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Guest post by Kelly of New Leaf Wellness
Did you know that you can make homemade blackberry jam in your slow cooker? You can, and it’s so easy!
I love homemade slow cooker jams so much that I shared a recipe for slow cooker strawberry jam in my Easy & Healthy Slow Cooker Cookbook and slow cooker peach jam on my New Leaf Wellness blog.
To make slow cooker blackberry jam, all you need to do is combine fresh blackberries, sugar, fruit pectin, and lemon juice in your slow cooker.
Not only is this slow cooker blackberry jam easy to make, it contains half as much sugar as traditional homemade jams and store-bought jams and jellies. I use an all-natural, premium pectin called “no sugar needed fruit pectin” to thicken my jam instead of all the sugar needed to thicken jams made with classic fruit pectin.
You’ll also be glad to know that this slow cooker blackberry jam is high in Vitamin C and dietary fiber and low in fat, cholesterol, and sodium. It’s gluten-free and absolutely delicious!
Save money by buying blackberries on sale this summer and canning your jam to eat year-round. I tried simple water bath canning last summer and loved sharing my preserved jams with my family and friends.
Slow Cooker Blackberry Jam
Yield 48 ounces
Ingredients
- 4 pounds of fresh, ripe blackberries
- 3 cups of sugar
- 6 tablespoons of "no sugar needed" fruit pectin (I use "Ball Low or No-Sugar Needed Pectin")
- The juice from one lemon (about 1/4 cup)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker.
- Cover, and cook on "low" for 6-8 hours. (The time depends on the size and strength of your slow cooker.)
- Mash to desired consistency. (I use a simple hand potato masher.)
- Cool, and serve.
This homemade jam tastes great on sandwiches, oatmeal, and pancakes. Sometimes, I even mix it with barbecue sauce to marinate chicken!
Have you ever tried making your own jam? Please share in a comment below!
Dr. Kelly McNelis is a psychologist-turned-blogger for New Leaf Wellness. She lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her husband and three young daughters and makes most of her money selling cookbooks. You can connect with Kelly on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
CW
Can I do the same thing with strawberries?
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Yes!
Kristine
Yes, can you substitute with other fruits??
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Yes! I’ve used the same recipe with strawberries and peaches. Both were delicious!
melesia marshall
Can i substitute sugar with stevia
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
I’ve never tried, but I think other forms of sweetener would work because they aren’t needed to thicken the jam. Their main purpose is to sweeten it and balance the tart flavor of the fruit.
Jenn
Did anyone ever try it with an artificial sweetener or honey? Thanks 🙂
Joyce
When finished, can this be canned?
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Yes!
Melody
I’ve used agave nectar with great success. Can you sieve the berries at some point to make seedless jam? My DH LOVES blackberry jam – blackberry anything – but is picky about the seeds.
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
I think you could run the blackberries through a foley food mill before adding to the slow cooker.
Franny
Think?
I’d hate to have cooked all those hand picked a Blk berries n have it turn out runner
I’m a beginner, and I love my crock pot
But,…….?
Wendy
I can’t wait to try this! I’ve made jams the old fashioned way and can be a big mess trying to cook quickly then can them immediately after. My favorite flavor sounds weird but is SO good! Blueberry lime! It has blueberry, lime juice and very thin lime peel strips, sugar and pectin. Another great savory one is basil jelly – great with cream cheese on crackers or a meat marinade. What are your fav flavors?
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Wow! Those sound absolutely delicious! I’ve only tried basic fruit jams, like peach, strawberry, and blackberry. Sounds like I need to do some experimenting this summer! 🙂
Janet
Would you share your basil jelly recipe? 🙂
Tara @ A Daily Dose of Fit
Love this recipe! Anything from Kelly is sure to be delicious. Love her cookbooks! Can’t wait to try this…I’m wondering if it’ll work with strawberries and rhubarb, too. YUM.
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Thank you! I’ve made it with strawberries and it’s awesome. Love the idea of adding rhubarb!
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Kate
I’m wanting to make this and then can it, but I am new to canning! Do you have any tips? Or like a how to?
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Yes! Here’s my step-by-step tutorial with pics! So much easier than I thought it would be.
http://newleafwellness.biz/2013/05/08/home-canning-for-beginners/
Cupcakes702
I followed this recipe exactly in my large 6 qt Rival. Cooked 8 hours on low, stirred half way through. It came out very liquidy, tasted like the sugar burnt, and it didn’t gel or set up at all. It was $25 down the drain. It didn’t work for me at all.
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Oh, no! That’s horrible! Did you use “no sugar needed fruit pectin?” I’ve followed this recipe exactly so many times without a problem. Does your slow cooker typically cook faster than other recipes? I’m so sorry that happened to you.
Lori Ousley McInnis
I’m having the same problem — totally runny. I even canned it last night trusting the recipe and it was soup this morning, so I’m trying again. Soooo disappointed.
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Oh no! That stinks. Do you have any idea what happened? Did you make the recipe exactly as written? Do you think it could have been overcooked? (I typically use my 4-qt slow cooker.) I’m so sorry this happened to you. I’ve made this recipe many times and it always works for me.
lisa
can you freeze instead of canning?
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
I’m not sure. I’ve never tried.
Cupcakes702
Perhaps the CrockPots’ heat was too much for 8 hours, I checked it after 6 hours, and it was really liquidy at that time. I decided to let it bubble for two more hours. I could understand the sugar sorching but, I used the Ball No Sugar needed pectin as mentioned. It never jelled at all. I find that to be so strange. I was so looking forward to it coming out. I am perplexed for sure.
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
It gets much thicker as it cools. Sorry again that it didn’t work out for you!
Jeri Casey
Can you use frozen fruit? Like strawberries
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
I’ve never tried, but I did a quick google search and it looks like any kind of frozen berry will work if it was frozen without added sugar or other ingredients and is thawed prior to cooking. If you try it, please report back. I’d love to know how it works out!
Vince6816
I didn’t work, as a matter of fact I ended up with a crockpot of black sludge.
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
Oh no! That sounds horrible. Thanks for letting us know!
Sarah
Do you mean that using frozen berries didn’t work?
Connie
Can I take the 4 c. Of blackberries and blenderize them in my vita mix machine and use the juice and your recipe in my crockpot to make the jam?
Kelly @ New Leaf Wellness
I’m not sure. Does juice typically work in homemade jam recipes?
Karen
If you only use the juice from the fruit and none of the pulp then it will be jelly instead of jam. I also noticed she said cups and the recipe calls for pounds. I wonder if this is the same mistake the others are making. In order for a recipe to come out the same, you also have to take in consideration the altitude and the crock pot being used. I have 2 crock pots and they both cook very differently. If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Also keeping notes is very helpful everytime you make something.
Eddie
Yes I have. I made blackberry jam from berries I picked on the north fork of the Red River. I was 17 I think, about 1977 or so. Made lots of jams and jellies since but blackberry is my favorite. I like your recipe. Berries ripen here in June I look forward to trying it. Thanks for sharing it.
Michelle
Can you freeze the blackberries and then make the jam later with the frozen fruit?
How long does it last once you can it? Can you freeze the jam?
Jenna
Do you know how long this can be refrigerated for?
mary bodman
I tried this today and I think I messed up using a liquid form of pectin. Could I dump it all into a pot and add powdered pectin to thicken it up?
Barbara
Mary, try this.
http://www.pickyourown.org/how_to_fix_runny_jam.htm
Linda Conroy
i make jam alot in my bread machine basically same recipe you use for slow cooker and i use stevia in place of sugar (am diabetic) and it works great
Pauline C.
Can you can this? Water bath method?
Linda
At what point do you sieve the berries to remove the seeds. I like the taste of blackberries but not the seeds, and I have loads of them every year.
Erin
I am not sure.
Karen
You want to remove the seeds before cooking.
Erin
Thanks for sharing, Karen.
Karen
Do you can it after cooking in the crock pot, if not how are you storing it, in the refrigerator?
Kathleen McTague
I just picked blackberries and would like to make this jam to can. Do I have to boil my jars to get them to seal? Thank you
Jan
Can you use the sure gel for this recipe
Barbara
One point: overcooking pectin can result in it losing it’s ability to thicken. I would suggest adding much later in the process. Also this link will show how to rescue runny nams and jellies.
http://www.pickyourown.org/how_to_fix_runny_jam.htm
Barbara
Sorry “runny jams and jellies”
Kelli Page
I use a pectin product called Pomona’s Universal Pectin for low sugar jams. I do use the crock pot, but after cooking for an hour, I slip a bamboo skewer under the lid and raise it up to vent. Then I stir every hour. This is not a leave it and come back later moment. I do watch and stir. I finish off the jam in a non-stick skillet to achieve the exact consistency. I hope this helps.
Philip Morton
Am I able to use blackberries that I have frozen?
Mimi
Absolutely delicious! Mine gelled when cool! I wonder if the people who commented that their’s did not gel based it on the jam when it was still hot? The taste is delightfully strong of blackberry.