There are very few things as delicious as homemade raspberry jam, and this recipe only requires four simple ingredients and lasts in the freezer for up to one year!  It’s quick and easy and free of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.
Pint jars of raspberry freezer jam lined up on a white marble board.
Raspberry Jam

I was completely spoiled to grow up with fresh raspberry jam in the fridge, and a never-ending stockpile of raspberry freezer jam when the fridge jar was gone. My grandpa had a huge garden that included rows and rows or raspberry bushes, and my family benefited from the spoils 🙂

Many of my childhood friends would ask for a jar of my mom’s homemade raspberry jam for their birthday–that’s how yummy this stuff is! When I got to college and actually had to buy my own jam from the store, the choices were so disappointing! There’s just nothing that compares to homemade jam.

The best part about this raspberry jam is that you don’t need any special tools to make it. You can store it in any freezer safe container (it doesn’t have to be a glass jar, that’s just what I choose to use). One batch of jam will fill close to 4 pints and lasts up to one year in the freezer!

How to make raspberry freezer jam:

First gather your ingredients, including raspberries, sugar, 1 box of surejell fruit pectin and water. Be sure to use firm, ripe berries for the best flavor and set. If you use overripe berries the jam may end up more soft and runny (but if this happens, you can fix it! Read on).

Add the raspberries to a large bowl and mash them gently. They should still look pretty chunky and thick, just not “whole”. They will be stirred a lot with the sugar and pectin.

The ingredients needed to make raspberry jam including a bowl of fresh raspberries, a package of granulated sugar, and a box of surejell fruit pectin next to another photo of a large bowl of raspberries being mashed.

Measure out exactly three cups of mashed berries. It’s important to be particular in your measurements of the mashed berries and sugar, so that the jam will set up properly. (If you have a bit of extra mashed berries, save them for topping on waffles, pancakes or french toast, or freeze them to add to smoothies.)

To the three cups of mashed berries, add one cup of sugar and stir it in until dissolved. Repeat, adding just one cup at a time, until all of the sugar has been added. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, while you prepare the pectin.

A bowl of mashed berries and a measuring cup measuring out the mashed berries, next to another photo of a bowl of mashed raspberries and granulated sugar being poured on top.

Add the box of pectin and ¾ cup of water to a small saucepan. Stir the mixture well as you bring it to a full boil (a boil that doesn’t stop when you stir it), and then stir constantly and boil it for 1 minute.

Pour the pectin over the berries and stir to combine. Continue to stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved, and you cant hear or taste any crunchy sugar granules. This step is really important, otherwise you could end up with pools of sugar at the bottom of the jam after it is in the jars.

Process photos for making raspberry jam including adding pectin and water to a saucepan to boil, and then pouring the boiling mixture into the bowl of mashed raspberries and sugar.

Ladle the jam into containers, or use a funnel. Cover with a lid and allow the containers to rest at room temperature for 24 hours to allow it to set up. Then, store it in the freezer.

Raspberry jam being ladled into a pint jar, next to another photo of filled jars of raspberry jam.

Frequently Asked Questions:
How long can jam be kept in the refrigerator or freezer?

You can store homemade raspberry jam in the freezer for up to 1 year!  Once you take it out of the freezer, store it in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 weeks.

Can you use glass jars for freezer jam, and how many jars will I need?

Yes!  I love to use glass mason jars for freezer jam, but you can use any container that is freezer friendly. These Ball plastic jars are great, or use a freezer-safe tupperware.

How many containers you use depends on how big they are. This recipe makes about 7-8 cups of jam. I like to use pint size jars for my family and 2 cups of jam will fill a pint, so I can fill about 4 pints. Half pint jars are smaller and great for giving as neighbor gifts. A half pint jar is 8 oz and will be filled with about one cup of jam, so you’ll need about 7 or 8.

Raspberry jam spread on a piece of toast on a white plate.

Can you use frozen berries to make freezer jam?

You can use frozen berries to make freezer jam!  Be sure that the fruit is NOT sugared, substitute an equal amount of frozen fruit for fresh fruit, thaw the fruit to room temperature, and don’t drain the excess juice that is produced from the thawing process.

Can I use less sugar, or substitute an artificial sweetener?

If you want the jam to set properly, it’s important that the amount of sugar is not altered, and artificial sweeteners will not set properly either. If you’re looking for a jam recipe with low sugar, I would highly recommend using low-sugar surejell fruit pectin.

What to do if my jam doesn’t set?

If you end up making the jam and find that it’s too runny or soft, don’t worry, you can fix it! Maybe your berries were extra ripe and juicy, or maybe the sugar didn’t get dissolved well enough when you added the pectin and you see pools of liquid at the bottom of the jar.

The best thing to do is to pour all of the jam back into a large bowl. Cook another box of pectin with water (step 5), and add it to the jam. Stir it really well, until the sugar is completely dissolved. The extra box of pectin will help to thicken the jam further.

Consider serving with:

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Recipe

Pint jars of raspberry freezer jam lined up on a white marble board.
Prep 25 minutes
Cook 5 minutes
Total 30 minutes
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Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups fresh raspberries fresh and ripe
  • 5 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 box Sure Jell Fruit Pectin (found at your local grocery store, walmart, or online)
  • 3/4 cup water
  • A few clean glass or plastic jars with lids

Instructions
 

  • *Use firm, ripe berries for the best flavor and set. (You don't want to use overripe berries or the jam may be too soft and runny.)
  • Wash and rinse glass or plastic containers. How many you use depends on how big they are. This recipe makes about 7-8 cups of jam.
  • Add berries to a large bowl and lightly mash them. Be careful not to over mash them---hey should still look fairly chunky, but not like whole berries. 
  • Measure out exactly 3 cups of mashed berries and pour them into a separate large bowl. (If you have leftover mashed berries you could freeze them for smoothies or use them for topping on pancakes or waffles.)
  • Gradually stir in 1 cup of the sugar to the mashed berries, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Repeat, adding just one cup of sugar at a time and then mixing, until you use up the remaining 4 ¼ cups of sugar.
    Let stand for 10 minutes.
  • In a small saucepan, stir together pectin with ¾ cup water. Bring to a rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop when stirred) over medium-high heat, stirring often. Boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
  • Stir pectin into the berries mixture. Continue stirring the mixture until sugar is completely dissolved and no longer grainy. This step is important! (see notes in post above).
  • Pour jam into containers, leaving 1/2in of space at the top of the container, for expansion. Cover with lid and allow jam to rest at room temperature for 24 hours before freezing.
  • Jam will keep for up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator, or freeze for up to one year.
  • You might also like Peach Jam or Strawberry Jam!

Notes

Recipe makes about 7-8 cups of Jam, to fill about 4 pints. 
*Calories in nutritional label are for 1 pint of jam.
Don't miss my tips and commonly asked questions, above, for making perfect jam. 

Nutrition

Calories: 575kcalCarbohydrates: 147gProtein: 1gSodium: 15mgPotassium: 135mgFiber: 6gSugar: 134gVitamin A: 30IUVitamin C: 23.6mgCalcium: 24mgIron: 0.9mg

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RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience.

*I originally shared this recipe in June 2013. Updated August 2018.

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About The Author

Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. Believe it I’m so impressed this was my mom’s recipe and I thought it was lost to me forever because she’s gone now but never forgotten I miss her and her Frozen freezer jams Saturday morning sitting down with her and Dad having a biscuit with this very freezer jam I can’t thank you enough thank you so much you brought back The taste of home to me. I’ve got to say you are a peach thank you so much my family is going to love this I used to talk about it all the time now they can have a taste of what it was like when I was growing up bye for now and thanks again. Sincerely Michael Turner.

    1. Your message truly touched our hearts. It’s incredible how certain recipes can bring back a flood of cherished memories, and we’re humbled that this raspberry freezer jam reconnected you with such precious moments with your mom and dad. It’s our deepest hope that when you and your family savor the jam, it feels like a comforting embrace from the past. Thank you for sharing your story with us. We’re honored to have played a part in bringing a taste of your childhood back to you.

  2. 5 stars
    Perfect. Don’t change a thing. I used very ripe raspberries and just followed the recipe. Made 4 pint jars and 4 four ounce jars. Perfect for keeping and sharing. It sets up quickly and within minutes we were enjoying fresh raspberry jam with Monte Cristo sandwiches.

  3. made this recipe with our own blackberries- it came out perfect like the raspberry jam I made the other day- we thought flavor and consistency of jam perfect – I did remove some seeds and added 2T lemon juice – this is my new way to make jam from now on and its so easy!!!

  4. We have our own raspberry bushes and I made your raspberry jam recipe today- it was different from other freezer jam recipes, I have used in the past, where you use corn syrup so it is not grainy- but this came out great — pretty looking in jars and tastes great =easy recipe – I got 6 and 1/2 jars–
    I use cute jars I have saved for freezer jam, so some might be larger than 6oz — Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe!

  5. In recipe you said 6 cups mashed berries and 5 1/4 cups of sugar……then in the instructions you said 3 cups of berries and 4 1/4 cups sugar. I did the 6 and 5…. should I add another pkg of sure jell to the berries. Please advise.

  6. 5 stars
    This turned out delicious! I did use the liquid fruit pectin and organic frozen raspberries. Everyone thought it was so good. My 94 year old stepfather only eats BlackBerry Jam and he tried this and love it!

    Question…can I jar this recipe and not freeze it?

  7. 5 stars
    This is amazing…all I can say is wow! I’m in my 50s and have never made any type of jam or jelly, so I thought I’d give this a try. It turned out perfectly and is so delicious. If anybody tries this recipe and it doesn’t turn out, you must not have followed the recipe as written. Now if I can only find a rainier cherry or blueberry freezer jam recipe:)

  8. I have tripled my recipe, and I am not sure if I have to do all three batches separately or if I can do all three batches at the same time in the same bowl?

  9. So why does the recipe call for 6 cups of berries and in your instructions it says to only use 3 cups. Doesnt make a bit of sense

  10. 1 star
    I followed this recipe to a T and it didn’t turn out. I read through the entire post before starting, followed all of the tips and my “jam” is still liquid. But on top of that it tastes like pure sugar. So upset I wasted 6 cups & $18 worth of farm fresh raspberries to ruin them.

  11. Help! I added the boiled pectin to the raspberry/sugar mixture and the pectin just clumped into gelatinous clots! No amount of stirring is breaking them up!

  12. 5 stars
    I use to make jam in my bread machine and always had a great outcome with it. I’m getting older and lugging things in and out of cabinets is one thing I try to do without these days, but I have a fig tree that yields more figs than I can count… I’ve been making fig jam for years and am so grateful to come across a recipe that is easy to make AND produces the desired results! When you read all the directions before starting – it doesn’t get any better 🙂

  13. I didn’t completely read the recipe before starting this adventure, but holy cow is this amazing! I used homegrown raspberries (2 cups mashed) and 1 cup mashed of fresh strawberries. Mixed them well, adding 3 full cups of sugar one at a time until dissolved. Let it rest, made pectin as instructed, then added to berry mix and mixed until no granules were detected. Everything set up perfectly and the flavor is amazing! It might be a total fluke for a first time jammer, but I’m really pleased!

    1. Give it 24 hours but if it still seems funny, heat another pack of pectin and stir it back into your jam- this will mean you’ll have to empty all the man back into a bowl! But that will definitely help it set.

      1. In the event I’ve let it set for 24h on the counter and it didn’t thicken and I add more pectin at that point: do I let it set on the counter for another 24 hours or do I put it right into the freezer?

  14. Recipe says 6 cups of raspberries then you only use 3 cups. I found this annoying as I spent $12.00 on more raspberries to bring it up to 6 cups then see I only need 3 cups.

    1. The recipe says 6 cups of raspberries because they get mashed, which will yield close to the 3 cups of mashed berries you will need.

      1. 👎Ok, that makessense, but I wish you would have mentioned that in your recipe notes or in the recipe itself (“6 cups of whole berries will yield approxinately 3 cups mashed”). Not mentioning that threw me off too!

  15. HELP, Made boysenberry (homegrown berries)….yesterday….overnight on counter…. fothy this morning and overflowed…liquid at bottom.

    Safe to eat? Too soon to spoil? thanks, Jean

  16. Hello,
    I used a strainer to smash rasberry juice fresh and eliminate the seeds?? Is there a way to make the jam then eliminate the seeds or only to strain it through and do similar to a sieve? I am hooked on to making freezer jam since this past summer! I am interested in low sugar freezer jams. I am considering what berry to add with the rasberry to make a multifruit jam. Sometimes I only get a small amount of one fruit and more of another so I have started to combine, such as… one that recently turned out awesome… fresh pomegranate juiced using the strainer as a seive, blackberry juiced, fresh blueberries and strawberries and it came out amazingly delicious!! I use part fresh seived juice and part smashed fruit. yummy. So do you have another way to remove the seeds from the jams??? Thank you so much.

    1. Hello, wanting to add green chili’s to this recipe. Is it do-able? And if so, what would you suggest amounts and changes would be? Thank you!

  17. When my mother had a rare batch of jam that didn’t set up properly, she labeled it “syrup” and we ate it anyway. Waffles with raspberry or blackberry syrup—yum!

  18. I’m considering trying this with some mulberries. Do you know of any reason why I shouldn’t?

  19. This is wonderful! You have done an excellent job explaining the reasons to do the little things I’ve always wondered why. Thank you!

    1. No, liquid pectin works differently. If you want to use liquid pectin, follow the direction it gives in the package.

  20. 3 stars
    I’m not usually one to say this, but this was waaaay too sweet. I had to stop short of the full amount because the flavor of the raspberries was almost obscured by the sugar. It still set up fine. Next time I’d use much less, even if it means a runny jam.

  21. aww ok, maybe this is a stupid question but do i clean all these raspberries that i had picked and if so ,do i let them dry before i mash them??

    1. Not a stupid question! Yes I would wash them off, and yes, I would let them dry off a bit, even just on a few paper towels for 10-15 minutes. 🙂 Enjoy!

  22. I have a question. Maybe I’m missing something in the recipe.
    It says 6 cups raspberries gently mashed. Then measure 3 cups raspberries and mix in sugar. What happens to the other 3 cups of raspberries?

  23. I just made this last night. When I got up this morning I had raspberry juice all over the counter and the lids were swollen. I opened the jars up over the sink and raspberry jam flowed out. It was the sugar eating the natural yeast on the raspberries.

    1. Hi Scott, that is really strange and has never happened to me in all of the years I’ve made it. Did you leave ample head space?

    1. Hi Deanna, I’m really not sure because I haven’t done, but I just don’t think it would dissolve like it should for this recipe…

  24. For some reason I got confused with the recipe. I don’t understand when you set aside 3 cups of the mashed raspberries and what is getting mixed into what? When do you combine the 3 cups you set aside.

    1. Hi Josie, 6 cups of whole berries makes about 3 cups of mashed berries. So after you mash the berries, you measure out exactly 3 cups (which should use about the entire mixture). Then continue making the jam from there.

      1. Okay, I made this jam (looks great) then I made a stupid mistake! I didn’t read the part that says to let it sit for 24 hours before freezing. I put it in the freezer for about an hour before noticing. I just took it out, but don’t know how it will be now!

  25. Lauren your raspberry jam is great and easy,can I use frozen raspberries and a sugar substitute like coconut palm sugar
    Thanks
    Ruby Whittaker

    1. Hi Ruby, If you use frozen raspberries I would let them thaw first and try to get some of their moisture out. I’ve never tried a sugar substitute so I can’t guarantee the results…sorry!

  26. I wanted to verify that the lids are placed on the filled jars and left on the counter for 24 hours vs. Uncovered. Anxious to try this today.

    1. Hi Cheryl, Yes the lids are placed on the jars after they are filled, and left on the counter for 24 hours for the jam to set. Hope you like it!

  27. There seems tp be a problem with the freezer raspberry jam recipe in the Sure J ell packages. In the package the recipe calls for 1 cup water. On line the recipe calls for 3/4 c water. I made the jam using the recipe in the package. The jam has not set up. This season we will be having raspberry syrup. I’m not a happy cook and wonder how this error could take place. Each year I enjoy sharing the jam with friends and neighbors – not this year! Please check your recipe inserts in your packaging, hopefully saving other jam makers from this little culinary error.

    1. Hi Sydne, My recipe here, as long as the SUREJELL recipe online both call for 3/4 cup water…I would follow those next time, and you shouldn’t have a problem.

  28. I’m a little confused, this recipe calls for 6 cups of raspberries, in your directions it says three cups. And when I follow the link to the Kraft site of the original recipe it says 3 cups which is it? Did you increase the amount of berries to make it less sweet or was it just a mistake.

    1. Hi Carolyn, thanks for your question and sorry for the confusion! You should buy about 6 cups of fresh, whole raspberries. After mashing them they will measure out to be about 3 cups worth. Let me know if you have any more questions!

  29. Just tried this jam last week! It’s so good! But today I got a container out of my freezer and it wasn’t frozen. It was just a gel. Is this normal? It was in the freezer for a week.

  30. Just to confirm, the only cooking required is the pectin? This is my first-time making freezer jam, so just want to ensure it doesn’t require cooking the berries.

    1. This is probably a silly question; but if I wanted to use instant pectin would I need to alter the amount of sugar? Thanks.

      1. Hi Amber, that’s a great question. Jam’s can be really tricky..if you’re using instant pectin DON’T follow this recipe! There is probably a recipe that comes in the instant pectin box you could use–but if you follow this recipe, using instant pectin, it wont turn out quite right! Good Luck! 🙂

  31. Love freezer jam. Does it really only last 3 weeks in the fridge though. I don’t usually go through a jar that quickly. I’ve made it before and left it in the fridge much longer.

    1. I always have mine in the fridge for more than three weeks as well, (and it’s always been fine) but that’s just the caution they give on the pectin box…

  32. I just finished my first batch and it tastes really really sweet to me I know that you warned against cutting down on the sugar but 51/4 cups of sugar for 6 cups of raspberries is soooo much sugar is there any way to cut back some without it wreaking havoc on the jam???thanks

    1. You can cut down on the sugar if you want to…it will just make the jam a bit runnier, but if you are ok with that than go for it!

  33. Sounds great. Can you use frozen raspberries thst are thawd?
    My raspberry bush has given us a lot of berries this year and I ended up freezing them so they wouldnt go bad before I could use them all.

    1. Yes! Using frozen works well too! I love doing the same with extra raspberries from my grandmas garden!

  34. Ok. I’m getting ready to make this and noticed that the recipe calls for 6 cups of raspberries but then only says to measure out 3 cups…Am I reading this incorrectly or should the 3 cups really be 6?

    1. You want to measure out exactly 3 cups of mashed raspberries. We are estimating that it takes about 6 cups of whole berries to get 3 cups mashed.

    2. I’m confused about measuring the 3 cups as well. You say we should get 7 cups of jam, are the other 4 cups sugar and pectin?

  35. I just TRIED some of my first batch of this – holy moly, it is AMAZING. Absolutely incredible. I had planned to share some with neighbors, like I did my strawberry freezer jam – I’m not so sure now 😉

  36. I just TRIED some of my first batch of this – holy moly, it is AMAZING. Absolutely incredible. I had planned to share some with neighbors, like I did my strawberry freezer jam – I’m not so sure now 😉

  37. Made my first batch of this today! I make strawberry freezer jam every year (Oregon strawberries are divine), but I just had to supplement my supply with this!

  38. Making my first batch of this right now! I didn’t make enough Oregon strawberry freezer jam this year, so I’m hoping to supplement my supply with this.

    1. This may seem strange, but it works! No bacteria will get in when the lids are closed on the jars, and freezing makes them last!

    1. Pomona do a pectin that will set with sugar substitutes or even just pure fruit but the jams keeping quality is affected.

  39. Can you make blueberry, and blackberry as well? Definately will try. What would you suggest for a sugar free or sugar substitute recipe? Thanks

  40. this sounds like a great recipe and im going to try it but i do have a question about the jars. will the jars break from getting to cold since their glass?

    1. Good question–No the jars wont break, we have been making this recipe for years and we always use glass!

    2. If you will look on the box in which your Ball or Kerr canning jars came, you will see whether the glass can be put into the freezer. Some jars, not all, are specifically tested for the freezer.

    1. To make it seedless you would need to push the raspberries through a fine mesh strainer first. The jam will be a little runnier, since the berries will be mashed more…

    1. You can make great strawberry jam by adjusting the recipe as follows: 2 cups mashed strawberries, 4 cups sugar, 3/4 cup of water, and one package of pectin.

  41. Yummmm! Thanks for linking up to my Pity Party last week. I will be featuring you this Friday. Have a fabulous week.

  42. Oh I am so excited to try this! I have always made Strawberry freezer jam, but never raspberry! Raspberries will be ready soon around here, so I just can’t wait:) Thanks so much- and your pictures are beautiful by the way! I am a new follower on Pinterest and Twitter and look forward to more of your great ideas!

  43. I’ve NEVER heard of freezer jam before! This is awesome! I’m definitely going to have to try this 😀 Thanks!