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Made with sugar and fresh lemon juice, Crockpot Express Blueberry Jam is the perfect combination of sweet and tart flavors!
Here’s how easy it is to make this Crockpot Express Blueberry Jam: I made it in my cabin while at summer camp with my son. I have to say, this is probably the most unusual place I’ve ever done any cooking. 🙂
I knew there would be a lot of down time for me while he was participating in different camp activities like archery tag (don’t ask) and swimming in the lake. So I packed up my CPE and a box of supplies so I could do some recipe testing. I even brought my camera and took pictures right in my cabin!
This blueberry jam was done in just a few minutes and it’s so fresh and sweet. Blueberries and lemon marry well together-the jam is tart and sweet at the same time. I like to spread it on a piece of bread and eat it like dessert. It’s also delicious on pancakes and waffles! Skip the syrup completely and spread some blueberry jam or even Crockpot Express Strawberry Jam on top. Yum!
Now, when you first read this recipe, you may think there’s nowhere near enough to liquid to get the pot to come to pressure. Trust me, I had my fingers crossed a few times, but it works beautifully! Once the pot starts to heat up, the blueberries break down and release their juice quickly. You don’t even need to mash the berries up afterwards like you might with strawberries.
To help keep the sugar from sticking to bottom of the pot, be sure to add the berries first. Then sprinkle the sugar over the top and squeeze the lemon juice all over. Don’t stir. This will keep the sugar from clumping up on the bottom. You’ll be amazed when you open the pot and see all the liquid in there.
How much you cook down the liquid is up to you. I let mine simmer for 3 minutes and then added the slurry to let it do its work. Almost immediately, the jam thickens up. I didn’t more than a minute more of simmering to reach a nice thick jam consistency.
For storage, I like to use canning jars with plastic reusable lids. It’s much cheaper than buying rings and sealing lids, which you don’t need since this isn’t for canning and shelf storage. This Crockpot Express Blueberry Jam recipe will fit in one quart jar, or you can store it in several small jars.
Crockpot Express Blueberry Jam
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh blueberries washed (about 1 quart of berries)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 large lemon squeezed
- 2 tbsp cold water
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Instructions
- Place washed berries in the bottom of the inner pot. Sprinkle sugar over the berries. Do not stir!
- Squeeze the lemon half over the berries and sugar, being careful not to drop any lemon seeds in the pot.
- Close and lock the lid, turning the steam release valve to closed. Press Steam and adjust down to 3 minutes. Press Start/Stop.
- When the cooking cycle has ended allow a 10 minute natural pressure release. Then, open the steam release valve to release any remaining steam. Press Start/Stop and open the lid.
- Stir the berries and liquid. Press Brown/Saute and adjust the temperature to Low. Simmer and stir for 2-3 minutes to cook off some liquid.
- Mix the cornstarch and water until smooth to make a slurry. Add it to the pot and continue to simmer and stir for 1 minute or until desired thickness has been reached.
- Press Start/Stop and carefully remove the inner pot and set on a cooling to rack to cool.
- When it's cool enough to touch, add the jam to jars and store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
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Pam says
Delicious beyond words! I used about 2 1/2 cups blueberries. Will definitely make this again! No more store bought jam for us 🙂 Thank you for the recipe!
Nicole Burkholder says
There’s NOTHING like fresh jam! Enjoy 🙂
Paige Lanier says
Can this be made and shelf stored?
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes and No. 🙂
No, this is to be stored in the fridge or frozen to use later (which is a great way to store it!)
HOWEVER…If you want to can it for shelf storing, you need to use proper canning procedures and make sure you have sealing rings/lids, etc. You can use the CPE/this recipe to cut down on the prep time for sure! And blueberries have so much natural pectin, there’s no need to add any!
Paige Lanier says
Is it safe to can jam with cornstarch in it? Would i do the recipe as written and then just follow the canning instructions?
Nicole Burkholder says
Using flour or corn starch in recipes for home canning is one of those things people argue back and forth about. 🙂 In this instance, I would do it no problem. It’s not a lot, the jam is definitely heated all the way through, and there’s no risk of it getting “too dense” as it’s canned. It’s not like a thick soup, for example. I would just follow the recipe to cook the jam, and then proceed to place in hot jars/add lids and rings, etc. If you were concerned, you could easily skip the cornstarch and can the strawberry “sauce.” Then when you are ready to use it, you could pour it into a pot, add the cornstarch, cook it to your desired thickness and put it back in the jar. (But then keep it refrigerated at that point.)
Stephanie says
How do you avoid the burn error with basically no liquid?
Nicole Burkholder says
The lemon juice and all the juice released from the berries as they cook is enough. Trust me, I held my breath 🙂 But I’ve made it several times and no E6-there’s lots of liquid when you open the pot.
Beth says
Have you tried this with blackberries? Looks fabulous!
Nicole Burkholder says
I haven’t, but the process would be the same overall!