This raspberry jam only has two simple ingredients. No added pectin. And makes about 6 half-pint jars of delicious homemade jam to enjoy.

I love making jam, strawberry jam and Christmas jam are some of my favorites. But this traditional recipe for raspberry jam is a delicious way to preserve red raspberries, black raspberries, or a combination of the two yummy fruits.

A good red raspberry jam requires perfectly ripe raspberries. Using underripe berries won’t give you more flavor and overripe berries may not give you anything more than raspberry-colored, gelled sugar.

This small-batch jam does not require any added pectin since raspberries are naturally high in pectin. It does take a little longer to gel than a recipe with pectin added, but I love that it doesn’t require anything extra to make a delicious, beautiful jar of jam to set on our shelves and enjoy on top of some homemade buttermilk biscuits.

Whether you use wild foraged raspberries, a crop from your backyard, or go to the local u-pick, they will all make delicious jam. Frozen raspberries are also a great option for this recipe since they are usually picked and frozen at peak ripeness. If you do use frozen raspberries, you’ll simply want to thaw them a little first to reduce the water content.

How long does raspberry jam last?

Jam of any kind, assuming it is canned properly, will keep up to 2 years stored in a cool, dry space. Always remove the bands after the jars have been properly sealed (after 12-24 hours and checking). And never stack home-canned food.

The reason you want to remove the bands and not stack them is it can potentially unseal and if it has pressure from a band or weight from other jars, it can re-form a false seal and you likely wouldn’t know.

Once you’ve opened your jar, place it in the refrigerator and use it up within 3 months’ time.

How to fix runny raspberry jam

It happens to all of us at one point. We get in a rush, the stars don’t align, something happens and we end up with syrup instead of jam. Generally, it was either undercooked, overcooked, had too much water content (this is especially true of using frozen raspberries), was moved too soon, or cooked too slowly.

Since this recipe doesn’t require pectin, its boil time is a ballpark figure and you do need to test for your gel stage. But, things happen. Thankfully, you can fix runny jam pretty simply.

If you need to reprocess it, the easiest way is to combine 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 teaspoons of juice, 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice, and a teaspoon of powdered pectin for each half pint you need to reprocess. Simply combine the above ingredients with your jam, boil hard for one minute, remove it from the heat, test for the gel stage, place it in clean, sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ of headspace and process them for 10 minutes.

How to fix thick raspberry jam

The other problem is jam that is too thick. I end up with this problem more often than I’d like to admit. Read… almost every single time I’ve made jam. I check it, think it’s gelled, get all excited, can it up, and open up my first jar to find… an un-spreadable rock.

This can also be fixed. Fairly easily. Simply add boiling port wine or fruit juice to the jam little bits at a time until it reaches the right consistency. Easy peasy.

Can this recipe be doubled?

I don’t usually recommend doubling jam recipes. The only recipe I’ve tested and been successful with is my blackberry jam recipe.

The reason you shouldn’t double or triple recipes is because oftentimes you’ll have trouble with the jam setting properly. This is meant to be a small batch recipe, but if you would like to make more than the roughly six half-pint jars this recipe yields, I highly recommend you just make two separate batches. They can be canned together assuming you have a way to mind both pans as the jam gels. But, I would make them separately just so you don’t wind up with runny or thick jam.

How to Make Raspberry Jam

Prepare Jars & Canner (if using)

Whether canning or not, sanitize jars, lids, and rings. If canning place half-pint jars in a water bath canner and fill with water, covering the tops of the jars. Simmer the jars over medium-high heat while you prepare the jam.

Warm Sugar & Prepare Berries

A great way to get sugar to dissolve a little easier is to heat it a bit. To do this, preheat your oven to 250°F and place 6 cups of sugar in a baking dish and bake it for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare your berries by placing fresh raspberries in a large 5-quart stock pot. Bring them to a boil over medium-high heat, mashing with a potato masher or mixing with an immersion blender. Once they reach a full boil, boil hard for one minute.

Add Sugar & Wait for Proper Gel

Once the raspberries have boiled for a full minute, add the warm sugar to them, stirring to incorporate and dissolve. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil and continue to boil until it will properly gel about 5 minutes.

Note that the amount of sugar in any homemade jam recipe is customizable. If you’d like to use less sugar, or even no sugar at all, you can and the jam will still be safe to can and eat. The time it takes to properly gel will change based on the amount of sugar in the jam, though.

To check for proper gel, dip a metal spoon into the hot mixture. Once the jam is falling off the spoon in thick pairs, the jam is ready.

Pack Jars

Ladle hot jam into jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace if necessary. Wipe jar rim with a damp cloth. Center lid on a canning jar, tighten screw bands to finger-tight.

Process Jars

Place jars back into the canner, ensuring they are covered with at least 3-inches of water. Place the lid on the canner and bring to a boil over high heat. Process half-pint jars for ten minutes.

Remove jam jars to a towel-lined counter and leave them undisturbed for 12 to 24 hours before checking for proper seals. Store properly sealed jars in a cool, dark place.