Raspberry Freezer Jam is a staple at our house. This recipe is super easy and in my opinion the best raspberry jam ever! Even if you’ve never made jam, this one is a cinch to make.
I was lucky enough to grow up always having homemade jam. Whether it was my grandma’s homemade grape jelly, her peach and/or apricot jam or my mom’s raspberry jam, etc. . . they all were delicious. Store bought jam just doesn’t hold a candle to any homemade jam.
If you ask me, freezer jam is so much better than cooked jam. I think it tastes better, fresher and the fruit flavor definitely shines through more.
My entire family absolutely loves my Raspberry Freezer Jam. I always have it at our yearly sibling dinner I host at Christmas and they literally eat every last drop. After last year’s dinner and seeing how they all had a little roll with their jam, I made several batches and gave them all a container of it for Christmas.
Bad idea!
I started getting texts from them asking for refills (lol!). Now I’ve started something that I think I have to keep doing or they may disown me as their sister.
The first time I made raspberry freezer jam, I remember cringing at the sugar to berry ratio. It was 3 cups of crushed berries to 5 1/4 cups of sugar . . . YIKES! Even my sugar-loving brain was kind of shocked. The few times I made it with the full amount of sugar, I would cringe at all the sugar going in. I wanted to taste raspberries, not sugar.
So I started experimenting with the amount of sugar I used in my jam even though the instructions on the pectin box says DO NOT REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF SUGAR! But, being the huge rebel that I am (lol), I did it anyway and it worked. So I’ve stuck with it and we love it.
I’ve listed tips below to help you so you will end up with the most delicious freezer jam ever.
TIPS FOR MAKING RASPBERRY FREEZER JAM
- Use firm, ripe berries for the best flavor and set. (*I don’t rinse my berries, I just pick out any leaves and/or stems that might be mixed in.)
- Measure out your berries into a bowl. Gently mash the berries, leaving them quite “chunky.” I like to leave several berries almost whole still because by the time you stir it as many times as you need to, those whole berries will eventually be smooshed down. (I use a potato masher)
- Measure 3 cups of the smashed berries and place in a large bowl and add the sugar and stir really, really well.
- Let berries sit for a full 10 minutes after adding the sugar, stirring it several times in that 10-minute period.
- Bring your pectin to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil it for one full minute, at a rolling boil.
- Pour the pectin into the bowl of smashed berries and stir constantly for a full 3 minutes. Make sure you use a rubber spatula and get all the pectin mixture out of the pan.
- My favorite pectin is Sure Jell. I usually by the two-pack of it at Walmart, but I think most grocery stores carry it. I have used the MCP brand, but I don’t love it because it has you add a little corn syrup and I don’t want corn syrup in my jam.
- I like to use plastic jars/containers vs. glass jars because I can stack them easily in my freezer.
HOW LONG CAN JAM BE KEPT IN THE REFRIGERATOR AND/OR FREEZER?
Freezer jam can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 year and in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks (although it never lasts that long at our house ).
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR JAM DOESN’T SET?
If your freezer jam ends up being too runny or soft, don’t panic you can fix it. The best thing to do is to pour all of the jam back into a large bowl. Cook another box of pectin with water and add it to the jam. Stir it really well, until the sugar is completely dissolved. The extra box of pectin will help to thicken the jam further. (*With all the batches of jam I’ve made over the years, I’ve only had to do this one time.)
CAN YOU USE FROZEN BERRIES?
Yes you can. I almost always use fresh berries, but there have been times when I have had to freeze my raspberries because I wasn’t going to get jam made before they went bad. I have used those frozen berries to make jam. Bring the frozen berries to room temperature before using them.
- 6 cups fresh raspberries (3 cups total mashed)
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 box Sure Jell Pectin
- 3/4 cup cold water
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Add raspberries to a large bowl and lightly mash them. Be careful not to over mash them, they should still be slightly chunky.
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Measure out exactly 3 cups of mashed berries and pour them into a separate large bowl.
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Add the sugar and mix well and then let stand for 10 minutes, stirring 3 or 4 more times during that 10 minutes.
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In a small saucepan, stir together pectin with 3/4 cup water. Bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once it reaches a rolling boil, boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
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Stir pectin into the berries mixture and continue to stir for 3 minutes.
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Pour jam into containers, leaving 1/2 inch of space at the top of the container, for expansion. Cover with lid and allow jam to rest at room temperature for 24 hours before freezing. *This makes about 6 to 7 cups of jam.
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Jam will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to one year.
Looking forward to trying this! Have you tried this method with other fruit? Would you consider it a “basic” recipe that you could swap with other berries? Since raspberries tend to be a bit tart, would think the sugar amount could be reduced with sweeter berries…
Hi Susan! I have not tried this exact recipe using other fruit and I suggest you don’t. If you look at the package insert in the pectin box, there are more recipes for freezer jams using other fruits/berries, with each recipe being specific for that fruit/berry. You could certainly take those recipes and adjust the amount of sugar for that specific fruit/berry recipe. Does that make sense? This recipe I shared today, I reduced the sugar by 1 1/4 cups from the recipe on the pectin package insert.
Thank you – it’s been a while since I’ve used a package of Sure-Jell and wasn’t sure if this was a universal recipe with the fruit being somewhat interchangeable. Thanks for the quick response; I’ll consult the package for its recommendation on sugar amount, and probably reduce it somewhat.
Good luck!
HI jodi! Maybe I missed this in your post but how many jars will this recipe make? I’ve been wanting to make more jam and your post just gave me an excuse. Love raspberry jam!
The number of jars it makes depends on the size jars you use, but it makes about 6 to 7 cups of jam. My friend told me this morning she made four batches and they all turned out perfectly! Enjoy!