Preserving the Harvest

How to Make Raspberry Freezer Jam

How to Make Raspberry Freezer Jam

Make Raspberry Freezer Jam!

Do you have raspberries coming in but you don’t have time to can a batch of jam? Maybe it’s just too hot to slave over a boiling canner? You can make raspberry freezer jam quickly, easily, and without heating up your kitchen!

My family loves homemade jam and I usually can some each year for shelf-stable storage. However, I don’t always have the time, energy, or enough fruit to make canned jam. That’s when freezer jam recipes come to the rescue!

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The Pros and Cons of Freezer Jam

Some people swear by their homemade freezer jam and other folks don’t care for it. There are reasons for both and as you can see from this list, there are both pros and cons to making freezer jam.

Pros:Cons:
Easy and simple to makeNot shelf stable
No-cook recipeNot as thick as canned jam
Small batchBacteria not killed by cooking
Use less sugarFreezer space may be limited
Easy to freeze & thawMay get freezer burn

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Red and black raspberries ready for jam making
Red and black raspberries from my bramble patch.

How to Make Raspberry Freezer Jam – Recipe

Here are the easy instructions for making your own small-batch freezer jam from scratch. You’ll need enough red, black, or gold raspberries to make 4 cups of mashed berries. I used a combination of red and black raspberries from my own raspberry patch.

I used Mrs. Wage’s Freezer Jam Pectin and had very good results. The jam set better than some freezer jam I’ve made in the past. However, use the brand of pectin you like best and follow the instructions included in the package for the best results.

Start by sorting the berries and picking out any stems, leaves, moldy berries, and insects. Rinse the berries in a colander just before you make the jam. Mash your raspberries and set aside.

Raspberry Freezer Jam

Raspberry Freezer Jam

This easy to make freezer jam takes just a few minutes and is delicious! Only three ingredients needed!
5 from 1 vote
Course Condiment

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups raspberries mashed
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 package Mrs Wage's Freezer Jam Pectin

Instructions
 

  • Mix sugar and pectin together in a small bowl.
  • Add crushed fruit to the pectin mixture and stir for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl to incorporate all of the pectin and sugar into the fruit.
  • Spoon the jam into clean freezer containers and label with the contents and date.
  • Allow the jam to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature to thicken.
  • Freeze jam for up to 1 year.
Keyword freezer jam

Raspberry Freezer Jam Recipe

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups mashed berries
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 package Mrs. Wage’s freezer jam pectin

Instructions:

  1. Mix sugar and pectin together in a small bowl.
  2. Add crushed fruit to the pectin mixture and stir for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl to incorporate all of the pectin and sugar into the fruit.
  3. Spoon the jam into clean freezer containers and label with the contents and date.
  4. Allow the jam to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature to thicken.
  5. Freeze jam for up to 1 year.

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Freshly made raspberry freezer jam on a whole wheat bagel
Whole wheat bagel topped with freshly made jam… yum!

Tips for Making Your Own Jam

I’ve been making homemade jam for ages and I’ve found a few helpful tips along the way. I hope these ideas are helpful!

  • Be sure to use fruit that is ripe and in good condition. Don’t try to salvage fruit that is past its prime.
  • If the fruit is dirty, rinse it off well and drain before starting.
  • If you don’t have enough fruit to make a batch of jam, freeze it until you have enough. Just wash, peel, chop, mash, or otherwise prepare the fruit and measure it first so it is ready for making jam when you pull it out of the freezer. Thaw the fruit before making jam.
  • Try several different brands of pectin to find the one you like best. I like using pectin that requires less sugar.
  • Use pectin before the ‘best by date’ has expired.
  • Follow the instructions included in the pectin package for the best results.
  • Some jam recipes are very particular and will not set if you change the amount of sugar or fruit.
  • Don’t mix up more than one batch of jam at a time. This can lead to improper jelling.

I often use a pectin product that requires no sugar at all for a batch of jam. I still use sugar, but I use much less than a typical jam recipe calls for. If a recipe calls for more sugar than fruit, I prefer not to use that recipe and pectin product.

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raspberries

Raspberry Freezer Jam is Easy!

Life gets so busy when I’m working in the garden and preserving the harvest in summer. Heating up the kitchen to can a batch of jam isn’t always high on my wish list! So when I have small batches of fresh fruit I like to make an easy batch of freezer jam.

This raspberry freezer jam is perfect for those days when I don’t have time to pull out the water bath canner or the house is just too hot for making jam. It tastes wonderful spread on toast, mixed into yogurt, or as a topping for vanilla ice cream. 🙂

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Here are some other jam recipes I’ve shared over the years:

Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Jam

How to Make Peach Freezer Jam from Fresh or Frozen Fruit

Apple Jam Canning Recipe with Printable Gift Tags & Recipe Cards

How to Make Blueberry Jam

How to Make Cherry Jam from Scratch

Canning Grape Juice and Jelly

Strawberry Jam – Low Sugar Recipe

Cranberry Jam with Free Printable Labels

Easy Cranberry Jelly with Free Printable Labels

Apple Cranberry Jam with Free Printable Labels

Do you like making freezer jam? What is your favorite kind of jam to make?

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How to Make Raspberry Freezer Jam

20 Comments on “How to Make Raspberry Freezer Jam

    1. Hi Shanda,
      I keep it in the freezer until I’m ready to use it. Then I keep it in the refrigerator and I try to use a container up within 2 weeks of removing it from the freezer (to prevent mold or bacteria growth). I hope this helps!

  1. 5 stars
    I love both types of jam, freezer and canned. It just depends on time and space for me. The flavors are wonderful either way. Thanks!

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you for hosting! This is what I featured the week of 7-6 to 7-10 on my blog. On Tuesday were Double Chocolate Chunk Cookies. Wednesday saw Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies. Thursday was Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies. And winding up this Cookie Week was my post, Tip Friday Freezing Cookie Dough. Enjoy!

    1. Thank you so much for visiting and sharing your lovely posts with us, Deb! Take care and have a wonderful week!

  3. Thank you for hosting AND for the feature of my preparing tomatoes for canning! It is a raspberry type of week here as well. Although I am more of a traditionalist in my raspberry jam, (post out tomorrow…great minds and all 🙂 ) and use sugar as we need it to last when opened. Happy summer harvesting!!

    1. Hi Suzan! Thank you for sharing your talents with us each week! I always look forward to seeing what you are up to. 🙂 Oh, I am no stranger to sugar, lol. I am just trying to reduce the amount I use because I’m considered pre-diabetic. Dang… I love sweets!

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