Easy Homemade Seedless Blackberry Jam (No Pectin)

📋A quick look at the recipe

• ⏱️ Total Time: 30 minutes
• 🍽️ Servings: 50 tablespoons
• 🌱 Diet: Vegan, Gluten-free
• 📅 Perfect with: toast and bagels, pancakes, oatmeal, ice cream
• ⭐Why You'll love this dal: seedless and silky-smooth, no pectin required, works with fresh or frozen blackberries

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☀️My summer garden

I love to grow a garden, which, for us Kansans, is a short-lived pleasure. It does bring me great joy, though. A friend once said that working in the garden is like therapy, and I cannot agree more. I would rather spend my time and money in my garden.

For the past few years, we have been growing tons of tomatoes in our garden and making recipes like this sweet and savory tomato jam, this tomato and dates chutney, and enjoying this marinated tomato salad and tomato and cheese pie. One of our aspirations for our garden is to eventually develop it into an edible landscape. Which, given our coordinates, can be a little challenging. But what is life without some challenges in it. So, we shall see.

One of my work friends brought us a blackberry bush from his garden, and we have had good luck with it. I have been thinking of making jam-filled granola bars for a long time, and those gorgeous blackberries made me think that maybe this was a sign. So, as a first step in making those jam bars, I set out to make the jam.

💡How to remove seeds from Blackberry Jam?

One thing that no one in our family is particularly fond of is the blackberry seeds. The seeds can sometimes be quite large and difficult to chew. To make the jam seedless, there are just two extra steps. The secret is to blend and strain the blackberries before cooking. Here are two best methods:

Method 1 - Blender + Fine Mesh Sieve (recommended)

Blend your washed, raw blackberries in a blender until you have a completely smooth puree, then press the puree through a fine-mesh sieve using the back of a large spoon. This method gives you the most pulp and the silkiest final jam. Discard the seeds in the sieve and use the pulp to make the jam.

Method 2 - Food Mill (best for large batches)

If you have a bountiful harvest and are preparing to can the jam, use this method. Briefly cook the washed blackberries to soften them. Run the slightly broken-down blackberries through a food mill into a large stainless-steel mixing bowl, then transfer them to a pan to cook.

🫙Recipe Run down

After blending and straining the blackberries, take the seedless blackberry puree and add it to a heavy bottomed sauce pan along with the sugar. Add any spices or flavorings if you wish to. A little bit of cinnamon and allspice really go well in this jam. But this is entirely your choice. Once it starts boiling, lower the heat and cook for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer reads 220 degrees F. You can add a corn starch slurry to thicken the jam if you like.

Why this jam sets without pectin

I conducted research on this topic and found that blackberries are among the highest-pectin fruits. When blackberry juice and pulp are cooked with sugar to 220°F, the natural pectin activates, thickening the jam to a spreadable consistency. Lemon juice is essential: its acidity lowers the pH, which helps the natural pectin perform more effectively. No store-bought pectin required.

Multiple uses

You can use it as a jam or a sauce, depending on how thick you boil it. Since this recipe contains no pectin, the jam is thicker and more flowy. You can call it a sauce and drizzle it over ice cream. We drizzle it over ice cream, and also spread it on toast, eat it with cheese and crackers, and make jam granola bars with it.

🫙Storage, Freezing and Canning instructions

Quick Canning Note: Blackberries are high-acid fruit, making this jam completely safe for water-bath canning without a pressure canner. Fill hot sterilized jars, leave ¼" headspace, wipe rims, and process in boiling water for 10 minutes.

❓FAQs