jam, we're taking advantage of the fruit's own pectin so we don't need to add more.
While both fruit jam and fruit butter are spreadable mixtures of fruit cooked with sugar, the difference lies with how they are cooked. A homemade fruit jam is cooked to a temperature that allows the fruit to release it's pectin, jelling the mixture. In contrast, homemade fruit butter is cooked so that it's continually stirred as water evaporates, thickening to a spreadable consistency.
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I hope you like this recipe! Let me know if you have any questions, and don't forget to leave a comment and rating. Thanks!
Slainté! L'chaim! Cheers!
- Tammy
More recipes featuring fruit to try
Recipe
Small Batch Mixed Berry Jam (No Pectin)
Equipment
- 1-quart saucepan
- immersion blender (optional)
- fine mesh strainer (optional)
Ingredients
- 1 pound mixed berries, fresh or frozen, see Recipe Notes
- ½ cup granulated sugar, plus more as needed
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
Instructions
- Prep the berries: If you're using strawberries, hull and cut them into chunks. Place 1 pound mixed berries in a small saucepan and stir in ½ cup granulated sugar.
- Zest and juice 1 lemon. Depending on its size, you'll have about 2½ tablespoons of juice and ½ teaspoon of zest. Stir in the lemon juice and zest to the berry mixture.
- Cook the berries: Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved. Keep the mixture at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally, to keep the mixture from bubbling up.If desired, mash the berries as they cook using a potato masher or spoon.
- Cook the mixture for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it starts thickening (the amount of time will be based on how juicy the berries are).
- Test for doneness: There are two ways you can see if the jam is done. One way is to use a digital thermometer to see if the jam has reached 218 to 221 °F. The other is to test the jam's thickness by seeing if it forms a gel on the back of a cool metal spoon (see the Recipe Notes for more details).
- Remove the jam from the heat and adjust the sweetness if desired, keeping in mind that chilling dulls the overall sweetness level.
- Adjust the jam's texture (optional): This homemade berry jam will be a bit chunky even if you've mashed the fruit during cooking. If you want a smoother jam texture, use an immersion blender to smooth out the jam. If you want seedless jam, use a fine mesh strainer to strain the hot jam into the jar.Pour the jam into a clean pint jar with a tight fitting lid.
- Allow the jam to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes (and no more than 2 hours for food safety reasons). Transfer the jam to the refrigerator to cool completely. The jam will thicken as it cools.
- Storage instructions: Small batch berry jam made without pectin will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 to 3 weeks. To freeze, make sure to leave enough room at the top of the jar to allow the jam to expand. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before using.
- This recipe makes about 1 cup of homemade berry jam.
Elizabeth says
Have you ever done this in a crockpot?
Tammy Spencer says
Hi Elizabeth, that’s an interesting question. I haven’t tried making the jam in a crockpot, mainly because I’m only using 1 pound of berries (too small an amount for the large crockpot that I own) and it doesn’t take long to cook it down. Also, you want the keep the mixture at a low boil so the water boils away, and I don’t know if a crockpot can do that. If you try it, please let me know how it goes!
Tammy Spencer says
I enjoyed creating this recipe for you, and I hope you like it as much as I do. Please leave your questions or comments with a star rating so that other readers can benefit from your experience. Thanks!