blueberry jam

Homemade blueberry jam is made with just three ingredients: fresh blueberries, sugar, and lemon. Not only is it easy to make, it’s delicious too! I love this blueberry jam spread on peanut butter toast or cream cheese toast.

Although I tend to make this blueberry jam recipe using fresh blueberries, I do have some tips for using frozen berries instead if that’s what you have on hand.

Related: Next, try using strawberry jam, peach jam, pumpkin butter, or apple butter.

ingredients

blueberries white granulated sugar lemon

I use fresh blueberries most of the time when I make this jam, but I have some notes below about using frozen blueberries instead.

Directions

Remove any stems from the blueberries and rinse well.

In a medium to large saucepan, combine berries, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Cook over medium heat until sugar is liquid and blueberries are tender (3 minutes).

Use a hand blender to puree the mixture. I like the blueberry jam I use to be fairly smooth, but you can also leave the texture thicker if you prefer.

Continue cooking over medium-high heat for another 10 minutes. The mixture should come to a simmer. It should reach a temperature between 210°F and 220°F. Watch it and keep stirring so the bottom of the pan doesn’t burn.

Remove the jam from the heat and allow it to cool. The jam will thicken as it cools. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least two weeks.

Tips and Alternatives

If you want to use frozen blueberries instead of fresh, simply thaw them before starting this recipe and drain off any excess juice. You can use this juice to flavor water or tea. If you don’t drain off the excess liquid, the jam won’t spoil, but it may result in a thinner jam consistency or you may need to cook the jam a little longer on the stove. You can substitute another citrus fruit for the lemon if you want to change up the flavor a bit. I think oranges go great with blueberries, but lemon or grapefruit would also be fun. If you want to add more flavor variety, you can substitute brown sugar for the granulated white sugar, or add a few sprinkles of cinnamon, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to this simple recipe.