Try this simple and delicious Raspberry Rhubarb Jam recipe made without pectin and a lower sugar content than regular recipes! This is a recipe that is made quickly and easily, even if you don’t have a lot of jam-making experience!
A few years ago, I posted a recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb freezer jam that my Grandma Rosemary made yearly when I was a child! She made all sorts of jams and jellies and they were favorite to eat on homemade bread, over ice cream or on pancakes!
This year I wanted to share with you my Grandma Rosemary’s Raspberry Rhubarb Jam recipe! It contains no pectin and has lower sugar than most recipes you find in a cookbook.
Because this jam recipe is without pectin, it is a bit thinner than a “typical” jam recipe but you can still use it on toast with peanut butter or however you prefer. It is great for using on waffles and pancakes too!
Raspberry Rhubarb Jam without Pectin
Ingredients:
4 cups cut rhubarb
2 cups raspberries
1.5 cups sugar PLUS 1.5 cups more sugar
The original recipe had 4 cups to sugar. So although I know this may still seem like a lot of sugar, that’s how most rhubarb jam recipes are in order to take much of the strong tartness out of the rhubarb.
Instructions:
Mix rhubarb, raspberries and 1.5 cups of sugar in a pot and bring to a boil.
Boil for three to four minutes.
Add 1.5 more cups of sugar and boil four to five minutes longer.
Let cool and then put in jars and seal in a canning process.
Easy Freezer Jam Method for Raspberry Rhubarb Jam
Instead of canning, you can do what I do and make this into a freezer jam.
Allow the jam to partly cool, then put it into glass jars.
Tightly twist on a lid and band (the leftover heat will allow the top to seal a bit).
Then allow the jars to cool completely before putting them into your freezer.
PLEASE NOTE: If you go with the freezer jam method, make sure to leave a 1.5 inch to 2 inch space at the top of the jar for expansion once it freezes or you’ll end up with broken glass!
My children gobble up this jam with pb & j sandwiches or over pancakes and my husband and I love eating it on toasted English muffins and cranberry sourdough bread!
How to Make Thicker Rhubarb Jam with no Pectin
Rhubarb is a fairly low-pectin fruit, but one way you can make your rhubarb (rhubarb raspberry, rhubarb strawberry, etc) jam thicker is to “marinate” your cut rhubarb pieces in the sugar of your recipe for a few hours or overnight. This draws out the liquid from the rhubarb and can help make your end product thicker.
You can also use a bit of lemon juice to help thicken your jam, but I personally have not done this.
Remember too, that jam thickens as it cools, even without pectin.
This isn’t going to be equally as thick as jam with pectin, however, we find the consistency to be great for everything we use it on (pancakes, toast, etc)!
Enjoy!!
What can you do with extra rhubarb?
Try this easy and amazing Rhubarb Pie made with an Oatmeal Crust!
