If you've ever had jam made from mulberries and were disappointed you're in the right place. This low sugar mulberry jam recipe is so easy anyone can make it, and there's no added pectin either. Since the berries are mild tasting, I boost the flavor with a few special ingredients. Read on and I'll explain what you need to know, and how you adapt it to your taste.
There's some things to consider when making mulberries into jam, the most important being if you want it spreadable or not. If the fruit isn't pureed, it will be more like a compote, pictured below.
There's also a few different kinds of mulberries to choose from. Not pictured are Pakistani mulberries, which are extra long.
Most trees will be regular black mulberries where I live, pictured below. Red mulberries (Morus rubra) are native, and much harder to find in Minnesota.
These common wild mulberries are also Morus alba. The fruit can be black or white when ripe.
How to Make Mulberry Jam
First you combine berries, vinegar, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. I also add some orange zest and a grated apple, but it's optional. Make sure to look at the chef notes section for ideas to tweak the flavor.
If you want a spreadable jam, you'll puree the berries with a hand blender. You can also puree them beforehand in a food processor. Boil the jam and cook until it reaches 210-215 F, or until it's thick, spreadable, and tastes good to you.
Canning Mulberry Jam
After the jam is finished It's time to can it. Spoon or ladle the jam into sterilized mason jars, wipe the rims clean and screw on the lids.
Chef's Tips
- As they're often flavorless this makes a good white mulberry recipe. It ends up looking like fig jam, see below.
- Different mulberry trees taste better than others. Taste around and find the best trees in your area.
- If you shook your fruit from a tree and they're dirty, make mulberry syrup instead.
- Add chopped jalapenos or habanero chilis for a hot-sweet preserve.
- If you don't pulse the fruit in a food processor it's great spooned over ice cream.
- I don't use liquid pectin or powdered pectin, but you can. Start with 2 teaspoons powdered pectin for this recipe.
- This is great on a cheeseboard and all purpose fruit spread. Put some on a turkey sandwich with cheese.
Related Posts
Easy White Mulberry Jam (Low Sugar, No Pectin)
Equipment
- 1 Food processor or hand blender
- 4 Half pint mason jars with lids
- 1 Large pot or water bath canner
- 1 Tongs
- 1 4 quart, stainless steel cooking pot
- 1 wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Ripe black mulberries or white mulberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup Balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar see note
- 1.5-2 cups Granulated sugar
- 1 Orange for zest
- 4 teaspoon Lemon juice fresh squeezed
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon optional
- 1 Large apple such as granny smith (optional)
Instructions
Make the jam
- If the mulberries are fresh make sure to look them over for any twigs and debris. If you harvested them by shaking a tree, eat a few berries to make sure they're not gritty. If they are, use the berries to make juice or vinegar.
- Peel the apple and grate it, then mix with the vinegar in the pot you'll use to cook the jam. Heat the mixture and reduce the liquid by half.
- Add the mulberries, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Zest half of the lemon and orange and add it.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, then puree half of the fruit haphazardly with an immersion blender. You can also blitz the fruit beforehand in a food processor. Put the candy thermometer on the pot if using.
- Stir frequently, bring to a boil and cook until until it reaches 210-215 F. If you don't want to use a thermometer it's fine! Just cook until it's thick and tastes good to you, at least 15 minutes. Finally, beat in the lemon juice.
- Spoon the jam into clean mason jars. Wipe the rims of the jars clean with paper towels and screw on the lids. From here the jam can be stored in the freezer, or the fridge where it will last a month.
Canning the jam
- Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Make sure there's enough water to cover the jars by 2 inches. Put the jars in the preheated water bath and process/ cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the jars and cool, then label, date, and store in a pantry. They'll last for a year (and likely longer) just like other fruit preserves like strawberry jam.
Video
Notes
Mulberry Freezer Jam
You can easily keep this jam in the freezer. I use hard-sided plastic containers or tupperware. It can also be frozen in blocks and vacuum sealed.Nutrition
KayT
If using the leftover fruit mass from making the syrup (pekmez)
- do you need to add any liquid?
- what is the proportion to sugar since it's already been cooked (i.e 2lbs fresh not the same as 2lbs cooked and strained)
Thank you
Alan Bergo
KayT, it's a rustic jam, I just use the same proportions. 2 lbs is 4 cups of fruit, mixed with the same amount of sugar. It will be denser, with more fruit, but buzzed in a food processor it will still be nice and spreadable.
Jennifer Scheer
The combo and balance of ingredients in this recipe is wonderful. I made this jam a couple of days ago after discovering an unknown mulberry tree in my woods. While treasure hunting is a key (and super fun) part of the adventure, using found edible plants in unique recipes is just as delightful. And Alan's mulberry jam recipe is devine; everyone I have shared it with has raved about it. I included the optional ingredients, the apple and cinnamon, which added a richness that paired well with the citrus. I love it; thanks Alan!
Alan Bergo
Hey thanks Jennifer. For all of that, and the copy edit😉.