Blackberry Jelly

Learn how to make homemade blackberry jelly from fresh or frozen blackberries. This old-fashioned blackberry jelly recipe is made without pectin or Sure Jell! You can use this blackberry jelly recipe for canning or for enjoying fresh! Yields 5 pints.

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword Blackberry Jelly, Blackberry Jelly Recipe, How to Can Blackberry Jelly

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Total Time 35

Servings servings (2 tbsp per serving)

Calories 65kcal

Cost $10

Ingredients

9 cups blackberries (which yields about 4 cups of juice)
6 cups sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice

Instructions

Blackberry Juice

Wash blackberries and add them to a large pot with a cup of water. Cover and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Simmer berries for about 15 minutes and crush them with whatever masher you have on hand.
Strain through a cheesecloth or seive until juice is fully removed. You should have about 4 cups of juice. Add the juice back to the pan.

Blackberry Jelly

Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir to prevent sticking.
Bring to gelling point. Skim foam if needed.
Ladle into hot pint jars leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove bubbles.
Add two-piece lids and clean the rim with a warm wet towel. Process pints and quarts for 10 minutes according to general water bath canning directions.

Notes

DO NOT double or triple recipe. This will cause the jelly to not set up. Process 1 full recipe at a time.

Ingredients

While the ingredients for this blackberry jelly are straightforward, let's go over them quickly as there are some possible substitutions.

Blackberries - You can use fresh or frozen blackberries for this recipe, they will process the same way. If using frozen, thaw them in a large bowl and collect all the juice as they thaw.
Sugar - We use organic, unprocessed cane sugar, however any white sugar will work the same way. If using honey or maple syrup, note that your jelly will not set the same way during the cooking process. You will need to heat the mixture for much longer to reduce the water content of the jelly before moving on. If using honey or maple syrup, you will also reduce the measurement by 1/4.
Lemon Juice - This is crucial for raising the acid level and for helping the jelly to gel properly. There is no substitute for this.

What Temperature Is The Gelling Point?

Gelling point at sea level: Take the temperature of the jelly with a candy or jelly thermometer. The gelling point at sea level is 220°, 8° above boiling.

Above sea level: For each 1000 feet of altitude above sea level, subtract 2 degrees F. For example: at 1,000 feet of altitude, the jelly is done at 218°F; at 2,000 feet, 216°F, etc

Nutrition