Low-sugar Blackcurrant Jam Recipe With Just Three Ingredients

July 5, 2024 Master Canner

We’ve been making the most of our recent discovery—a blackcurrant farm in Fraser Valley, not far from the city where we live. Since then, we’ve created many blackcurrant recipes, using blackcurrants on their own or combining them with other berries and herbs. This blackcurrant jam canning recipe is one of our favorites because it showcases blackcurrants at their best.

Blackcurrants are naturally high in pectin, so you can skip extra pectin and still get a well-set jam. In our recipe, we added a small amount of pectin because our customers prefer a firmer jam. Feel free to omit the pectin for a softer consistency. Our blackcurrant jam is low-sugar, using 50% less sugar than similar recipes. Enjoy this blackcurrant jam and explore our other blackcurrant recipes:

Simple Blackcurrant Syrup Recipe

Blackcurrant syrup is a key ingredient in cordials, sodas and more. It is also easy to make and preserve at home with this simple recipe. Yup, you’ve heard that right. No need to reach for a bottle of Ribena syrup! All you need is two ingredients: blackcurrants and sugar. Then follow this recipe. Once you’re done, you will have the purest concentrated fruit!

Simple Blackcurrant Jelly Recipe

Making blackcurrant jelly at home is simple and straightforward. With just blackcurrants, sugar, and pectin, you can make a batch of this delicious jelly right in your kitchen. Our blackcurrant jelly recipe stands out by omitting water and reducing the sugar content by 15% compared to the traditional 1:1 fruit-to-sugar ratio in blackcurrant preserves.

What are blackcurrants?

Firstly, blackcurrants are not just another type of blueberry or grape. No matter what some folks in your favorite Facebook group may say, blackcurrants belong to a completely different genus. If you’ve tasted Ribena juice or syrup, you already know the flavor of blackcurrants. What you may not know is that these berries are like a superfood, packed with vitamin C and anthocyanins. They’re known for their health benefits, including aiding digestion, managing diabetes, and supporting eye health.

^{*source: WebMD https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-black-currant}

Despite some myths, blackcurrants won’t cause black stool, constipation, or urinary infections. However, consuming too many raw blackcurrants or too much blackcurrant juice can lead to diarrhea due to their high fiber content, which promotes regularity.

Yield:

The specified in this syrup recipe quantity of ingredients should yield enough syrup to fill seven 8 oz. (250 ml.) mason jars. The final yield may vary based on your preferred level of jam doneness.

gather blackcurrant jam recipe ingredients

mashed blackcurrants mixed with sugar after the resting period — gather blackcurrant jam recipe ingredients

Traditional Black Currant Jam

Making your own low-sugar blackcurrant jam is surprisingly easy. All you need is just three ingredients: blackcurrants, sugar and, optionally, a dash of pectin. Follow this recipe and see how easy it is to make a jam that will impress your friends and family.

Prep Time 9

Cook Time 30

Resting Time 8

Discover exclusive offers on kitchen tools and products on Amazon

Ingredients

4 lb. blackcurrants (1,814 g.)
2 lb. sugar (900 g.)
¼ tsp. pectin (optional)

Instructions

Preparing the blackcurrants:

Place blackcurrants in a large pot or a salad spinner. Fill with water and let them soak for 5 minutes to loosen debris and leaves. Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear.
Remove all stems and blossom ends from the blackcurrants.

Rendering the blackcurrant juices:

Place blackcurrants in a pot and add ½ lb. (200 g.) of sugar.
Mash the berries with a potato masher.
Cover and let sit for at least 8 hours or overnight to draw out the juices.

Cooking the jam:

Once rested, put mashed berries together with their rendered juices into a food processor or blender and crush.
Add one pound (450g) of sugar to the crushed blackcurrants and mix. Reserve the rest of the sugar to be mixed with pectin and added later.
Optionally, if skipping pectin, add all remaining sugar at once.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.
Skim any foam off the surface.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 25 minutes.
If using pectin, mix remaining sugar and pectin, then add to the pot.
Stir vigorously to combine, then cook for 10 minutes.
Optionally, perform a chilled plate test for desired consistency. Cook 5-10 minutes longer for denser jam.
Pour hot jam into clean, sterilized canning jars.
Process jars using your preferred canning method.

Not sure how to sterilize canning jars? Find the answer about “dos and don’ts” of canning jars sterilization.

Preserve Type Jam

Cuisine European

Keyword blackcurrant jam

Choose your preferred canning method to preserve your jam

For those processing this preserve using water bath or steam canner, the processing time guidelines at various altitudes are as follows:

0 – 1,000 ft: 5 mins

1,001 – 6,000 ft: 10 mins

Altitudes Above 6,000 ft: 15 mins

Frequently asked questions

Isn’t blackcurrant juice banned in America?

Neither blackcurrants nor blackcurrant juice is banned in the United States. However, blackcurrant cultivation in America and Canada historically faced restrictions due to concerns over a disease harmful to pine trees, which can be carried by some blackcurrant varieties. Restrictions have been relaxed in recent years, and blackcurrants are now grown in several states.

Is blackcurrant jam acidic?

Yes, blackcurrant jam is generally acidic. Blackcurrants themselves have a naturally tart and acidic flavor, which is preserved when they are made into jam. The acidity level can vary depending on factors such as the ripeness of the fruit and the amount of sugar added during the jam-making process. We believe our blackcurrant jam recipe has just the right amount of sugar needed to preserve the natural flavor of blackcurrants without making the jam taste too sweet.

How to make blackcurrant jam with frozen berries?

Yes, you can make blackcurrant jam using frozen berries. Remember that frozen berries typically contain more water than fresh berries. When you use frozen berries for jam, you need to first thaw them and drain any excess liquid. The extra water content means that it may take a bit longer for the mixture to boil down and reach the desired jam consistency compared to when you make jam with fresh berries, which have less water content to begin with.

How to use blackcurrant jam?

We use blackcurrant jam in the same way as we use our blackcurrant jelly. These are some of our suggestions:

Spread on Toast, Bagel or Bread: Use it for toast, bread, or bagels. It’s a sweet and tart option for breakfast or snacks.

Condiment for Meats: Mix this jelly with olive oil and use it as a glaze or sauce for meats, especially game meats like venison or duck. It can also be used as a sauce for roast chicken or pork.

Salad Dressing: Make your own salad dressings by mixing blackcurrant jelly with red wine vinegar and your favorite olive oil. It can work well with both green salads and fruit salads.

Baking: Blackcurrant jam is an excellent candidate for thumbprint cookies, perfect if you want a break from strawberry or apricot jam.

Cheesecake topping: You are going to be impressed with how well this blackcurrant jam works with cheesecakes. Just add your blackcurrant jam to a saucepan. Then, melt it before spreading the jam over the freshly baked cheesecake.

We can’t wait to learn how this preserve recipe worked out for you. Leave us a comment below, like us on X, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. And remember, sharing is caring!