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Sweet blueberry jam made healthy without pectin or refined sugars. Spread on a freshly made slice of sourdough bread!
Virtually all store-bought jams and many homemade jams are made with pectin. Pectin is what gives the jam it's jelly-like consistency. Pectin often contains ingredients that are GMO corn-based ingredients including citric acid dextrose. In addition, the pectin needs a high amount of sugar to set, which is way more than what I would typically consume.
To get around this, I choose fruits that are naturally high in pectin when I am making jam. Blueberries and other varieties of berries are naturally higher in pectin which makes them a great choice for jam.
The other nice thing about making your own jam is that you can control how sweet it is. I find that just a fourth cup of honey gets the jam to the perfect level of sweetness.
Once you make this recipe, you can use it to make my gluten free blueberry jam muffins.
Getting The Jam To Gel
As I mentioned above, choosing a fruit with a high natural pectin content will make it more likely to gel. Another factor is adding an acid, like lemon juice, to absorb the juice and make it gel. In addition to this, I like to mash the blueberries at the beginning of the cooking process to release juice and help a gel form. If you are using frozen blueberries, like I did, simply let them cook enough to soften before mashing them.
What You Will Need
2 lbs fresh or frozen blueberries that are ripe or slightly past ripe
2 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
¼ cup raw honey
How to Make Pectin-Free Blueberry Jam
Mash the blueberries (if using fresh) before cooking. If using frozen, mash the blueberries as they soften during cooking.
Place the blueberries, lemon juice, and honey in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Make sure to continuously stir.
Once the pot is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer
Simmer for about 30-40 minutes stirring regularly until the jam gels.
Remove the pan from the heat and pour the jam into a jar.
Allow the jam to cool and then store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
If you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a star rating and a comment below. Share what you made and tag me on Instagram @keepingitholistic! For more scratch-made recipes and natural living tips, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on YouTube and Instagram!
📖 Recipe
Pectin-Free Blueberry Jam
Equipment
- 1 Small saucepan thicker bottom is best
- 1 pint sized jar
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fresh or frozen blueberries ripe or slightly past ripe
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed is best
- ¼ cup raw honey
Instructions
- Mash the blueberries (if using fresh) before cooking. If using frozen, mash the blueberries as they soften during cooking.
- Place the blueberries, lemon juice, and honey in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Make sure to continously stir.
- Once the pot is boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer
- Simmer for about 30-40 minutes stirring regularly until the jam gels.
- Remove the pan from the heat and pour the jam into a jar.
- Allow the jam to cool and then store it in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks.
[…] These muffins are filled with homemade pectin-free blueberry jam. If you are interested in making your own healthy blueberry jam, check out my recipe here. […]