Old-Fashioned Blackberry Jam (No Pectin)

This old-fashioned blackberry jam is a delicious, low-sugar, and fresh-tasting fruit spread, made without pectin. Canning homemade blackberry jam is a delicious way to preserve the summer harvest. 

This blackberry jam is THE blackberry jam recipe you’re looking for. It’s fresh-tasting, uses less sugar than traditional recipes, and it’s incredibly easy for even the most novice canner.

Can you stir fruit in a pot? Congrats, because you are now qualified to make old-fashioned blackberry jam. Let’s do this!

And if you decide in the end that you’d prefer a no-canning or no-cook jam, check out our blackberry freezer jam recipe. It’s super duper easy and absolutely delicious.

How to Make Blackberry Jam

*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.

Canning Prep

Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water, and setting it on the stove. Turn the burner to high. Once it reaches a boil, reduce it to simmer. You want to keep the water hot so that everything is ready when the jam is.

Wash and sanitize your jars. You’ll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water, or place them on a tray in the oven at 170˚F.

Wash your lids and set them aside in a clean place. You no longer need to simmer lids in water to keep them sterile. Woot!

Place 2-3 metal spoons in the freezer.

Making Blackberry Jam

In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the blackberries, sugar, and lemon juice/zest. Stir to coat the blackberries.

Gently mash the blackberries with a wooden spoon, potato masher, or a pastry cutter. The final texture is up to you, so mash or don’t mash to your heart’s content.

Increase the temperature to medium-high and stir until all the sugar is dissolved (~5 minutes). If you want to make sure the sugar is fully dissolved, dip a small spoon into it and take a taste. If the sugar is “crunchy”, go ahead and cook the mixture a bit longer.

Once the sugar is dissolved, increase the temperature to medium-high until the jam reaches a rolling boil, stirring constantly for 10 minutes. You may need to adjust the burner’s temp a bit to make sure the jam doesn’t boil over.

Dip the metal spoon into the jam mixture and hold it sideways over the pot. If thick drops of the jam come together to run off the spoon together, the jam is ready for canning! If the drops are runny, continue stirring the mixture, checking with the frozen spoon test every 2-3 minutes.

At this point, turn the burner under the canner back up to high and get that water boiling again.

Remove the jam pot from heat, and stir gently for a few more minutes. Skim any foam from the top of the jam.

Using a funnel and a ladle, add the jam to your prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace at the top. 

Using a wet clean rag, wipe the rim to make sure there isn’t any sticky jam on there. Place a new clean lid on the jar and then a ring. Tighten the ring to fingertip tight.

Using canning tongs, add your jars to the boiling water, and put the canner lid on. Pro tip: you must have at least 1 inch of water over the tops of the jars for safe canning. Processing times will vary based on altitude. See the chart below.

Remove the canner from heat, remove the lid of the canner, and let the canner sit for 5 minutes. Use canning tongs and remove the jars and place them on towels on the counter. Make sure you put them where they can be undisturbed for 12-24 hours.

After everything has cooled, check the seal by pushing down on the middle of the lid. If it doesn’t give way, it’s sealed. Label the jars, and store in a cool dark place for 12-18 months. If the lid bows a little bit, put that in the fridge and use it within 3 weeks