This homemade mulberry jam recipe is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious! Eat it on toast or drizzle it over ice cream! If you're looking for more mulberry recipes, be sure to check out my 26 must try mulberry recipes round up!
Mulberries are currently in season in San Diego. When ripe, they are plump, juicy, and oh-so-sweet and perfectly suited for all kinds of mulberry recipes. Of all the Mulberry recipes I've tried, this Mulberry Jam recipe is my favorite!
Mulberries always remind me of Chicago and the mulberry tree we had in front of our house when I was a kid. Whether it's picking and eating the mulberries right off the tree, or using them in mulberry recipes, they will always remind me of home.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This four-ingredient mulberry jam recipe is really easy to prepare. One of the reasons is that there isn't a ton of prep required. No fruit to chop or peel and you can even leave the mulberry stems intact!
- The pectin takes care of a common problem that may arise when making mulberry jam or preserves. This has to do with the jam not thickening because mulberries are a low-pectin fruit. Pectin takes the guesswork out of the equation and gives you perfect results every time!
🛒 What Goes Into This Recipe
🔖 Ingredient & Substitutions
- Mulberries: Fresh or frozen mulberries can be used in this recipe. Make sure to pick through them, removing any sticks, leaves, and little spiders.
- Citrus: You'll need the juice and zest of one medium-large lemon.
- Pectin: Although powdered pectin can be used, I recommend using liquid pectin, which I feel blends in better and does not clump together.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🫙Helpful Tools
- water bath canner
- half pint jars
- large pot
🍇 How to Make Mulberry Jam and Preserves
Step 1: Start by washing the mulberries. Make sure to remove any leaves, insects, small sticks, or other debris.
Step 2: Add mulberries to a 5-quart saucepan, then cover with sugar and lemon zest. Allow the mixture to macerate until the mulberries begin to release their juices.
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Step 3: Add lemon juice then gently simmer the mixture over low heat. Gradually bring to a boil over medium heat.
Step 4: Continue boiling over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning the jam or having it boil over. Stir in the liquid pectin until completely dissolved. Cook for a few minutes longer.
Pro Tip: If foam forms over the surface, just skim it off with a spoon or stir 1 teaspoon of butter into the jam.
Step 5: Ladle mulberry jam into sterilized half-pint jars, leaving ¼" headspace. Wipe the jar rims with a clean paper towel, add lids and collars, then hand tighten. Process in a boiling water bath for an additional 10 minutes to seal.
Step 6: Place the processed jars on the counter to make sure they all seal. If some of the jars don't seal, keep them refrigerated, or gift them to family and friends. Store sealed jars in the pantry for up to a year.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
The quick answer is you don't! Mulberries are impossible to pick without their tiny stems staying attached. If you try to pull the stem off, you will end up with a smooshed berry in your hand.
Luckily, you can cook the mulberries with their stems on. If it really bothers you, and you have a lot of time on your hands, you can just cut the stems off with scissors or clippers. But trust me, it's not necessary!
Mulberries are not considered a high-pectin fruit. In fact, most sources consider them a low-pectin fruit. However, there are some varieties, including Superberry Black Mulberry, that are high in pectin and perfect to use in jam-making.
What can't you do with mulberries? Add the mulberries to baked goods, mix in pancake batter, or swirl these mulberry preserves into cheesecake batter before baking. You can also use frozen mulberries in mixed drinks like margaritas.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Most mulberries don't contain a lot of pectin. As a result, you will need to either add a lot more sugar or add pectin to get the jam to jell. Although powdered pectin is one option, I prefer using liquid pectin because it's easier to mix in with the jam.
- If you prefer a smoother jam consistency versus chunkier preserves, use an immersion blender to get the desired texture.
- Keep the blade part of the blender submerged to avoid splattering yourself with the hot jam. Or wait until the mulberry jam is cooled before blending. You will need to bring the jam back up to temperature before canning.
- Mulberries are infamous for staining your hands while picking them. To avoid getting your hands stained, consider wearing rubber gloves while picking them. Another option is to lay down a tarp under the tree and shake the branches to knock off the mulberries.
- Make sure to wash the mulberries thoroughly before using them. Besides leaves and other debris, you will most likely have small spiders and other pests mixed in with the berries. I like to place them in a large bowl and cover them with water, then pick a few at a time and transfer them to an empty bowl.
- If you don't have a canning kit, I highly recommend investing in one! A water canner usually comes with everything you need including a funnel, jar lifter, bubble popper, magnetic lid lifter, jar wrench, canning tongs, and more!
🍓 More Jam Recipes
If you love this mulberry jam recipe, be sure to check out these other tasty recipes!
📖 Recipe
Mulberry Jam Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups mulberries
- 5 cups granulated sugar
- 1 medium lemon (juiced and zested)
- 1 packet sure-jell liquid pectin
Instructions
- Start by washing the mulberries. Make sure to remove any leaves, insects, small sticks, or other debris.
- Add mulberries to a 5-quart saucepan, then cover with sugar and lemon zest. Allow the mixture to macerate until the mulberries begin to release their juices.
- Add lemon juice then gently simmer the mixture over low heat. Gradually bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Continue boiling over medium heat for approximately 15 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning the jam or having it boil over. Stir in the liquid pectin until completely dissolved. Cook for a few minutes longer.
- Ladle mulberry jam into sterilized half-pint jars, leaving ¼" headspace. Wipe the jar rims with clean paper towel, add lids and collars, then hand tighten. Process in boiling water bath for an additional 10 minutes to seal.
- Place the processed jars on the counter to make sure they all seal. If some of the jars don't seal, keep them refrigerated, or gift them to family and friends. Store sealed jars in the pantry for up to a year.
Notes
- Most mulberries don't contain a lot of pectin. As a result, you will need to either add a lot more sugar or add pectin to get the jam to jell. Although powdered pectin is one option, I prefer using liquid pectin because it's easier to mix in with the jam.
- If you prefer a smoother jam consistency versus chunkier preserves, use an immersion blender to get the desired texture.
- Keep the blade part of the blender submerged to avoid splattering yourself with the hot jam. Or wait until the mulberry jam is cooled before blending. You will need to bring the jam back up to temperature before canning.
- Mulberries are infamous for staining your hands while picking them. To avoid getting your hands stained, consider wearing rubber gloves while picking them. Another option is to lay down a tarp under the tree and shake the branches to knock off the mulberries.
- Make sure to wash the mulberries thoroughly before using them. Besides leaves, and other debris, you will most likely have small spiders and other pests mixed in with the berries. I like to place them in a large bowl and cover them with water, then pick a few at a time and transfer to an empty bowl.
- If you don't have a canning kit, I highly recommend investing in one! A water canner usually comes with everything you need including a funnel, jar lifter, bubble popper, magnetic lid lifter, jar wrench, canning tongs and more!
c says
Any pointers for using pectin powder instead of liquid pectin?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi C,
I haven't made this jam with powdered pectin, but if you wanted to try it, I would combine mulberries and lemon juice in the pot and gradually stir in pectin, then bring to a rolling boil that cannot be stirred down (over high heat) stirring constantly. Add sugar and continue to stir for an additional minute.
Brianna says
Hi, when using Powdered pectin, how much should I use!?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Brianna, You would want to use one packet.
Audrey says
Can we use less sugar than the recipe? Maybe 2 cups?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Audrey,
I haven't tried making it with less sugar, but you can always give it a shot! The sugar is required to make it jell but sometimes you can get away with using less. I would try it, but I don't have access to mulberries.
Deb says
Can you use frozen mulberries and a cheesecloth to strain the seeds and stems (making a mulberry jelly instead of jam)? I'm finding removing the stems is very difficult
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Deb,
I actually answer this in one of my FAQ questions regarding if you need to remove the stems. Here's what I suggest: The quick answer is you don't! Mulberries are impossible to pick without their tiny stems staying attached. If you try to pull the stem off, you will end up with a smooshed berry in your hand.Luckily, you can cook the mulberries with their stems on. If it really bothers you, and you have a lot of time on your hands, you can just cut the stems off with scissors or clippers. But trust me, it's not necessary!
Chris says
Hi Hilda,
I'm using this recipe for my first ever batch of mulberry jam. As an FYI, I found a post about this topic and they suggested freezing the berries, then putting them on a sealer bag and sharing to remove stems. I tried this and it worked fairly well. I'd guess maybe 80% of berries for the stem removed.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Chris, great suggestion. If my mulberry bushes ever give me fruit, I will give it a try!
Chris says
I did not check spelling.
sealed bag
shaking, not sharing
Gwen says
This was absolutely delicious!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks Gwen!
Sharon says
A friend gave me some mulberries, and I was so happy to find your recipe. I've also never canned before, but it was easy with your instructions!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Sharon, I wish I had a friend who has mulberries, I sure miss having them!
Kristin says
This was delicious!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Kristin, I appreciate the review!
Katie says
Loving this jam! A great way to use up a bunch of mulberries! The tips you provided were so helpful!
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, Katie! I really appreciate your review!