Mixed Berry Jelly Recipe with No Sugar Added

Sharing is caring!

This mixed berry jelly recipe is perfect when you have fresh fruit that no one seems to eat. That’s what happens in our house. Either the fresh berries are all eaten the minute they go into the refrigerator or they are ignored and left untouched. We decided to take advantage of the situation and make this easy mixed berry jam. 

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Click here for my full disclosure policy.

What You Need to Make this Mixed Berry Jam Recipe

To make this simple jam you need a few simple ingredients:

• 3 cups of mixed berries
• 3/4 cup filtered water
• 4 1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 2 1/4 tsp Real Fruit natural pectin

You will also need:

• a potato masher, here: potato masher
• jelly or jams jars, here: jelly jars
• optional, produce wash, here: produce wash.

Boil the Jam Jars

Before getting started, place the empty jam jars in a pot with hot water to sterilize the jars. Make sure there is enough water to cover the whole jar. Boil for 20 minutes then carefully remove the hot jars and set them aside to cool. 

Preparing the Berries for Mixed Berry Jelly

Use the produce wash to wash the berries. Soak the berries for a few minutes in a large bowl, and a small amount of produce wash mixed with water. This safely cleans the produce and washes away sprays, waxes, and soil. 

Next, rinse the mixed berries thoroughly with fresh water and drain using a simple strainer. 

The Berries

The combination of berries that you choose to use for this recipe is up to you. You can use just about any type of berry. We are using fresh raspberries and blueberries, but you can add fresh strawberries and make a triple berry jam if you’d like. 

Lemon Juice and Pectin

This recipe also uses fresh lemon juice, you can use bottled lemon juice if that is what you have but the juice from fresh lemons always tends to taste better. Again, up to you.

For the pectin, this recipe calls for Ball low or no sugar needed Real Fruit Pectin. Keep in mind that the pectin you use makes a difference in the recipe. Meaning, that this recipe calls for 2 1/4 tsp of real fruit pectin, whereas, if you are using another pectin like Sure Jell you may require a different amount of pectin and you may require sugar added. This is a great way to make your own jam with less sugar than the store-bought brands. 

Now that the jars are boiled, the berries are washed and the lemons are juiced you can get started.

How to Make Mixed Berry Jelly

First, gently pour a layer of the mixed berries into the pot.

Use a potato masher to mash the berries into the bottom of the pot.

Add more berries and continue to mash. Do this until all of the berries are mashed.

Over medium heat, add the water to the mashed berries, continue to mash as needed.

Add the lemon juice to the fruit mixture. 

Next, bring to a full rolling boil and gently sprinkle in the pectin. Make sure to stir while adding the pectin to prevent clumping. 

Continue to stir with a wooden spoon, for about a minute while the jam cooks into a thick boil. There is no need to cook any more than a couple of minutes at most. 

Delicious Homemade Jam Recipe

Remove from the heat.

Use a large spoon or ladle to transfer the hot jam into the jelly jars. 

Leave about a half-inch headspace at the top of the jam jar. 

This easy jam recipe is so much better than anything you get in a store. It contains no added fruit juice, zero cups of sugar, and is made with just whole fruit. 

Sealing the Jars

Secure the lids to jars of jam. Make sure to use new lids for each jar. Then place in a large pot again with hot water and boil the jars for 20 minutes to seal the lids. If you have a water bath canner, that works perfectly. If you don’t, you can simply use a large stock pot. 

After 20 minutes remove the jars from the water and set them aside in a cool dark place. You may hear the pop as the lids seal. Come back after 24 hours and check the sealed jars. You can make sure the lids are sealed by pressing the center to make sure the center has pressed down. If the center is still up then the jar isn’t sealed properly. You can store sealed jars in the pantry for future use. Any open jars of mixed berry jelly should be stored in the refrigerator.  

Homemade No Sugar Added Jam

This easy mixed berry jam goes great on warm homemade bread. Or any bread or toast really. You can even put a bit of jam on ice cream if you’d like.

FAQs and Variations

If you enjoy making your own jelly and jams make sure to check out this one: How to Make Hot Datil Pepper Jelly!

Sharing is caring!