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This Easy Blackberry Jelly recipe yields delicious, shimmering clear jelly that's perfect for toast, scones, biscuits, bagels, crumpets, etc. with a super simple technique!
As I was deciding earlier this week which recipe to post today, I came across the pictures for this Easy Blackberry Jelly. We actually did the photoshoot for this jelly a few weeks ago and I'd forgotten how cheerful the jam looked. Just gazing at the pictures made me smile. I thought you could, perhaps, use a smile today too, so here we go!
In addition to being bright and cheery, this Easy Blackberry Jelly is so... delicious. It makes a piece of warm bread, toast or a pb&j sandwich seem like a gourmet treat. (Of course, that can be a problem because it's really difficult to stop at one!)
I got the idea for this Easy Blackberry Jelly a few weeks ago when one of our local grocery stores had really nice looking cartons of fresh blackberries on sale for $1.19. I couldn't pass that up and proceeded to fill up my basket with little boxes of the beautiful glistening fruit. I wasn't sure how off-season fruit would do for jam/jelly, but I thought it would be worth a try.
Will this recipe work with frozen blackberries?
It turned out so good, I thought I'd try another batch with frozen blackberries and again, the results were wonderful. How fun it's been to be able to pass on pretty little jars of this Easy Blackberry Jelly to family, friends and neighbors. I designed a colorful little label that can be attached to the lid or side of the jars to add an extra little pizzazz. (You can leave a comment in the area below the recipe if you'd like a printable PDF for these labels.)
I had to laugh when I was making this jam as it made me think about something my mom always said. She was a tried and true homemade cook and was, in particular, very proud of her homemade jelly. She would always say, "... and there's not a drop of water in this jelly!". Her technique would involve cooking the berries, then meticulously wrapping them up in a cheesecloth sack. The sack of cooked berries would be hung on a nail or cupboard door and the juice would drip into the bowl, drop-by-drop-by-drop, often taking all day or overnight before enough of the precious juice would be extracted.
I think the method used for this Easy Blackberry Jelly yields just as delicious results without all the fuss. This is how it works: combine blackberries and water (sorry, mom!). Bring the mixture to a boil and smash the berries a bit with a potato masher or large spoon then let it cook away for about 20 minutes. By this time, most of the extra water has been evaporated and you're left with mostly juice and cooked-down fruit.
Strain the mixture through a fine strainer into a bowl until most of the juice is extracted (this takes 5-10 minutes, tops!). Combine the juice with a box of powdered pectin (I use SureJell) and bring it to a boil. Add the sugar and cook until it's boiling. Once the mixture's boiling, stir, stir, stir, for one minute and, voila! You're pretty much done except to pour the clear, shimmering juice into clean, waiting jars - and, of course, stand back to admire.
I think this technique is quite genius but I can't take the credit myself. I found the recipe on the Food.com website. I'm pretty sure my mom would have flipped had she known how easy making jelly could be!
What's the difference between jam and jelly?
Some people use these terms interchangeably, but that's not really correct. I think Fine Cooking sums up the differences very concisely: "Jelly is a clear fruit spread made from cooked fruit juice and sugar, and possibly pectin, which helps it gel and thicken. ... Jam is a thick spread made from fruit juice, chopped, crushed, or puréed fruit, and sugar. Pectin may also be added to help it gel, but jams are usually looser than jellies."
How do you store this blackberry jelly?
There are a few options for storing this jelly. It's good in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks. For longer storage, I like to freeze it, as I have a refrigerator and freezer in my garage. Freezing is the easiest way to keep the jelly for an extended period of time. The other option is to use the hot water bath method. This takes a little extra time but ensures that the jelly is shelf-stable before it's opened. Both the freezer or the hot water methods work well for this blackberry jelly.
A never-fail jelly
Because blackberries are super high in pectin, this Easy Blackberry Jelly always sets up nicely. What is pectin? Pick Your Own describes it as "a naturally occurring substance (a polysaccharide) found in berries, apples and other fruit. When heated together with sugar, it causes a thickening that is characteristic of jams and jellies." Jams and jellies made from fruits that are low in pectin can be a little unpredictable when it comes to setting. Not this Easy Blackberry Jelly, it comes out perfect every time!
I hope you've bookmarked some recipes from our recent Learn to Make Homemade Bread post. This Easy Blackberry Jelly will pair so nicely with any of these recipes. Just be warned though, once you start making homemade bread and jam or jelly, you will never want to go back to store-bought (even if you did, you're family/friends aren't going to let you)!
Café Tips for making this Easy Blackberry Jelly
- This recipe calls for one box of SureJell. SureJell is powdered pectin and can be found in most grocery stores with the jam/jelly making supplies (jars, bands, lids, etc.). It seems that every grocery stocks the jam/jelly making supplies in a different section of the store so you might need to ask.
- Don't try to adjust the amounts of ingredients in this recipe. Making jams and jellies with pectin is an exact science and each recipe is designed around the amount of natural pectin that is in a given fruit. If you increase or decrease any of the ingredients you may end up with jam that either is too loose or too stiff.
- Most jam/jelly recipes call for measuring the sugar in a separate bowl and then adding it to the berries. The only reason for this is that if you get interrupted while measuring and forget where you were, you haven't ruined the whole batch.
- The recipe instructs "bring the mixture to a rolling boil". What does that mean? A rolling boil is one that can't be stirred down, even when you stir, it continues to boil.
- It might seem a little odd, to include a half teaspoon of butter in this easy blackberry jelly recipe. The small amount of butter helps to prevent a lot of foam from developing when the juice/sugar mixture boils. If you finish boiling the jam and you still see foam, you can always pour it through a fine-mesh strainer one more time.
- If you're using frozen blackberries, don't worry about smashing the berries in step 1 of the recipe. When frozen berries thaw, they're already broken down enough.
- You'll need a fine-mesh strainer for this recipe to strain the blackberry pulp from the juice. A regular strainer's holes are too large and you'll end up with fruit in the jelly and it won't be nice and clear. A fine-mesh strainer is a great kitchen tool to have and you'll find you use it for lots of things. If you're in a pinch and don't have a fine-mesh strainer, another option is to line a regular strainer with several layers of cheesecloth
- When straining the juice, make sure the bowl underneath is large enough so that the strainer won't be sitting in the juice.
- As I mentioned above, if you'd like our labels for your jelly, just leave a comment below and I'll send you the printable PDF.
Thought for the day
We have this Hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. Hebrews 6:19
P.S. Did you notice the pretty butter decked out with edible flowers? I call it Beautiful Butter. We've got a post coming up that will share exactly how it's done, easy tricks and tips and a section on common edible flowers. It's a really fun way to add a little pizzazz to a family meal or a dinner party!
If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review in the comment section below! It’s so helpful to other readers to hear other’s results and ideas for variations.
Easy Blackberry Jelly - any time of year!
Ingredients
To make the blackberry juice:
- 5 cups fresh blackberries 6-7 of the small cartons of blackberries or 2 pounds of frozen berries
- 4 cups water
To make the jelly:
- 3¾ cups blackberry juice
- 4½ cups sugar
- 1 ¾ ounces SureJell dry pectin
- ½ teaspoon butter
Instructions
To make the blackberry juice:
- Combine the berries and water in a large pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lightly smash the berries with a potato masher or large spoon.
- Maintaining a steady boil, cook berries for 20 minutes.
- Place a large bowl beneath a fine-mesh strainer (or a regular strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth). Save the juice and discard the berry remnants and seeds.
To make the jelly:
- Measure sugar In a medium-size bowl. Set aside.
- Measure the blackberry juice. You should have close to 3 ¾ cup. If you are a bit short add water to measure 3 ¾ cups. If you have more than 3 ¾ cup, save the extra juice for another use.
- Combine juice and pectin in a 6 to 8 quart sauce pot Stir well to combine.
- Add the butter and bring the mixture to FULL ROLLING BOIL (a boil that does not stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring frequently.
- Add the sugar and stir well.
- Return to a rolling boil and boil exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off any foam.
- Quickly ladle into the prepared jars to within ⅛ inch of top. Wipe jar rims and threads with damp cloth. Cover with lids lids. Allow the jelly to sit at room temperature for 24 hours then refrigerate (for 3-4 weeks) or freeze (for 4-5 months).
- If using the hot water bath method, begin processing right after filling the jars, using these directions.
Notes
Nutrition
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Nancy Carlson says
Hi Chris,
I am curious as to why this recipe calls for butter. Is it absolutely necessary?
I only ask because I don't eat dairy. I wonder if I can use vegan butter
instead? Please advise. Thank you so much. I love your blog.
Sincerely,
Nancy
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Nancy, you can skip the butter. The butter helps the jam not to create as much foam on the top when it boils but you can just skim it off. The butter doesn't affect the flavor at all.
Elizabeth M says
These will make wonderful late secret santa and early valentine’s day gifts!! Thank you for the recipe as this was my first time making a jelly since i happened to have leftover mason jars! looking forward to trying your other recipes as well.
May I have the labels emailed to me as well? thank you ! 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, Elizabeth!
Alice Rabb says
The recipe made great jelly. Everyone enjoyed!! Send some labels please.
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, Alice!
Patty says
I would love to have the label pdf
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, Patty!
Linda says
Hi Chris,
I agree, those little jars of Blackberry jelly, made me smile too!! Would you please send me the blackberry jelly labels as I'd love to make it with my frozen blackberries. Thanks again, Linda from Canada
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, Linda! Enjoy!
Sylvia says
The blackberry jelly sound delicious, and the results are beautiful. If blackberries are so high in pectin content, why do we need to
ADD pectin when making jelly?
Chris Scheuer says
That's a great question, Sylvia.
They are high in pectin but you would have to cook the jelly a LOT longer in order to omit the pectin. You certainly can do that and there are recipes out there for no-pectin blackberry jellies but I prefer to keep that delicious fresh flavor.
phoebe larson says
Please send me the labels.
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, Phoebe!
Casey says
If I first remove seeds with my victorio strainer, should I still need to boil the juice down with water or go directly to the make jelly portion of recipe? Thanks so much!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Casey, you shouldn’t have to add the water. Just use the exact specified amount of juice. Enjoy!
Cristi says
I made this today and it turned out great! Thank you for the excellent step by step instructions. Could you please send me the labels to add to the jars. Thank you!
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome, Cristi! We will send the labels.
Joy says
This was so easy with the extra water added. Such a time saver
Jars are ready for their labels .. please send
*****
Chris Scheuer says
Awesome! Sending the labels now, Joy.
Tammy says
Thanks so much for the step by step directions it makes everything so much easier. I’m not guessing what to do or how to do it. Can’t wait to try it.
Oh, could you please send me the labels? Thank you 😊
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Tammy! We will send the labels now.
Annett says
Really like how you give explanations to everything. Takes the guesswork out of what you need to know.
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Annett!
Lori Pearce says
Just made your pretty jelly. It looks delicious! Hoping to share with friends. would love to dress it up with your beautiful labels 🙂 thanks so much
Chris Scheuer says
That's great, Lori! Sending the labels your way.
Gail Chapin says
I'm excited to try this recipe! Please send me the PDF for the labels. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Sure, Gail! Enjoy!
Andrea Jean Westberg says
Please send printable labels for this jelly! Thank you
Jacqueline Hamilton says
Your instructions are very easy to follow and made my first batch delicious! thank you so much and if you could send me the labels I would really appreciate it, they are perfect!
Chris Scheuer says
I'm so glad, Jacqueline! Sending the labels now.
Donna says
I am about to start this recipe, but I am wondering how you can start with 5 cups of mashed berries with 4 cups of water and yet only yield 3-3/4 cup blackberry juice?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Donna, the water will boil off and you will be straining out all of the pulp of the berries, which will leave you right around 3¾ cups of juice.
Rondi says
Blackberries grow here in abundance and you have inspired me to go out, pick some and make jelly so I have their delicious flavour all winter long. I would love some labels so I can share with family who live far away.
As always, thank you for your easy and delicious recipes!
Chris Scheuer says
I love that, Rondi! We will send the labels now.
B.J. Lewis says
Picking my blackberries today and making your jelly. Excited to try it and have those beautiful labels! Thank you for the recipe
Chris Scheuer says
We will send them now, B.J.!
Marlene Simister says
I have made the Blackberry jelly this morning….would love to dress up my jars with beautiful labels.
Thanks a bunch
Chris Scheuer says
We will send the labels now, Marlene!
Lynda Wright says
I am making your jelly and added a bit of Grand Mariner and orange peel that I shredded. Tastes wonderful. I would love to have your beautiful labels
Chris Scheuer says
That sounds delicious, Lynda! We will send the labels now!
marietta chmelar says
Good Morning from Chicago. Thank you for the labels for Black berry jelly. However I can't print these. Last time you resent
the Queens jam.
Thank You
Chris Scheuer says
We will try again, Marietta.
Jan says
Still cooking my jelly but it looks and smells delicious ! Would love to dress up my jars with your beautiful labels please . Thank you
Chris Scheuer says
We will send them, Jan!
Jim says
Hello,
My son picked me a gallon of wild blackberries today after work. I have them in the fridge and I will make the jelly tomorrow.
Would you please send me the Blackberry jelly labels. Nice job they are beautiful.
Jim
Chris Scheuer says
Lucky you! We'll be happy to send the labels!
marietta chmelar says
Hello again! Just made the Blackberry jelly . They turned out great. I never made any jelly before because of time consume recipes.
A lot of your recipes are worth a try. The raspberry freezer jam and the raspberry blueberry freezer yam are great. Can you send me
Me the Blackberry jelly labels .
Thanks. Again for all your recipes
P.S The lemon curd _ mouse is to die for. Hope every one should make it. Very very easy.
Thanks Again
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks so much, Marietta! We will send the labels now!