Capture the luscious flavors of summer with this easy raspberry freezer jam recipe. With more fruit flavor and vibrant color than canned jam, the best part is that no canning is required! You can easily create a batch of homemade jam that will brighten up your breakfast spreads and desserts, and it will last in the freezer for up to 1 year. So roll up your sleeves, grab those ripe raspberries, and let's get started!
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Bursting with the natural sweetness and tanginess of fresh raspberries, this raspberry freezer jam is the perfect way to preserve the essence of the season.
Cheaper than store-bought jam, you only need 4 simple ingredients and you'll have sweet homemade jam in 20 minutes.
Slather it on sourdough bread, buttermilk biscuits, or ciabatta rolls for a delicious breakfast!
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⭐️ Why This Jam is the Best
- Quick & easy freezer jam recipe that uses 4 simple ingredients and ready in 20 minutes
- Tastes fresher than "cooked" jam, with a more vibrant color and a slightly thinner consistency
- Lasts in the freezer for up to 1 year or in the fridge for up to 1 month
- No preservatives or artificial flavors
- Cheaper than store-bought jam
- No special canning equipment needed
- Makes a great homemade gift
❄️ What is Freezer Jam?
Freezer jam is a convenient way to preserve the vibrant flavors of fresh fruit without the need for traditional canning methods. Unlike cooked jams, freezer jam is made by simply combining fresh fruit, sugar, and pectin, allowing the natural flavors and textures to shine through.
This "no-cook" method involves a quick mixing process followed by storing the jam in the freezer instead of using traditional canning techniques. The result is a bright, fruity spread with a slightly softer consistency compared to cooked jams.
Freezer jam retains the bright flavors and colors of the fresh fruit, making it a fantastic option for capturing the essence of the season.
🍓 Ingredient Notes
- Raspberries - Use fresh and ripe raspberries that are bright red in color. You can also use frozen berries, but thaw them first and be sure to use the juices.
- Granulated sugar - It's very important that you use the exact amount of sugar in the recipe for the jam to turn out properly. No more, and no less.
- Fresh lemon juice - Adding acidity helps to balance out the sweetness and also helps to "set" the jam.
- Sure Jell fruit pectin - Pectin is a naturally occurring substance that's found in fruit. It helps to thicken jams and jellies, giving them their gel-like consistency without using any preservatives. Because the cooking process is much shorter when using pectin, you end up with a jam that's much fresher and fruitier tasting.
📝 Variations & Substitutions
- Make seedless jam: Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove the seeds after mashing raspberries.
- Low-sugar jam: For a reduced sugar version, make the following adjustments: use "Sure Jell fruit pectin for less or no sugar" (it's a pink box), 4 cups of mashed raspberries, 3 ½ cups of granulated sugar, and 1 cup of water. Follow the same steps as below to make low sugar jam.
🥄 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
- 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.
- Dissolve sugar completely. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before transferring to containers. It should not have a gritty texture at all. I recommend tasting it before transferring, and if it's slightly grainy, continue stirring jam over low heat until sugar is totally dissolved.
- Measure carefully. Be sure to use the exact amounts of mashed raspberries, sugar, pectin, and lemon juice for the best results.
- 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.
- Don't adjust the amount of sugar. Increasing or reducing the amount of sugar may cause the jam to not set properly.
- Don't double the batches. Instead, make one batch at a time for the best consistency and texture.
- Use a potato masher to crush raspberries. Leave a few raspberries only slightly mashed for a chunkier texture.
🍽 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
Yes, using pectin to make freezer jam works as a thickener, giving the jam a gel-like consistency that is developed with a longer cooking time when making traditional canned jam.
You can use frozen raspberries to make jam, but always thaw them first and include the fruit juice after thawing.
Freezer jam has many advantages over canned jam, including a fresher and fruitier flavor, no special canning equipment needed, and a brighter vibrant color.
If your jam didn't set, the most common reasons are not using exact ingredient measurements or not boiling your pectin mixture long enough for it to thicken. Your jam might take 24 hours for it to set after making it. If it's still not set after 24 hours, don't fret! You can still use it as a delicious sauce to add to ice cream, yogurt, or biscuits.
For similar results, you can try using cornstarch or gelatin, but the consistency will be different than if using pectin.
🍓 Related 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
- 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.
- Dissolve sugar completely. Make sure the sugar is completely dissolved before transferring to containers. It should not have a gritty texture at all. I recommend tasting it before transferring, and if it's slightly grainy, continue stirring jam over low heat until sugar is totally dissolved.
- Measure carefully. Be sure to use the exact amounts of mashed raspberries, sugar, pectin, and lemon juice for the best results.
- 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.
- Don't adjust the amount of sugar. Increasing or reducing the amount of sugar may cause the jam to not set properly.
- Don't double the batches. Instead, make one batch at a time for the best consistency and texture.
Barb
Beautiful!!
Nancy
Is this Raspberry Freezer jam vegan?
MaryAnne
Hi Nancy, yes, it's completely vegan since there's no gelatin or anything like that in the jam. Enjoy!
Trudi Bredow Donaldson
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
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!