Canning blackberries is an excellent way to preserve this flavorful fruit for long-term storage that won’t require a freezer. The fresh blackberries hold up well to the canning process and can be used just as you would use fresh fruit.

Everyone in my family loves blackberries. I freeze some, we make our fair share of homemade blackberry jam, and make some pie filling. But, my absolute favorite way to preserve these fruits is canning blackberries.

While you’d think they would get squishy during the canning process, surprisingly, they don’t. They hold up super well and are still perfect for putting in baked goods like blackberry cobbler, topping your pancakes or ice cream, or however you choose to use them.

Like when canning strawberries, it’s best to sacrifice a few of the blackberries to extract some of the juice. It just results in a more flavorful final product. In addition that the blackberry juice I extract from the berries, I add a touch of Framboise, which is brandy distilled from raspberries, to add a really amazing flavor.

That being said, you do not have to add any liquor if you do not choose to. Even after canning, the product will have a little alcohol content left and even if you bake these into something, you’re still going to have a small amount of alcohol left. So, you don’t have to add any if you want, or you can add some to some of the jars (which is typically what I do). It’s not necessary to can blackberries, it just enhances the flavor.

Can blackberries be canned without sugar?

Unlike canning peaches, which don’t taste very good canned without a bit of sugar, canning blackberries without any added sugar is possible. The best way to achieve a no sugar canned blackberry is to make sure you extract plenty of blackberry juice to preserve them in.

I don’t recommend canning blackberries in just water (there won’t be much flavor, the water will extract it), but you can definitely just can them in their own juices, a little of their juices, and some unsweetened apple juice, or some of their juice and some liquor as I mentioned above.

Canning Blackberries

This is a really easy recipe. So easy you’ll be surprised at the flavor you get with the finished product (at least I always am). You’ll need ripe blackberries, a bit of sugar (optional), some Framboise or other raspberry liquor (also optional), water, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, fresh nutmeg, and extracted juice from some of the blackberries.

Blackberries can be safely canned in a boiling water canner in half-pints, pints, or quarts.

Wash fresh berries and drain. Wash blackberries in cold water. Remove any stems if necessary.

Extract juice from blackberries. Place two cups of whole blackberries in a saucepan and mash-up using a potato masher or wooden spoon. Add three tablespoons of water and cover them. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat and boil until soft, about two minutes.

After the fruit is softened, place the mixture in a dampened jelly bag or cheesecloth and set over a bowl to collect a minimum of a half cup of blackberry juice. You can use the leftover blackberries for delicious blackberry jam still, they’re not a total waste.

Prepare jars and water bath canner. While the juice is extracting, wash canning jars and lids in hot, soapy water, fill clean jars and canner with water, and begin heating the canner and jars over medium-high heat to 180°F and keep warm.

Make the syrup. Note that you can make this recipe and skip this step, but you will want to extract more juice to fill your jars or substitute fruit juice like unsweetened apple juice or white grape juice. To make the syrup combine two cups of sugar, cinnamon sticks, lemon zest, nutmeg and 2 cups of water in a large pot. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil continuously for 5 minutes.

Prepare the fruit. Strain the mixture and return it to the large saucepan. Add the blackberry juice, blackberries, and Framboise and bring to a full boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly being careful to not crush the blackberries.

Pack the jars. Hot pack the jars with the blackberries by using a slotted spoon to drain the juice off, leaving a half inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Ladle hot syrup over the blackberries, allowing that same half inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust for proper headspace, if necessary.

Wipe the rim with a damp cloth and center lid on the jar. Tighten the screw band to just finger tight and place jars in the waiting hot water bath.

Process the jars. Make sure the jars are covered with at least 1″ of water, cover the canner and bring the water to a full rolling boil. Process half pints for 10 minutes, pint jars for 15 minutes, and quart jars for 20 minutes adjusting processing time for altitude if necessary.

After processing, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Wait for five minutes before removing the hot jars to a towel-lined counter. Leave the jars undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours before checking for proper seals. Remove rings from properly sealed jars and store in a cool, dark, and dry place, such as your pantry shelf, for up to 18 months.