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Mulberry Freezer Jam is the perfect recipe for a beginner or anyone wanting to avoid the canning process. This is a simple small batch mulberry freezer jam with no pectin, no refined sugar, and sweetened with honey and orange juice!
I've made this a mulberry jam recipe, but any berries can be used - blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, black raspberry or any mixed berry combination! Stock your freezer for breakfast or kid-friendly PB&J's!
What's to Love about Freezer Jam?
- Freezer Jam is Easy! - The jam making process often brings to mind buckets of berries, loads of jars, a huge hot water bath, and 30 beautiful jars of jam to last you all year. It's a lovely project if you have the time, the know how, the equipment, and the access to that many berries. I have 2 huge mulberry trees ripening berries faster than I can pick them, so I certainly have the berries. But, I didn't want to get too involved with an all day project, and my family doesn't really eat 30 jars of jam in a year!
- This quick and easy small batch freezer jam only takes 30 minutes and you can use any kinds of berries you have. Try this Mulberry Ice Cream too!
- No White Sugar, No Pectin, No Canning Rules! - This is a quick and easy beginner mulberry freezer jam with no pectin and no refined sugar! Freezer jam with honey just thickens on its own and is fine for the freezer, without worrying about the rules and cautions that come with canning. This recipe makes 6 half pint jars, filled only about half full. I like to have more jars less full, since without preservatives, the jam doesn't last as long when thawed in the fridge as store-bought jam. If you aren't a jam making expert, this is an easy recipe to give it a try. Bob Marley's "Jammin" makes for nice background music!
- If you've got summer berries, try my Strawberry Rhubarb Freezer Sauce and this Healthier Mixed Berry Rhubarb Crisp! Check out How to Freeze Summer Berries too!
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Ingredients
- Mulberries - I get the mulberries straight from my backyard! If you have mulberries in your neighborhood, they are an extremely abundant producer, ask a neighbor if you can pick a bowl! This recipe can also be made with any combination of berries. Our backyard also has raspberries and black raspberries, also a great mix for freezer jam.
- Honey - Store-bought jam can be loaded with sugar. Making this low sugar mulberry jam with honey gives you a more natural, not overly sweet, finished jar. I like to use local raw honey, as it is said to have more nutritional value. I've actually found the fresh local honey from the farmer's market to also be the best price!
- Orange Juice - Fruit juice sweetened jam with honey allows you to make a low sugar freezer jam without using refined white sugar. The orange juice provides the liquid along with some of the sweetness as your jam simmers on the stove.
Instructions
Step 1 - Add the washed berries, honey and orange juice to a sauce pan.
Step 2 - Simmer over medium low heat, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
You want the mixture bubbling and moving, but not boiling over. Allow to cool 5 minutes.
Step 3 - Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into 6 half pint or any small glass jars with lids.
Be sure not to fill more than ¾'s of the way full so they don't crack when freezing. Cool completely in the fridge before transferring to the freezer.
Recipe Tips
- Storage - Store jam in the refrigerator for about 2 to 4 weeks or in the freezer for 1 year. To use, thaw overnight in the fridge. Once thawed, freezer jam doesn't keep as long as store-bought jam because of its lack of preservatives. It's best to freeze your jam in smaller portions and use them quickly. If mold appears on the top of your jam in the fridge, it's time to throw it out!
- Freezer jam will not be as thick as store-bought jam - Mulberry jam without pectin is going to be a little thinner. Your jam is thickening only by reducing the liquid as it simmers. Your finished jam will be delicious, but more runny than the gel-like consistency of store-bought jam. This is ok, just different!
- Use any kinds of berries - This basic freezer jam recipe can be used for mulberries or any mixture of different kinds of berries. In the summer, fresh picked berries are everywhere, and it's fine to use any combination of what you have or grow.
- There is no need to pluck off the small stems on mulberries - They are completely edible. Once blended they are unnoticeable.
- You don't need to use canning jars - We aren't canning, so there are no rules to follow! Any small jars will do! Start saving and washing jars from the things you buy, like store-bought jam, pesto, olives, cherries, mustard, anything that comes in a small glass jar! Check out all of my 27 Homemade Foods to stock in your Freezer!
How to Use Mulberry Freezer Jam
- Breakfast Breads - We love mulberry jam on all your standard breakfast breads, english muffins, and toast with butter. We love bagels with cream cheese and freezer mulberry jam!
- Crepes - Mulberry jam makes an excellent filling for Easy Homemade Crepes.
- Cocktail Meatball Sauce - I save a jar of my freezer jam every year to add to the sauce for my Sweet and Tangy Crockpot Meatballs for New Year's Eve!
- PB&J's - Making your own freezer jam makes the kid's favorite sandwich just a little bit healthier! Avoid some of the sugars in store-bought jam and add some nutrition with less processed, real berries.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Fresh picked mulberries freeze very well. Just wash them under cold water in a colander, then lay them flat on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and set them in the freezer. Once they are frozen you can transfer them into a container or freezer bag. Freezing them on the sheet pan first helps them to not all freeze together in a solid clump. Use your frozen mulberries to top Crockpot Steel Cut Oatmeal, yogurt with Homemade Granola, or add them to Smoothies or Mixed Berry Rhubarb Crisp.
Yes, you can freezer berries as described above, and then cook them straight from frozen in this jam recipe. Then freeze the jam.
Yes! Freezing food in glass jars is a great alternative to plastic. Always make sure to fill your jars only ¾'s full to allow for expansion in the freezer. If adding a hot food to a glass jar, allow it to cool slightly first to avoid cracking. Cool your filled jars completely in the fridge before transferring to the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Store fresh picked mulberries by simply setting your picking bowl in the fridge. Don't wash them until just before eating as this will cause them to spoil faster. We usually pick far too many mulberries to eat fresh, so most we rinse and freeze immediately after picking!
Mulberries will last in the fridge for about 2 to 5 days if they are unwashed.
Use a light-weight strainer or bowl to catch your mulberries so you can easily hold it in one hand. When ripe, mulberries are black and nearly fall right off the branches. The quickest way to pick them is to hold your strainer under the branch with one hand, and lightly knock them off into the strainer with your other hand. If you are really needing to pick each berry from the branch, they probably aren't ripe yet. Sometimes you can even lightly shake the branch and they will fall into your bowl. A step ladder helps reach higher branches. Mulberries continue to ripen each day for a few weeks so the ones that aren't ripe today will be ready very soon!
More Summer Berry Recipes!
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Mulberry Freezer Jam
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Ingredients
- 6 cups mulberries (or any berries or a mixture) rinsed under cold water
- ⅓ cup honey
- ½ cup orange juice
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer over medium low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Let cool about 5 minutes and transfer to a blender.
- Blend until well combined, and transfer into 6 half pint jam jars (any small size is fine). Never fill jars more than ¾'s full so they have room to expand as they freeze.
- Cool in the refrigerator first (jam will thicken as it cools), then freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator to use.
Notes
- When freezing in glass jars, only fill ¾'s full and always cool completely in the fridge first.
- Once thawed, jam will last in the refrigerator for about 2 to 4 weeks. Since there are no preservatives, it's better to store in smaller portions when freezing and then use it up faster. If you see mold on your jam after it's been in the fridge awhile, throw it out!
- Nutrition information is for 1 jar (divide the jam between 6 jars).
Rita says
I was looking for a recipe like yours using honey for the sweetener. I have black raspberries that I put thru my food mill. I ended up with about 3 cups liquid. How much honey and OJ would I use? Thanks
Meryl Downing says
Hi Rita, I have never really done it in that reverse way, grinding the berries first, but I think since it's 3 cups of berries, I would use half the amount of orange juice and honey as stated in the recipe, then simmer it down a bit and give it a taste. Hope that helps! You could probably get by with even a little bit less honey since black raspberries are sweeter than mulberries.