This easy raspberry freezer jam is bright, fruity, and made with fresh or frozen raspberries - no canning required. It uses 4 simple ingredients and stores in the freezer for up to 1 year.
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This raspberry freezer jam is an easy way to preserve fresh raspberry flavor without traditional canning. It's made with ripe raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and Sure-Jell pectin, then stored in the freezer instead of processed in a water bath.
The key to freezer jam that sets properly is measuring the crushed berries, sugar, water, and pectin exactly, dissolving the sugar fully, and leaving enough headspace in the jars for expansion. The result is a bright, fruity homemade raspberry jam with a softer, fresher texture than cooked jam.
Slather it on sourdough bread, buttermilk biscuits, or ciabatta rolls for a delicious breakfast!
Jump to:
- ⭐️ Why You'll Love This Raspberry Freezer Jam
- ❄️ What is Freezer Jam?
- 🍓 Ingredient Notes
- 📝 Variations & Substitutions
- 🥄 How to Make Raspberry Freezer Jam
- 👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips for Freezer Jam That Sets
- Troubleshooting: Why Didn't My Freezer Jam Set?
- How to Store Raspberry Freezer Jam
- 🍽 How to Use Freezer Jam
- 💬 Frequently Asked Questions
- More Breakfast Recipes
- Raspberry Freezer Jam Recipe
⭐️ Why You'll Love This Raspberry Freezer Jam
- No canning required: This jam is stored in the refrigerator or freezer, so you don't need a water bath or special canning equipment.
- Bright, fresh raspberry flavor: Freezer jam has a softer texture and fresher taste than traditional cooked jam.
- Made with 4 simple ingredients: Raspberries, sugar, lemon juice, and Sure-Jell pectin are all you need.
- Great for fresh or frozen raspberries: Use ripe fresh berries in season, or thawed frozen raspberries when fresh berries aren't available.
- Freezer-friendly: Store it in the freezer for up to 1 year, then thaw in the refrigerator when ready to use.
❄️ What is Freezer Jam?
Freezer jam is a homemade jam that's stored in the fridge or freezer instead of being processed in a water bath. It usually has a softer set, fresher fruit flavor, and brighter color than traditional cooked jam.
This recipe uses powdered pectin to help the jam thicken, but does not require special canning equipment.
🍓 Ingredient Notes
- Raspberries: Use ripe, bright red raspberries for the best flavor. Frozen raspberries also work; thaw them first and include the juices.
- Granulated sugar: Measure the sugar exactly. Reducing the sugar can prevent the jam from setting properly unless you use a low-sugar pectin.
- Fresh lemon juice: Adds brightness and balances the sweetness. It also helps the jam set.
- Sure-Jell fruit pectin: Use one 1.75-ounce box of Sure-Jell Original Premium Fruit Pectin. If making a low-sugar version, use Sure-Jell for less or no sugar recipes instead.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Make seedless jam: Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds after mashing raspberries.
- Low-sugar freezer jam: Do not simply reduce the sugar in this recipe. For a reduced-sugar version, use Sure-Jell for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes and follow the measurements listed for that product.
🥄 How to Make Raspberry Freezer Jam
In a large mixing bowl, mash the raspberries using a potato masher. *If using frozen berries, thaw them first and include the juice. If you want a chunkier texture, leave some berries in larger pieces.
Measure out 3 cups of mashed berries and transfer them to a separate large bowl (use any remaining mashed berries as an ice cream or yogurt topping). Add sugar and lemon juice to the mashed berries and whisk to combine.
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, pour in ¾ cup water and pectin. Bring to a rolling boil, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute.
Add the mashed berries to the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir for an additional 4-5 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
Pour jam into glass jars, leaving ½" of space at the top of the jar for expansion in the freezer. Cover with lids and let jam rest at room temperature for 24 hours before freezing. Store jam in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
👩🏼🍳 Expert Tips for Freezer Jam That Sets
- Measure the crushed berries, not whole berries. Six cups of whole raspberries should give you about 3 cups crushed, but always measure after mashing.
- Use ripe but not overripe berries. Overripe berries can be extra juicy and may lead to a softer set.
- Don't reduce the sugar unless using low-sugar pectin. Regular pectin recipes depend on the correct fruit-to-sugar-to-pectin ratio.
- Boil the pectin mixture for a full minute. Start timing once it reaches a full rolling boil.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves. The jam should not taste gritty before it goes into jars.
- Leave ½ inch of headspace. Jam expands as it freezes, so don't fill jars all the way to the top.
- Don't double the batch. Make one batch at a time for the most reliable set.
Troubleshooting: Why Didn't My Freezer Jam Set?
Freezer jam usually needs up to 24 hours to fully set, so don't worry if it looks loose at first. If it's still runny after 24 hours, the most likely causes are inaccurate measurements, overripe or extra-juicy berries, under-boiled pectin, or sugar that wasn't fully dissolved.
You can still use soft-set jam as a sauce for pancakes, waffles, yogurt, ice cream, biscuits, or oatmeal!
How to Store Raspberry Freezer Jam
Let the filled jars stand at room temperature for 24 hours, then refrigerate or freeze. Store raspberry freezer jam in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 weeks or in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw frozen jam in the fridge before using.
🍽 How to Use Freezer Jam
The possibilities for raspberry jam are endless, but here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
- Slather it on sourdough bread, biscuits, or ciabatta rolls for breakfast
- Top your waffles, French toast, or lemon pancakes for an indulgent brunch
- Drizzle on top of vanilla ice cream for an extra sweet dessert
- Make a parfait layering yogurt, jam, and granola as a snack
- Make handmade labels for the jam and give as homemade gifts
- Stir into flax pudding for a healthy breakfast
💬 Frequently Asked Questions
For this recipe, yes. Pectin helps the jam thicken and set without traditional canning or long cooking.
Yes; thaw frozen raspberries first and include the juices. Measure the crushed berries after thawing and mashing.
Not with regular pectin. Use a low/no-sugar pectin and follow the measurements for that product.
More Breakfast Recipes
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Raspberry Freezer Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh raspberries
- 5 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¾ cup water
- 1 (1.75 ounce box) Sure Jell fruit pectin
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the raspberries using a potato masher. *If using frozen berries, thaw them first and include the juice. If you want a chunkier texture, leave some berries in larger pieces.
- Measure out 3 cups of mashed berries and transfer them to a separate large bowl (use any remaining mashed berries as an ice cream or yogurt topping).
- Add sugar and lemon juice to the mashed berries and whisk to combine.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, pour in ¾ cup water and pectin. Bring to a rolling boil, whisking constantly. Boil for 1 minute.
- Add the mashed berries to the saucepan, reduce the heat to medium-low, and stir for an additional 4-5 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from heat.
- Pour jam into glass jars, leaving ½" of space at the top of the jar for expansion in the freezer. Cover with lids and let jam rest at room temperature for 24 hours before freezing.
- Store jam in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, or in the freezer for up to 1 year.
Notes
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- How to store: Store jam in the freezer for up to 1 year. Once thawed, it will keep in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
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- Measure carefully. Be sure to use the exact amounts of mashed raspberries, sugar, pectin, and lemon juice for the best results.
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- Leave room in jars. There should be about ½" of space at the top of your jars. This allows the jam to expand when frozen.
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- Don't adjust the amount of sugar. Increasing or reducing the amount of sugar may cause the jam to not set properly.
Barb says
Beautiful!!
Nancy says
Is this Raspberry Freezer jam vegan?
MaryAnne says
Hi Nancy, yes, it's completely vegan since there's no gelatin or anything like that in the jam. Enjoy!
Trudi Bredow Donaldson says
Do I have to add lemon? Is it just for flavour or does it affect the composition of the jam? Ex: will it set ok without the lemon?
Also, can I freeze in portioned ziplock bags/vacuumed sealed bags? To save room in my very full freezer
Thank you
MaryAnne says
Hi Trudi, yes the lemon is pretty crucial, as it balances out the sweetness and also helps the jam set. You can totally freeze the jam in freezer bags to save room in your freezer, but it might get kind of tricky/messy serving it from a bag as opposed to a jar. Let me know how it turns out!