Blueberry Jam Canning Recipe

Last Updated on August 12, 2023 by Ellen Christian

Wondering how to can blueberry jam? Check out this easy blueberry jam canning recipe and make a batch today for you or for gifts.

Blueberry Jam Canning Recipe

I love making jam with berries and have shared several of my favorites here on my blog. Check out this raspberry jam with pectin or make a batch of strawberry mint jam.

I love blueberry picking! We spend the whole day hiking around and looking for berries to pick. There is nothing better than eating fresh berries, right off of the bush.

I find that they go perfectly in my favorite Gluten-Free Blueberry Cobbler recipe too – it’s delicious with some ice cream on top!

This blueberry jam recipe is perfect for when you want a taste of summer all year round. Fresh, wild blueberries or fresh-picked are the best options but if they’re not available at your grocery store or farmer’s market then frozen will work too!

Tips and Tricks to Make the Process Easier

Everyone loves homemade blueberry jam. And when you’re in the middle of a blueberry patch, it’s hard to resist the temptation to pick as many berries as you can carry and make some right away.

But for best flavor and texture results, make your blueberry jam during the height of the blueberry season (late July to mid-August).

Berries at other times of the year, while they won’t taste bad, won’t measure up in flavor or color to berries that are fully ripe. Discoloration sometimes occurs when berries aren’t ripe enough before being picked–or when they’ve been stored for a long period of time before they are used.

So try to use berries as soon after picking or purchasing them as possible.

How to sterilize jars

Place your jar and lids in a canning pot with a rack in the bottom. If you don’t have a canning pot, you can turn a round cake pan or tart pan upside down in the bottom of the pot. It is important to have something for the jars to sit on so they don’t get too hot on the bottom and burst.

Cover the jars with hot water, allowing the jars to fill with the water. Water should come to about 1 inch over the top of the jars. Place lid on the pot and bring to a simmer and heat for 10 minutes.

This product presentation was made with AAWP plugin.

Remove jars making sure the water is drained out of them. Ideally, you want to time this so you are removing the jars from the pot at about the same time as the jelly is ready to pour in so the jars will be still hot. Otherwise, the hot jelly could cause the jars to break if they are too cold.

Ingredients

• 6½ c. chopped fresh blueberries
• 4½ c. granulated sugar
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 box powdered pectin (low sugar variety)

Equipment for blueberry jam canning recipe

• 8 half-pint canning jars with lids and rings
• Large pot
• Wooden spoon
• Water bath canner
• Jar lifter

Instructions for Making Jam

• First, read and follow the instructions below for sterilizing the jars.
• In a large pot, stir the lemon juice and ¼ c. of the sugar into the chopped blueberries.
• Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Add in the remainder of the sugar and return to a boil. Allow it to boil for 1 minute after the boil starts.
• Ladle into the hot, sterilized jars. Clean any drippage from the jar rims and place a lid disc on top of the jars. Screw on the rings.
• Lower into a large pot of hot water which has a rack or upside-down cake pan on the bottom to prevent jar breakage. You can use the same pot of water you used to sterilize the jars.
• You may need to initially remove some of the water to prevent overflow. After adding the jars, refill any water necessary to bring it to at least an inch above the jars.
• Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil, boiling for 10 minutes. Remove jars to a countertop to cool overnight. The mixture will thicken as it cools.

Troubleshooting – What to Do When Things Go Wrong

If your jam won’t set, try adding the juice of a small lemon to give it extra pectin. Boil for five minutes and test again if this doesn’t work. If that does not seem to do anything, continue boiling and test every two minutes.

More jam recipes

If you liked this blueberry jam canning recipe, I hope you’ll try one of these next.

• Apple cinnamon jam
• Banana jam
• Cherry jam
• Peach jalapeno jam
• Blackberry jalapeno jam