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You will love this classic, homemade raspberry jam recipe! It’s so easy to make, and can be canned so you can enjoy that peak season raspberry flavor for months to come.

One of my daughter’s favorite jams is raspberry peach, so when I went to make this batch of jam the other day, she pretty much begged me to add peaches to it, but I wanted some bona fide raspberry jam to have on hand for ice cream topping and thumbprint cookies later this year.

One of the best things about making jam with berries is that it’s such a fast, easy process. There’s no pitting or peeling – just mash or blend to your liking, and you’re good to go! (although other jams are totally worth it too, and I’ll put a list of them at the bottom of this article).

My grandma used to say red raspberries taste like bugs, but I have to disagree. They’re so good! But she preferred blackberry jam made with our local wild blackberries – and I don’t blame her! It’s one of my favorites too.

But to be totally honest, I’ve long since given up claiming one jam as my favorite, because I started to notice I was saying it about all of them, every time I made them LOL. But I have to admit, berries are a cut above almost anything else.

They’re so flavorful, and a lot of them are the perfect blend of sweet and tart.

What about the seeds?

I used to make seedless jam by running my berries through the Victorio strainer before turning them into jam. These days, I usually don’t though. I don’t find the seeds to be that big of a deal compared to the time it takes to make them seedless.

However, if seeds bother you, the Victorio is great!

Raspberry Jam Recipe Ingredients

This recipe honestly couldn’t be simpler. Unlike a lot of jams, there’s not need to add extra lemon juice, so you just have three ingredients:

Raspberries
Powdered pectin
Sugar

Can you make it without sugar?

Absolutely! I recommend Sure Jel’s pectin for sugar-free jam if you want to do that rather than using this raspberry jam recipe. It’s just as easy, although you’ll find that it takes more fruit to get the equivalent amount of jam.

You may also want to plan on adding some stevia or honey for sweetness if you go the sugar (or at least refined sugar) free route. You can see an example in this sugar-free strawberry jam recipe.

How to make Homemade Raspberry Jam

The first step for making this raspberry jam recipe is making sure you have all your ingredients, and jars or containers for your finished jam.

I usually use half pint canning jars for jams. They’re a great size for giving away, and since we love a variety of different jams, they’re small enough that we can switch to a different flavor frequently.

This small batch will make 7 cups of jam, so you’ll need 7 half pint jars, or 3 pints, and one half pint.

Once you have everything together, add your berries to a pot that is at least 4 quarts in capacity, and crush them.

A potato masher is great for this, or an immersion blender works too, especially if you like fewer chunks.

Once they’re crushed, add your packet of Sure Jel, and stir until fully combined and dissolved.

Heat the mixture over medium heat until it comes to a boil, then add all the sugar, all at once.

Stir until the sugar is dissolved, then let it come to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat that can’t be stirred down.

Set a time, and let it boil for one minute.

Remove from heat, and use a spoon to skim foam from the top.

I usually skim it into a refrigerator container to use on biscuits or whatever. It’s great to use, tastes great – it’s just not great for canning.

Ladle jam into sterilized jars, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace. I find a canning funnel helpful for this. Place lids and rings over jars, and screw bands down firmly.

At this point, you can let it cool and store in the refrigerator, or go ahead and can it for longer term keeping.

How to can raspberry jam

Canning is my number one way to preserve jam. It’s fairly easy, and that way, the jam is shelf stable.

After jars are filled and fitted with lids, fill a large pot such as a stockpot, or water bath canner with hot water.
Make sure there is a rack in the bottom of the canner. A water bath canner likely came with a rack. The rack from a pressure canner can also work. Anything to give a little space between the glass jars, and the heat source.
Place hot jars in hot canner, making sure the water covers the jars by at least an inch.
Cover canner, and bring to a rolling boil.
Process half pint jars for 5 minutes, and pint jars for 10 minutes.
Remove canner from heat, and let cool.

If you need to take the jars out of the canner before they’re cool, carefully lift them out of the hot water, and protect them from drafts with a towel. I recommend lining your countertop area with a towel, and then covering them with another towel as they cool. This just helps prevent any sudden temperature changes that could cause a jar to crack.

When jars are cool, check for seal (“button” in center of lid will flatten). If you have a jar that didn’t seal, open it, and inspect the rim for flaws. If needed, transfer jam to a new jar. If not, wipe rim clean and re-can with a new lid. Or you can just keep it in the refrigerator until you use it.

Once the jam is canned, you can place the jars in a cool place out of direct sunlight, such as in your pantry.

For freezer jam, keep frozen until ready to thaw and use.

How long does home-canned jam last?

Different sources say different things. Some base their suggestion upon best quality and flavor. most agree on a time frame of between one and two years.

According to USDA.gov, you can store unopened jams for 12 months in a pantry, and 6 months in the refrigerator once opened.

Tips for serving raspberry jam

Perhaps my favorite way to enjoy raspberry jam is as a topping for homemade cheesecake.

It’s also a great topping for homemade gluten-free biscuits, pancakes, toast, ice cream, or yogurt, and my son really enjoys using it to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Other jam and jelly recipes for you: