Healthy Mixed Berry Jam
Healthy mixed berry jam is the perfect way to enjoy fresh fruit flavor all year long.
Making your own small batch jam means you can enjoy your favorite blend of fruit preserves even when your favorite fruits are not in season. By storing in the freezer, you can enjoy all the berry benefits in any season.
The best part? You can make this jam with any type of berry that you’d like. Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberry or any combination of the four.
We love this berry jam with most any pancake, but especially with lemon flavored pancakes. Try it with lemon blueberry ricotta pancakes, lemon poppy seed pancakes, or a lemon dutch baby.
About this recipe
This small batch jam recipe is made from fresh, whole fruit, ensuring the best flavor and nutrition. Homemade jam is great on toast, waffles, pancakes, and pound cake. You can also use jam as a sauce over ice cream for a delicious dessert.
If you make several batches of jam, you can store the extra jam in your freezer. Speaking of the freezer, you can also make jam with frozen berry mixes if fresh fruit is not in season.
One of the best and most underrated ways to enjoy jam is on a graham cracker. There’s just something so good and nostalgic about spreading blackberry jam on graham crackers, or dipping crackers in a blueberry-raspberry blend. It’s sweet, fruity, fresh-tasting, and satisfying every single time.
Whether you’re running out the door with a stack of toast or spreading jam on cake on a Sunday afternoon, you’ll always be glad to have healthy mixed berry jam on hand.
What you need
Berries — Fresh berries, if you can find them! Try blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries for classic jam flavors.
Sweetener — Try low calorie sugar, monk fruit, or honey.
Water — Water helps maintain the jam consistency, and helps the berries cook down.
How to make it
Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add berries, sugar, and enough water to just barely cover the berries – you don’t need much!
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to soften slightly.
Let the mixture come to a low boil, stirring almost continuously until the jam has thickened. This will take longer if you used a lot of water. Use a potato masher or fork to break up the berries if desired.
Pour the jam into a large mason jar and allow it to cool, covered, at room temperature for an hour before placing it in the fridge to cool completely. Store in the freezer if desired.
FAQs
It’s easy to make your own healthy jam at home because you control the added sugar. By preserving fresh fruit and sweetening to taste, you take control of the taste and the nutrition. This jam uses fresh, whole berries, ensuring a good fiber content and the use of whole fruit, rather than the fruit juice found in some store-bought varieties. You can also add chia seeds to up the fiber content and slow digestion. Bonus: They’ll help thicken the jam!
Jam usually uses whole pieces of fruit (whole berries, or cut pieces of larger fruits). Jelly often contains fruit juices and sugar, and may not include any whole fruit.
How to make this jam your own
- Add chia to your jam for body and texture. As a bonus, chia helps regulate your blood sugar levels.
- You can treat this jam like a sauce by adding a little extra water and mashing until smooth. Think blueberry sauce for a cheesecake, or a strawberry sauce for ice cream!
- Jam makes the perfect gift for any occasion. It’s easy to tie a ribbon around the jar and to add a little note. You can punch a hole in the corner of your note and weave it right onto the ribbon for an easy, modern, complete gift. Make sure to tell the recipient to store this jam in the fridge or freezer.
- This jam keeps great in the freezer, and you may have heard of “freezer jam.” This is a great freezer jam recipe, and you’ll always have fresh-tasting healthy jam if you stock your freezer in the summer.
Make Ahead Ideas
You can freeze this jam for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
Storage Suggestions
This is not canned or preserved jam, so it needs to be kept in the fridge or freezer.
More pancake toppers
- Homemade Almond Butter
- Homemade Whipped Cream
- Cinnamon Sugar
- Chocolate Syrup
- Caramel Sauce (and Vegan Caramel Sauce!)
Get the Recipe: Healthy Mixed Berry Jam
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pounds fresh berries (strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries)
- 3/4 to 1 cup low calorie sugar or monk fruit (more or less to taste)
- water
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add berries, sugar, and enough water to just barely cover the berries.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to soften slightly.
- Let the mixture come to a low boil, stirring almost continuously until the jam has thickened. Use a potato masher or fork to break up the berries if desired.
- Pour the jam into a large mason jar and allow it to cool, covered, at room temperature for an hour before placing it in the fridge to cool completely.
Notes
- You can use 1/4 cup honey instead of low-calorie sugar.
- This is not canned or preserved jam, so it needs to be kept in the fridge or freezer.