Crock-pot Blackberry Jam. Yes! What haven’t I made in the crock-pot? I actually have never made a stew in the crock-pot. Really! But I have made blackberry jam. And it’s naturally thickened, not only with the natural pectin in blackberries but also with chia seeds!
Slow Cooker Days
I was inspired by my friend Serena (she doesn’t know this as I write this) last year to make blackberry jam without any added pectin. It worked out great! Since I wasn’t boiling the blackberries in my recipe, I wanted to make sure that the jam would be thick enough. So I thought I would use ground chia seeds since they have a natural jelling affect. Go here to learn about how to make the blackberry jam boiling the berries without adding pectin from Serena if you are interested.
When my friend Merri lived here, I enjoyed making blackberry jam the conventional way. But after she moved away (too long ago), I stopped making blackberry jam. It’s nice to make jam with two people the conventional way. But since Merri is gone, and I am on my own, I like making blackberry jam in the crock-pot. I will probably get brave again and can the jam later, but not in this stage of my life.
Just like my raw 3 ingredient blender jam (which is SUPER FAST, by the way), one of the nice things about this recipe is that you get to control the amount of sweetener you want in it. You don’t have to use astronomical quantities of sugar to have a great jam. I’ve made this with 2 cups of sugar (organic evaporated cane juice) and 1 1/2 cups.
I also like that I am not sweating over a hot bubbling batch of jam like when I’ve made stove top versions waiting for just the exact moment to throw in the gobs of sugar, and boil it hoping to avoid getting burned, and then making sure the jars and lids are clean at the right time. There can be a bit of pressure with the whole process. With this method I can take my time and make this as I want instead being in a hurried rushed. There is nothing to rush in this recipe except to get it done to enjoy!
Not only is blackberry jam great on bread or toast, but it is my favorite waffle topping!
I’ve made this recipe in my 6 quart and 2 quart crock-pots. It works either way, but it fits in the 2 quart better.
Since it is now the end of the blackberry season, the last time I made this I wanted to use the last of what we had of the blackberries. So I halved this recipe since we only had 2 cups of mashed berries, and it turned out with excellent results. So the recipe is flexible.
Crock-pot Blackberry Jam Naturally Thickened
Ingredients
- 4 cups of mashed blackberries
- 1 1/2-2 cups of sugar we used the organic evaporated cane juice from Costco
- 3 T chia seed
Instructions
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Optional, ground chia seeds in a blender, or coffee grinder (this reduces the seediness of the jam.
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Place all three ingredients in a crock-pot, and cover and cook on high for 1 hour.
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Remove lid and cook another 2-4 hours to thicken jam, stirring occasionally.
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Place in jars, cool, and refrigerate for up to two weeks. Jam will thicken more in the fridge. You can probably can this, but I am not comfortable with my canning skills YET.
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Have you ever made a raw blender jam before? It’s super fast!
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I am excited to know this recipe. Could you tell me amount of Chia seeds, please? 3T means tea spoon or 3 table spoon?
3 Tablespoons. Hope you enjoy!
Love the addition of chia seeds in the jam. I can’t wait to try this with all different kinds of fruits – my favorite right now, fig jam!
Hi Christine. That sounds good, fig jam. My kids love figs! Hope you enjoy, and thanks for visiting!
Hi sweet Sonja! What do you think about sweetening this jam with honey? I tried honey once with pear sauce, and it never thickened up much. But even though runny, it was still a yummy sauce. I love the idea of doing this in the crockpot, but not the idea of sugar.
Hi Piper! Well, if it was me, I’d totally give it a shot! The chia naturally thickens and so do the blackberries, so it’s worth a shot. I’d probably try making a half batch first. Next time I make it I will try it with honey. I still have some blackberries left in the freezer. I’ll let you know how it turns out! Thanks, Piper!
What a great idea! I’ve been using Chia seeds in more of my “baking”–raw foodie baking. Never thought to use it for jam. I didn’t make jam this year because I didn’t want to use all that sugar! Would this work for other berries as well? Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
Hi Theresa, I have used the chia seed to gel my raw blender jam using strawberries, and since the nature of chia is to gel, I am guessing this would work for any fruit. You are welcome, and thanks for visiting!
The man just made a whole bunch of grape jelly from our plants. I had the idea (after the fact of course) of using chia instead of pectin. Totally going to try this and to make it easy in the crockpot. Thanks!
Shannon
Hi Shannon, I hope it works for you with the grapes. Let me know if you try it! Thanks for visiting.
Oh my goodness this jam looks amazing and I love the addition of chia seeds and cooking the jam in the Crock-Pot! I was so sad this year I wasn’t able to make any jam but now I’m looking forward to next year so I can try out the Crock-Pot for the cooking of jam before I can it! Great idea Sonja!
Hi Serena! You were the one with the great idea about making it without adding pectin! Seriously, no stress in this recipe. The hardest part for us is harvesting the berries! Have a great week!