Blueberry Lemon Jam | Low Sugar Recipe
This blueberry lemon jam recipe is packed with fruity flavor and is low sugar. We use Pomona’s Pectin to get the jam to set quickly with low sugar but if you don’t have it, you can make this without added pectin too.
Our whole family loves to eat blueberries in any form! We have a local u-pick blueberry farm that we supplement our small berry supply with. Though their berries are amazing, we dream of the day when we are able to pick all the berries our family needs from our own plants.
Over the years, I’ve gained a lot knowledge around prepping the soil for amazing blueberries and I’m so excited we are finally getting a good harvest!
When blueberries are in season, some of our favorite things to make are blueberry scones, mixed berry pie, and of course, the kids favorite easy blueberry lemon popsicles on a hot summer day.
It is also a delicious spread on sourdough english muffins or a whole wheat sourdough bread. Our younger children LOVE stirring this blueberry lemon jam into plain yogurt to add a bit of ‘healthy’ sweetness.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Fast and Easy This recipe has added pectin making the jam super quick to gel and no chance of a runny outcome.
- Safe for Canning Blueberries and lemons are a high acid foods which make them safe for water bath canning. New to canning? Check out my beginners guide to water bath canning before you get started.
- Low Sugar I use Pomonas Pectin which helps the jam to gel very quickly even with a smaller amount of sugar added.
Ingredients
Blueberries: Use fresh blueberries, grown as naturally as possible. Frozen works as well, but fresh is always best 😉
Lemons: Since this recipe uses the lemon zest, be sure to use organic lemons.
Sugar or Honey: I usually use honey in this recipe but regular sugar works great too. Keep in mind that honey has a potent flavor that will be present in the finished jam
If substituting sugar for honey add two cups sugar instead of just one and a half like the honey. Honey is sweeter than sugar!
Pomona’s Pectin: This is a key ingredient for this recipe to work. There are no substitutions! Unlike most pectins, Pomonas Pectin works even with low sugar amounts.
Pomona’s is different from other pectins because it is not pre-mixed with dextrose. This means that the pectin powder is more potent and it also means you cannot add the pectin powder directly to the fruit or the pectin will clump.
You can purchase bulk Pomona’s Pectin or smaller boxes of Pomona’s Pectin.
Calcium Water: Pomona’s Pectin is activated by calcium, so calcium has to be present in the mixture either naturally or added by you. Calcium is included with every purchase of Pomonas Pectin. It is made into water by adding 1/2 teaspoon of calcium to a 1/2 cup of water. The extra can be saved in the refrigerator for future jam and jelly recipes.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1 If canning, prepare a boiling water bath canner. Heat 4 half pint jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil.
STEP 2 Rinse blueberries. Then place in a bowl and mash blueberries.
STEP 3 In a separate bowl, mix 2 teaspoons Pomonas Pectin with the honey (or sugar).
STEP 4 In a large saucepan, combine mashed blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 teaspoons calcium water. Stir and heat to a full rolling boil.
STEP 5 Add the pectin and honey mixture. Stir constantly to dissolve the pectin and bring to a full boil again. Boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
STEP 6 Ladle jam into half pint jars leaving a 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rim. Center lid on the jar. Screw on the band with until it is finger tip-tight.
STEP 7 Place jars in canner and ensure the jars have at least one inch of water above the tops of the jars. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Adjusting for altitude if needed (see note below).
STEP 8 Remove lid, turn off heat, wait 5-10 minutes then remove jars. After 24 hours remove rings, check seals, then store in cool, dark place.
Storage & Supplies
The shelf life for cooked and water bath processed blueberry lemon jam is one year. Once opened, cooked and processed jam lasts 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
Here’s where you can find my favorite canning lids and jars. Use code SEASONALHOMESTEAD20 for 20% off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Blueberry jam with pectin is fast and easy to make. Boiling is cut down to mere minutes. However some say the flavor is more mellow.
On the other hand, blueberry jam without added pectin has a stronger, richer blueberry flavor but it takes a very long time to boil and reach the gel stage since blueberries are naturally low in pectin.
Blueberry jam is both heated and has sugar added. I wouldn’t consider it healthy on it’s own.
However, there is a wide range of added sugar in blueberry jam. A lower sugar version that is minimally heated could be called healthy compared to others.
Tips & Tricks
- Make sure your jars are prepped and ready before starting the jam. This jam sets quickly and needs to be poured in the jars right away for the best results.
- You can double or triple the recipe. For most jams, you don’t usually want to double a recipe because it won’t set. However, since this recipe has pectin, the jam sets without issue even with larger batches.
- Substitute Strawberries in place of blueberries if you happen to have those more readily available. My just-as-good strawberry lemon jam recipe will be another tasty topping for your toast, breads, etc.
- No pectin no problem! Simply boil the jam until it hits the “jelling” stage, typically 215° to 220°F (depends on elevation, or 102° to 104°C.
If you made this Blueberry Lemon Jam or any other recipe on my blog please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Blueberry Lemon Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lbs blueberries (about 4 cups mashed)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- 1 1/2 cups honey (or 2 cups regular sugar)
- 2 teaspoons Pomona's Pectin
- 2 teaspoons calcium water (this ingredient is included in Pomona's Pectin)
Instructions
- Prepare boiling water canner. Heat 4 half pint jars in simmering water until ready to use, do not boil.
- If needed, prepare calcium water by mixing ½ teaspoon calcium powder and ½ cup water in a jar with a lid.
- Rinse blueberries. Then place in a bowl and mash blueberries.
- In a separate bowl, mix 2 teaspoons Pomonas Pectin with the honey (or sugar).
- Next, in a large saucepan, combine mashed blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, and 2 teaspoons calcium water. Stir and heat to a full rolling boil.
- Add the pectin-honey mixture. Stir constantly to dissolve the pectin and bring to a full boil again. Boil for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Ladle jam into half pint jars leaving a 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rim. Center lid on the jar. Screw on the band with until it is finger tip-tight.
- Place jars in canner and ensure the jars have at least one inch of water above the tops of the jars. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Adjusting for altitude if needed (see note below).
- Remove lid, turn off heat, wait 5-10 minutes then remove jars. After 24 hours remove rings, check seals, then store in cool, dark place. Makes 3 to 4 half pint jars of jam.
Notes
- If you are at an altitude of above 1000ft above sea level, add 1 minute of processing time for canning. Each additional 1000ft adds 1 minute more. For example someone canning at 4000 ft above sea level should add 4 minutes to the processing time. For this recipe that would be 14 minutes total.
- If you choose not to can the jars, they can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer for up to 1 year
- Pomonas Pectin is a special type of pectin that works well for low sugar jam and jelly recipes. There are no substitutes for it.
- No pectin no problem! Simply boil the jam until it hits the “jelling” stage, typically 215° to 220°F (depends on elevation) or 102° to 104°C. It will take a while since it’s low sugar and blueberries don’t have as much pectin as other fruits. Also keep in mind it will boil more and you’ll have a lower yield. Watch closely if you do the no pectin method to make sure the jam doesn’t scorch. it can happen very quickly.
- You’ll want the zest and juice from two lemons for this recipe. I measured out the amount I used above since the recipe was based on Meyer lemons which tend to be sweeter and more juicy.
