Blueberry Jam – A Beautiful Mess

Opening with keywords This homemade blueberry jam is made with just three ingredients: fresh blueberries, sugar and lemon. It’s not only super simple to make but also delicious! I love this blueberry jam speared over peanut butter toast or a bagel with cream cheese.

While I tend to make this blueberry jam recipe with fresh blueberries I do have some tips for using frozen berries instead if that’s what you happen to have on hand.

Related: Next up try strawberry jam, peach jam, pumpkin butter or apple butter.

Ingredients

• Blueberries
• Granulated white sugar
• Lemon

I use fresh blueberries most of the time I make this jam but I have some notes below regarding using frozen blueberries instead.

Directions

Remove any stems from the blueberries and give them a good rinse.

In a medium to large pot combine the berries, sugar, lemon juice and zest. Cook over medium heat until the sugars are liquid and the blueberries have softened (3 minutes).

Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. I like my blueberry jam pretty smooth but you can also leave the texture more chunky if you prefer.

Continue to cook on medium / high heat for another 10 minutes. The mixture should be at a low boil. It should reach between 210°F and 220°F. Keep an eye on it and continue to stir so it doesn’t burn the bottom of your pan.

Remove from heat and allow to cool. The jam will thicken as it cools. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks.

Tips & Substitutions

• If you want to use frozen blueberries instead of fresh simply thaw the berries before beginning this recipe and drain away any excess juice. You can use this juice to flavor water or tea. If you don’t drain the excess liquid it won’t ruin your jam, but it may result in a thinner jam consistency or you may need to cook the jam a little longer on the stovetop.
• You can swap out the lemon for another citrus if you want to change up the flavor a little. I think orange goes great with blueberries, also lime or grapefruit can be fun.
• If you want to add a little more diversity of flavors you can swap the granulated white sugar for brown sugar, add a few pinches of cinnamon, or a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract to this simple recipe.