Make homemade blackberry preserves with our foolproof recipe. Fruity, vibrant, and perfect for toast, charcuterie, and more! Blackberry preserves are a delicious, easy way to enjoy summer's bounty.
This preserves recipe is fast and easy to make, but it is also lower in sugar than most jams, jellies, or preserve recipes. Berries are naturally higher in pectin, which reacts with acid and heat to create the thick jam or jelly 'jel'.
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Ingredients You'll Need
Making preserves with blackberries is easy, and only a few ingredients will be required. I picked my berries fresh off nearby blackberry bushes, as they grow rampant in the Pacific North West where I live.
You will need fresh picked, fresh store bought, or frozen blackberries. Also, white granulated sugar, powdered pectin, and lemon juice. The lemon juice can be fresh, frozen, or bottled, whichever is easiest for you.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Make Blackberry Preserve
Wash the berries right before using them. Unwashed berries last longer than washed ones, so wait until you are ready to make the preserves before washing them.
If the fresh berries are longer than 1 ½" you should cut them in half so they cook properly.
Prepare The Jars And Ingredients
- The first step is to prepare the containers you will store your homemade preserves in. Make sure there are no nicks or chips on the jar rims.
- Place the washed blackberries in a heavy bottomed stainless dutch oven kettle.
Sugar And Pectin Mixture
- Measure the blackberries, sugar, pectin, and lemon juice. Mix the pectin into the sugar to blend it in evenly.
Add Sugar And Pectin To the Pot of Blackberries
- Place the measured ripe blackberries into a large pot. Add the sugar & pectin mixture.
Dissolve Sugar Mixture
- Cook on medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Stir gently so you don't break the berries too much.
Cook To Gel Stage
- Bring to a boil and stir constantly to stir down any foam. Add the lemon juice. Lower heat and simmer.
- The preserves will thicken as they react to the lemon, pectin, sugar, and heat. The hot preserves will 'sheet' off the flat side of the spoon. This is called gel.
Pour Into Prepared Jars
- Use a jar filling funnel to keep the jar rims clean, filling each jar up to 1" from the top rim. Wipe the rims clean.
- Place the seals on the jars, then tighten the jar bands. Water Bath Can for long term pantry storage.
Tips for Success
- Be careful not to over cook your preserves, as then it will be too tight and thick to spread on toast or cornbread muffins.
- Mix the powdered pectin into the dry sugar before adding to the berries.
- Start the kettle on medium until the juice from the berries allows the sugar to dissolve. Then, increase the heat until you get the rolling boil.
- Stir constantly during the boiling stage, so the preserves do not stick or scald.
Substitutions and Variations
If you substitute frozen blackberries, you will need to let them drain before measuring out the amount for the recipe.
Serving Suggestions
Blackberry preserves are delicious on breakfast toast, topped on ice cream or yogurt, and so much more! Use it as a filling between layers of a cake, or as a sweet accompaniment with your next meat & cheese platter.
Homemade Blackberry preserves make the best housewarming gifts. They are beautiful with their jewel tones and a ribbon tied around the band. They're also divine on our Cracker Barrel Cornbread Muffins, Old Fashioned Crisco Biscuits, or our Matcha scones!
Storage Options
- Store your blackberry preserves in your refrigerator for up to 6 months, covered.
- If you want to store outside of the refrigerator, use the Ball Water Bath Canning Method to process your jars of blackberry preserves.
Related Recipes
- Fig Preserve
- Triple Berry Slab Pie
- Lemon Blackberry Bread
- Almond Flour Blackberry Muffins
- Summer Berry Salad
- Cajun Cornbread
Equipment
Equipment can have a big impact on how a recipe turns out. Below are some of my favorite pieces of equipment that I use when making this blackberry preserves recipe.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Jam is made with crushed fruit and cooks up as a blended fruit texture. Preserves are made with small whole fruits, or larger fruit cut into larger chunks and cooks up preserving more of the fruit chunks and texture.
Yes, but unless they are made for handling a hot water bath canning process you can only store them in the refrigerator.
Use this blackberry preserves recipe but simply use raspberries or strawberries. Not only that, but you can mix all three kinds of berries!
More Delish Ideas
- 10 Must-Try Regional BBQ Sauces
- Easy Caesar Salad Dressing
- Homemade Tzatziki Sauce
- Everything Bagel Seasoning Recipe
Blackberry Preserves Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 cups fresh blackberries about 3 lbs
- 3 cups white granulated sugar
- 3 ½ tablespoon Powdered Pectin mix into the sugar
- ½ cup lemon juice fresh or bottled
Instructions
- Prepare the jars first. Wash and sanitize. You can use the dishwasher on the hot wash and hot dry session to sanitize. Set aside on a towel to dry.
- Measure out the berries and wash them. Put them in a large stainless steel pot.7 cups fresh blackberries
- Mix the sugar and the dry pectin together, then add to the pot of berries. Heat on medium low until the berries juice up and dissolve the sugar, stirring the pot to make sure nothing sticks. Add the lemon juice.3 cups white granulated sugar, 3 ½ tablespoon Powdered Pectin, ½ cup lemon juice
- After sugar is dissolved, turn the heat to medium high and bring the pot to a rolling boil. If foam develops, either scoop it off and discard, or stir it down. You will cook on the boil for 8 minutes. Then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently for another 12 minutes.
- The preserves should fall off the flat of a wooden spoon slowly, with a drip in two places on the spoon, not just one drip in the middle. If not quite ready, cook up to 3 more minutes, checking for jell in 1 minute intervals. Remove pot from heat and ladle into prepared jars.
- Wipe the jar rims with a damp cloth, seal with the disc lids, and tighten the bands.
- Let the jars sit on the counter to cool. You will hear little pop sounds as the sealing discs are sucked in with a vacuum seal. You can store in your refrigerator for up to 6 months.
- If you want to store in your pantry, use the Ball Hot Water Canning Method to hot water bath process them. See the notes for the link to the instruction guide. They should process for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Wait until you are ready to make preserves, because washed berries spoil quickly in a refrigerator.
- Don't cook past the two point drip off the spoon. If you over cook the preserves can get too thick and sticky to easily spread. Use a wide wooden spoon, and watch for the preserves to coat it rather than just swoosh off.
- Start the kettle on medium until the juice from the berries allows the sugar to dissolve. Then, increase the heat until you get the rolling boil.
- Stir constantly during the boiling stage, so the preserves do not stick or scald.
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