The Easiest Homemade Raspberry Jam Recipe (without pectin)
THE FARMHOUSE
We’re incredibly spoiled to have rows of mature raspberry plants at our Farmhouse. A previous owner planted them years ago and we transplanted them into a long/narrow bed when we renovated our garden. We harvest up to a pound of raspberries a day this time of year and I make this jam recipe weekly.
But you don’t need to live in the country or have a garden to make homemade jam - those grocery store or farmers market raspberries sitting in your fridge will work great too. And have no fear if you’re a newbie to jam making, there’s no canning experience or specialty equipment needed for this easy fringe-jam recipe.
Raspberry jam has always been my favorite kind and I’ve been making the homemade variety since my 20’s. But last year I switched things up and started making raspberry jam without added pectin. My favorite sourdough bread cookbook, Chad Robertson’s Tartine Bread, has some guidance for pectin-free jam making (called Liz’s Jam recipe) which is where I first experimented with it. Turns out raspberries have a lot of natural pectin so this jam sets up just great with just the sugar and lemon juice added.
our Farmhouse kitchen // citrus squeezer + other sources here
I’m keeping it simple today and sharing a fridge-jam recipe, the easiest of all jams. This jam is stored in the refrigerator and can last for a couple of weeks. What I love about fridge jam is that it has amazing flavor and a bright red color that can’t be beat by jams that get additional processing. Plus it’s so easy and quick to whip up a batch that you can do it without much planning and don’t have to worry about the sterilization and processing you do with canning.
But if you’d like to keep your jam for longer, you can freeze it for a month (just make sure to leave 1/2” of head space in the jam for expansion) or can the jam using a safe canning process including sterilized jars and water bath.
Easy Homemade Raspberry Jam (without pectin)
makes about 1 pint (16 oz)
store jam in the fridge
Ingredients
500g raspberries (about 4 cups)
350g granulated sugar (about 1 3/4 cup)
juice of 1 small lemon
butter (optional, but helps keep foam down)
One // Wash berries in cold water and pull out any bad ones. Wash container and lid really well, using hot water.
Two // Add berries, sugar and lemon juice to a large sauce pan. Cook on low until the sugar is melted and ingredients are combined. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Cook until you reach 221-degrees, about 10-20 minutes. If you don’t have a thermometer, cook until the mixture has darkened, thickened, and gotten jammy (it will continue to thicken and set after removed from the heat). The longer you cook it, the thicker and darker the jam will become. If you get foam during this process, spoon it out or add a little butter to reduce it.
Three // Ladle jam into clean jars and put on lids. After the jam cools it can be stored in the fridge for a couple of weeks (if it lasts that long 😉). If the jam separates in the fridge, stir before using.
A jar full of goodness right there! My favorite way to eat homemade raspberry jam is smattered on buttered sourdough toast, of course. But it’s also really lovely on pancakes, muffins, peanut butter sandwiches, and really anything you can dream up.
Enjoy!
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