This delicious, low sugar Raspberry Freezer Jam comes together in just 10 minutes and stays fresh in the freezer for years. It’s so tasty, no one will believe it was that easy to make!
Most jam recipes call for pectin and an excessive amount of sugar, often up to four cups, which can overwhelm the natural fruit flavor. This raspberry freezer jam recipe is different. It prioritizes the pure, fresh taste of raspberries with significantly less sugar and no cooking required, letting the fruit truly shine.
The secret? Ultra Gel (or EZ Gel is the same thing). Unlike traditional pectin, this modified food starch (typically derived from potatoes or corn) thickens liquids, hot or cold, without the need for heat or a mountain of sugar. It’s a game-changer for achieving that perfect jam consistency while keeping the vibrant, unadulterated essence of fresh raspberries at the forefront.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Fast – Only takes about 10 minutes to whip up. – This raspberry freezer jam recipe can be whipped up in minutes… It only takes 5-10 minutes max from start to finish.
- Easy – No skills required – No special tools or methods are required.
- Lower Sugar than almost every other raspberry jam recipe! You can use sweetener or none at all. This is a LOW sugar recipe, and will not make your blood sugar levels skyrocket.
- Tastes FAR Better & Fresher Than Cooked Jams! – This raspberry freezer jam is RAW, capturing the fresh raspberry flavor for a treat you can enjoy anytime!
The most important reason why this raspberry freezer jam is the BEST is that it TASTES so good… Raspberries are raw and do not taste cooked or processed. It’s like a fresh bite of summer goodness all year long!
Instructions
This is a small batch raspberry jam recipe, and you can repeat small batches using your blender to process as much fresh raspberry jam as you like!
- Sterilize your freezer jars, or containers, using hot soapy water, and a hot water rinse. Then set on a clean towel to dry.
- Wash fresh raspberries.
- Add 4 cups of raspberries to a food processor or blender. Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup, and Blend till you get it as smooth as you like.
2. Pour your mixture into a mixing bowl and add the Ultra Gel. Whisk together till well incorporated and there are no lumps.
3. If you like jam ultra-smooth, add the Ultra Gel or EZ Gel to the blender or food processor and continue till well incorporated.
4. Let your freezer jam rest at this point for 3-5 minutes to set up.
5. Now you can spoon your raspberry freezer jam into your freezer safe jelly jars or containers. Make sure to leave at least a 1/2 inch head space if using jars.
6. Freezer jam will expand a bit when it freezes and your jar will break if you fill it all the way.
7. Freeze for up to two years. (After two years it is still good to eat, but has some discoloration and loses some freshness.)
Thaw and enjoy from the refrigerator for up to two weeks… It won’t last that long!
LEMON JUICE: Lemon juice may seem like an odd ingredient for raspberry jam…. However, lemon juice acts as an all-natural preservative. The citric acid in lemon juice keeps the color of raspberries nice and bright! Without lemon juice, instead of bright pink or red raspberry jam, you can end up with a darker color that’s not fresh or appetizing.
On top of preserving color, lemon juice adds a nice tart flavor that really compliments the fresh raspberry flavor without adding preservatives!
Can I Use Lime Juice in Raspberry Jam? Yes… Lime pairs perfectly with raspberries in jam! Traditionally lemon are used in jam making. However, Raspberry lime is a wonderful flavor combination that will tantalize your taste buds! If you haven’t tried it yet, you may be on the verge of a new favorite!
Tools
- Blender or Food Processor
- Measuring cups
- A whisk
- A big spoon
- Freezer safe jars or storage containers.
- Freezer space!
My Tips & Tricks
- You can adjust the texture from chunky to smooth by blending it more or less… If you want it really smooth then blend the Ultra Gel into the puree. instead of whisking it in.
- You do not have to use sugar or sweetener at all if you do not want to. Likewise, you can without the maple syrup for honey, erythritol, or other natural sweetener.
- You can use any citric acid source you like, in this recipe I use lemon juice. But, you can also use lime juice or citric acid powder if you only want the raspberry flavor.
- Make your freezer jam thicker by adding a tablespoon more of the Ultra Gel till it is as thick as you want it. And vice versa, you can make your jam thinner by reducing the recipe a tablespoon at a time.
- Store in airtight freezer container till you are ready to use.
- You can thaw on counter or use the microwave if you’re in a hurry.
- Use thawed raspberry freezer jam within two weeks of opening and store in the refrigerator.
Creating freezer jam recipes is one of my favorite ways to preserve the seasons’ harvest for the winter!
I love that freezer jam is just about all fruit, with very low or no sugar at all.
I also love that it’s raw, so it tastes FRESH! Nothing’s better than to have a big bite of fresh raspberry freezer jam… You’ll want to eat it with a spoon!
Fresh or Frozen Raspberries
For this recipe I always use fresh fruit, because we get a nice harvest of raspberries from the garden almost every year. Fresh raspberries are easy to work with and bring a vibrant flavor to the jam. However, that does not mean that you can’t use frozen raspberries!
You can make Freezer Jam with frozen berries! Just let your berries thaw enough to blend, and make sure to keep all the juices that release with frozen berries thaw. If you try to make freezer jam with frozen berries, without thawing, your blender can get burnt out. Unless you have an awesome blender!
Make sure to incorporate all the juices from frozen berries in freezer jam… They are delicious!
This raspberry freezer jam recipe is made with maple syrup. It’s so easy to make and pairs perfectly sweet juicy berries, lemon or lime juice and thickener with only 1/4 a cup of maple syrup.
My entire family LOVES raspberry freezer jam on fresh bread, toast, pancakes, waffles, oatmeal, in cream of wheat, on ice cream or with my cottage cheese.
Please let me know what YOU think!
If you use this recipe, I’d really appreciate a review on the recipe card or in the comments below… Thank YOU!
Low Sugar Raspberry Freezer Jam – No Pectin
Ingredients
- 6 Cups Raspberries fresh or thawed
- 1/3 C Pure Maple Syrup or granulated sugar
- 1/3 Cup lemon juice concentrate
- 1/3 Cups Ultra Gel Thickener or EZ Gel, they're the same
Instructions
- 1. Add 6 cups of raspberries to a food processor or blender. Add 1/4 cup of lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of pure maple syrup, and blend till you get it as smooth as you like.
- 2. Pour your mixture into a mixing bowl and add the Ultra Gel or EZ Gel. Whisk together till well incorporated and there are no lumps.
- 3. If you like jam ultra smooth, add the Ultra Gel to the blender or food processor and continue till well incorporated.
- 4. Let your freezer jam rest at this point for 3-5 minutes to set up.
- 5. Now you can spoon your raspberry freezer jam into your freezer safe jars or containers. Make sure to leave at least a 1/2 inch head space if using jars.
- 6. Freezer jam will expand a bit when it freezes and your jar will break if you fill it all the way.
- 7. Freeze for up to two years. (After two years it is still good to eat, but has some discoloration and loses some freshness.)
- Thaw and enjoy from the refrigerator for up to two weeks… It won't last that long!
Video
Notes
- You can adjust the texture from chunky to smooth by blending it more or less… If you want it really smooth then blend the Ultra Gel into the puree. instead of whisking it in.
- You do not have to use sugar or sweetener at all if you do not want to. Likewise, you can without the maple syrup for honey, erythritol, or other natural sweetener.
- You can use any citric acid source you like, in this recipe I use lemon juice. But, you can also use lime juice or citric acid powder if you only want the raspberry flavor.
- Make your freezer jam thicker by adding a tablespoon more of the Ultra Gel till it is as thick as you want it. And vice versa, you can make your jam thinner by reducing the recipe a tablespoon at a time.
- Store in airtight freezer container till you are ready to use.
- You can thaw on counter or use the microwave if you’re in a hurry.
- Use thawed raspberry freezer jam within two weeks of opening and store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
5 comments
Tiana
We love jam in our house! This looks like a must-try recipe!
juliea
Thanks Tiana! Hop you love it as much as we do!
Darling
so easy and delicious
Darlene
I can’t believe how easy to make the raspberry freezer jam is… so much easier than the one you need to cook, and so much better for you without all that sugar! Thanks for sharing!
Lent Evens
So good… stocking up!