This Homemade Elderberry Jam Recipe is the perfect way to preserve the luscious taste and health benefits of the prized elderberry. Use fresh or dried elderberries to make a jam you can enjoy year round, even when the berries are out of season!
It's absolutely that time of year again when a simple visit to the playgroup, daycare, or classroom can put the whole family under the weather for a week.
And every time this happens, I chide myself for not having dosed us all up sooner with a generous helping of Elderberries, or any of these other common immune-boosting superfoods.
Hands down my favorite go-to plant for staying healthy during cold and flu season, Elderberry is a powerful little berry jam-packed with antioxidants, and well studied for its protective effects from viruses. A smart little berry indeed, Elderberry flavonoids trick flu viruses by binding to the proteins on their viral envelopes. Those nifty proteins are the ones that viruses use to bind to our cells and cause infection. Successfully duped, the viruses are thus deactivated from reproducing in the body and are then easily flushed out by our body's natural immune defenses.
Clever berries.
Although I love Elderberry, and although my little one will readily consume anything tasting even remotely sweet, I'm not quite thrilled about pumping my child full of sugar in order to get this lovely berry to do its job. Furthermore, sugar has been shown to lower the body's immune response, so it just seems silly to give an overly sugary syrup to a sick child.
Vegetable glycerine is highly processed and refined, and can be sourced from different plants (with soy, palm, and coconut being likely contenders). It's not the best source but just something to know.
Although there are many ways to introduce herbal preparations to children, I particularly appreciate food-based herbal recipes that are also low on the glycemic index. Hence my quest for the perfect sugar-free Elderberry jam recipe.
Caution About Elderberries
1. First and foremost, Elderberries must always be heated, since in their raw form, they contain a constituent similar to cyanide. Although some sources say that fully ripe elderberries and dried elderberries are okay to consume raw, I prefer to be on the safe side and treat my berries to a nice, hot bath.
2. Ripe Elderberries are lovely to the point of being intoxicating, however they can be hard to source unless you know your plants, and are confident with your identification skills. It could be easy to pick a poisonous berry instead. No thanks. I just bought these Organic Dried Elderberries a few months ago and will be using them :)!} Luckily, Elderberries retain much of their potency when dried, and can easily be rehydrated to make a delicious jam.
Recipe Notes
1. Juice Options
Apple juice is a popular choice for making jams, and will also serve as a natural sweetener for the jam. Other good ideas are pear, mango, and grape. My juices of choice are unsweetened berry juices because they are high in antioxidants, and give the jam a deep purple color. However, unsweetened berry juices will generally result in a jam that is less sweet.
Pure blueberry juice is a great option. Use lemon or lime juice for a low-carb option.
2. Sweetener Options & Notes
A couple of low-glycemic syrups are yacon syrup (glycemic index of 5) and Brown Rice syrup (glycemic index of 25). Stevia is also a great choice since it has a glycemic index of 0, but this will also impart its own flavor to the jam. I personally don't like the taste of stevia, but most people don't seem to mind. Another great option is to sweeten your jam with a dried fruit paste, which can easily be made with dates, apricots, figs, or raisins.
The popular agave syrup has been featured in numerous reports questioning whether it is indeed a safe and healthy choice. Although it has been shown to have a low glycemic index, questions have surfaced around whether its effects on the body are actually equivalent to that of high fructose corn syrup.
Furthermore, agave nectar is produced through a highly refined chemical process in which the starch of the root is reduced to syrup; it is not actually derived from the natural sap of the plant, as the word "nectar" would have us believe. Since there are lots of other safer and more natural sweetener options, I generally steer clear of this one.
Vegetable glycerine is another good low-carb sweetener option if you can have it. Otherwise, you can use 1/8 teaspoon of stevia extract. See How to Use Stevia here.
Any sweetener can be used for this, but you will almost always use the same amount of another sweetener when substituting for the date paste.
Jerusalem Artichoke Syrup is another option choice. I've read it is a pre-biotic sweetener (helps your body's gut) and has a glycemic index of only 6.
3. Storage
Originally this post stated that this jam could be canned for up to two years, however, since then, we have learned that elderberries are low in acid and care really needs to be taken when canning them and if you are going to can this jam, then you need to use sugar instead of the date paste. Here is how it should be done:
- For Jam: the ratio of elderberry pulp to sugar must be no more than: weight of fruit/ weight of sugar = 47/55 = 0.85. For every 16 ounces (1 pound) of fruit pulp you need to use at least 18.9 ounces of sugar.
- For Jelly, the ratio of elderberry juice to sugar must be less than or equal to: weight of fruit juice/ weight of sugar = 45/55 = 0.82. For every 16 ounces (1 pound) of fruit juice for Jelly, your recipe must include at least 19.5 ounces, by weight, of sugar. Adding more sugar than that is fine, but less is not.
- Lemon juice will not reduce the pH sufficiently apparently, but it is good for the end product.
- Honey cannot be used as the sugar source.
- Low-sugar or no-sugar added pectin cannot be used. (source)
I have not investigated this topic, and I think that the lemon juice could of course reduce the pH but other things could as well. However, this seems to be crucial information and regardless, the pH needs to be at a safe level (4.6 or lower) for canning.
You could use acid pH strips or a pH meter to test the pH of your elderberry jam or jelly before canning.
Typically, a homemade jam that is canned can last up to two years if unopened. Once opened, it should be refrigerated and should last to about 3 months. (source) It can possibly even extend its shelf-life when refrigerated for 6 to 12 months considering that the lid is tightly closed and the jar is undamaged. (source)
Elderberry Jam
Ingredients
Elderberry Jam
- 1/2 cup dried elderberries (or 1 1/2 cups fresh)
- 3/4 cup filtered water
- 1 1/2 cups apple juice (see recipe notes for alternatives)
- 3 teaspoons sugar-free pectin
- 1/2 cup date paste (see recipe for date paste below or use 1/2 cup this low carb sweetener for lower-carb, or see notes for other alternatives)
Date Paste
- 1 cup dates
- 1 cup water
Instructions
Elderberry Jam
- Soak elderberries in water overnight.
- Bring berries, water, and juice to a boil.
- Remove one cup of jam mixture from heat, add pectin and date paste or syrup, and blend until smooth.
- Return blended ingredients to pot and bring to a boil once again. Reduce heat slightly and keep stirring for 10 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and pour jam into canning jars. The sugar-free pectin will harden the jam as it cools.
Date Paste
- Soak dates in water overnight.
- Separate the dates from water, and place dates in blender or food processor.
- Blend on medium speed adding date water as necessary to form a thick paste. You shouldn't need more than ½ cup of the date water, and even less for a thicker paste.
- Store in fridge or freezer. Dates can be substituted with other dried fruits, however you may need to boil tougher dried fruits such as apricots and figs for 30 minutes before blending.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
What do YOU use to boost your immune system?
Mélanie Pulla is an herbalist, mamma, radical homemaker, and entrepreneur. She has a BSc in Wellness and Alternative Medicine, holds several diplomas in herbal medicine, and is the founder and editor of Herb Geek, an online educational resource for natural healing. Mélanie is happiest when exploring the natural world, crafting herbal concoctions in her kitchen, and sharing her herbal musings with the world.
Does this recipe require refridgeration? How long should it last for?
We just put the information in the recipe--thanks for reading!
What kind of juice did you use in the recipe? Recommendations?
I just updated the post to make it more helpful regarding juice recommendations. Hope that helps! Sorry for the delay.
I will be trying this recipe this week, using unsweetened blueberry juice, can I use splenda instead of stevia or date paste? Is it okay to use splenda?
Yes, you can do that. I just don't like Splenda b/c of the ingredients including sugar-raising dextrose. Sounds yummy though - would love to hear how it turns out!
I need to use real sugar instead of other sweeteners...can you tell me how much to use?
Hi there - sorry for the delay. The recipe notes 1/2 cup of the low carb sweetener. For that you can just use sugar and should be fine! Hope that helps - enjoy!
This warning from the Wisconsin Extension Service makes me nervous about making the jam with only fruit juice as sweetener, and they specifically warn against using honey: https://fyi.extension.wisc.edu/safefood/2020/06/05/elderberries-beautiful-to-look-at-not-for-canning/
I don't think we should go so far as to avoid eating them altogether (which they also recommend!), but given the toxins in raw and under-ripe fruit I think it's safer to freeze the jam...
Hi there. Sorry for the delay in responding. I did read this and added the information to the post. Very interesting. I think that their premise might be a bit off in that it's possible to bring the acid level down with other things like citric acid, but I'm not an expert. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Help! I followed this recipe today, using dried elderberries. I didn't use any sugar but instead used the date paste and even added a little honey. After it cooled it still remains a liquid. What did I do wrong? Should I have used sugar? Can this be fixed or should I start over. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.
Hi there. I'm not sure what happened---is it still really liquid?
Yes, unfortunately I tried to redo several times and just had to throw it away and go with a different recipe.
Hmmm...that's odd - did your other one work out? And what kind of juice did you use? I would love to try to figure this out. Thanks!
I used POM juice. I tried it again following the directions of the pectin box but couldn't bring myself to use 7+ cups of sugar for 4 cups of elderberry juice! To me, that makes a healthy product unhealthy. So needless to say I have syrup instead of jam. It tastes great though...lol. I'm just not cut out for making jam. Thank you for keeping in touch.
Hi there. I think I found out what your problem is. Sounds like you were making 3.5 batches, am I correct? Let me know, but I think I figured it out.
Yes, I was using 3-4 cups of product.
So you need acidity, sugar, and pectin to make jam thick. And the right amount heat for the right amount of time. Typically, if your jam is too thin, you didn't use enough of the pectin, sugar or acidity or you didn't get a hard boil. However, there's more. I don't know what the exact measurement should be, but if your batch is too big, you won't get effective pectin penetration no matter how much you stir. I'm guessing that this is what happened. Does that sound right?
You can remake it if you haven't tossed it all yet. Let me know if you'd like help with that. Hope this helps!
Hi, this looks great! But to clarify, you say “take one cup of the mixture and blend”? Are we blending all of the berries eventually, or leaving some whole?
Hi there! Just blend one cup so that you still have a lot of body to the jam. You could blend all of it if you prefer. Hope you like it!
Have you tried using Swerve or Monkfruit for the sweetener?
I have done 1/2 stevia but not monkfruit yet - I am going to put a link in for Lakanto, however. You can actually use code wholenewmom to get 20% off on their site too :).
Where do you find the dried elderberries? Are they bitter?
Hi there - there's a link in the recipe card. They are bitter but I kind of liked them - if you read the post you will see that they aren't OK to eat raw, however.
Hi! I'm getting ready to make some elderberry jam with some dried elderberries I just bought. so just to clarify when making the jam I do not need to strain the berries out right? I can keep them in the jam?
Hi there - correct, you don't have to! Jelly is the product of juice, whereas jam includes the fruit as well. Enjoy!
Can you use honey as a substitute?
Yes, you can do that. I just updated the recipe and put the information in there for you. Good question and hope it turns out well for you!
Do you use a hot water bath for canning your jam?
I haven't done it yet but I think that would work. Is there another method you were thinking of?
What kind of juice did you use?
Sorry I'm not following what juice you are referring to--can you help with that, please?
Have you ever done anything with the berries that after they've been strained? It seems such a waste to throw them away. Thanks
I've read you can use them to flavor kombucha....I would bet you could flavor tea with them as well....or just boil in water to make "elderberry tea" :).
I re-read the recipe several times and at no place does it mention straining the elderberries out of the syrup. Please clarify =)
Hi there! I see what you are talking about! Perhaps the reader who commented meant to post the comment on this post: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/easy-homemade-elderberry-syrup-low-carb/ Hope that helps!
How would I adjust the liquids when using fresh elderberries? I am not a jam expert, but LOVE your sugar free approach and have 2 ripe bushes in my back yard.
I don't think that you would have to reduce the liquids that much...maybe a little bit if you want to account for the lost volume of the berries. Fresh to dried results in a reduction of about 3/4 in volume. Does that help?
We have burgeoning elderberry trees near our house!!! Raining manna from heaven... I love your coverage about the different sweeteners... and feel really good about your recipe - which I will try. Then, I see you name near the bottom, and Really like you!!! 🙂
Wow - you are so blessed!! Sorry for the delay in responding--comments vanished off my blog for awhile and I just got them back recently. Trying to catch up!
What is the shelf life on this?
I think it would depend on what sweetener you use since honey is a natural antibacterial and regular sugar helps preserve things too. I haven't studies the differences, however. Sorry about that.
Just found your great post on elderberry jam right after I finished making a quart of elderberry-rosehip syrup. Now I'm eyeing the leftover mash and wondering if I could turn it into jam instead of just depositing it in the compost pit. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that.
Hmmm...I think the sweetness will be gone along w/ a lot of the benefits, so no. You could dry it and use it for something.....
Hi mine hasn't set even though its cooled. Should i reboil and add more pectin please?
I'm sorry but I'm not sure. I would look up other jams trouble shooting and see what is recommended.
How long does the jam keep for please?
Hi there. I can't make shelf life claims and it will vary based on the sweetener you use. Hope you like it!
Do you use the calcium that's in the Poms pectin??
Sorry but I don't follow your question.