Mixed Berry Jam

This easy Mixed Berry Jam with pectin is a thick, spreadable jam! It uses four berries and is the perfect balance of tart and sweet. This recipe can be made in a small batch or scaled into a large batch and it will be perfectly thick every time!

I love making jam. I always have a few jars alongside this peach preserves recipe, quick strawberry jam, this cherry jam, and apple butter in my refrigerator.

I love jam on toasts, in muffins, on blueberry scones, folded into whipped cream in a trifle, baked in jam bars, in between layers of cakes, in Italian meringue buttercream, on yogurt, in jelly donuts, on vanilla ice cream.

This jam in particular is also excellent on thick slices of traditional Irish soda bread with raisins or baked into thumbprint cookies.

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Ingredients for Mixed Berry Jam

• Strawberries: Fresh, in-season strawberries make the best mixed berry jam. They have a lower moisture content and more concentrated flavor. Frozen strawberries will work. However, when thawed frozen strawberries make a looser jam because they release more of their juices when cooking.
• Blueberries: You can use fresh or frozen blueberries here!
• Raspberries: Fresh or frozen raspberries work. I like to buy them at the market and then freeze them myself!
• Blackberries: Fresh or frozen blackberries can also be used. It goes without saying that in-season produce will make the most flavorful jam.
• Sugar: I use granulated sugar this will not only sweeten the jam but help it thicken.
• Lemon Juice: Lemon juice augments the natural flavor of the berries and also balances the sweetness of the sugar.
• Citric Acid: Citric Acid also tempers the sweetness of the mixed berry jam. Yes, you can omit it if you don’t have it or can’t find it. I love the neutral acidity it adds.
• nH Pectin: nH pectin is a very strong and consistent pectin that contains calcium. It is thermoreversible meaning it can be heated and then cooled while retaining its thickening properties. This is useful when baking with the jam or in glazes light nappage or glaze. You can also use apple pectin in this jam.

Can I make Mixed Berry Jam without pectin?

Absolutely! It will be less thick than mixed berry jam made with pectin but it will still be thick and spreadable. When making this jam without pectin, you will want to make sure you stick to the ratio of strawberries to other berries. Strawberries have a high moisture content and make a runny jam without pectin. See my Strawberry Quick Jam for the result!

Can I make a large batch of Mixed Berry Jam?

While this mixed berry jam can easily, and quickly, be made in a small batch, it can also be scaled up into as large of a batch as you would like! The largest batch that I have made with it was 4.5 kg or a little under 10 pounds!

The reason it works in a large batch is because of the specific ratio of berries and the pectin. Berries have varying levels of natural pectin, so if you change my ratio, then you will either need more or less added pectin to achieve the same consistency. Especially if you are adjusting the amount of strawberries. In a small batch you might not notice the difference, but scale that up by a few kilos, and you’ll have yourself a sticky situation! ?

How to keep pectin from clumping in jam?

• Add it with sugar: I always whisk a portion of the total sugar in the recipe with the pectin before adding it to hot jam.
• Whisk it in a bit at a time: While whisking constantly, sprinkle the pectin sugar mixture over the surface of the bubbling mixed berry jam. Allowing each addition to whisk in before adding the next. The jam will thicken almost instantly, so you want to work quickly and efficiently especially when adding a lot of pectin. The steam can also cause the pectin to clump, so keep the pectin mixture out of the steam between additions.

Substitutions for Mixed Berry Jam

• Berries: This berry ratio was carefully tested in small and large batches with the exact amount of pectin. You can substitute more or less of one particular type, but it will affect the thickness of the jam. More blueberries will require less additional pectin because blueberries naturally have a lot of pectin.
• Citric Acid: I love the neutral acidity of citric acid but you can certainly omit it or add a bit more lemon juice. There is enough acidity in the lemon juice to help the pectin gel.
• Pectin: If you cannot find or do not want to purchase nH pectin, then you may use an equal portion of high quality apple or citrus pectin. Every brand and variety is different. It might take a bit of experimentation to find the right ratio for yours.