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Made with fresh fruit, sugar, and lemon juice, this Mixed Fruit Jam requires no added pectin to set. The apples, grapes, and lemon provide natural thickening power, so you can mix in whatever berries or stone fruits you love.
It’s perfect for beginners and makes just two jars, one for now and one for the freezer. P.S. I always add strawberries, and blueberries!
You’ll love this jam slathered over a piece of Homemade Sandwich Bread or stuffed inside my Jam Filled Cupcakes.
We use a lot of jam in our house, whether it’s for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sweetening Greek yogurt, or slathering on morning toast. After flipping over a jar of store-bought jam one too many times and seeing ingredients I didn’t even know what they were or their purpose, I decided to make my own.
What I love about this recipe is how forgiving it is. The apples, grapes, and lemon juice provide enough natural pectin that you don’t need any store-bought pectin or to worry about whether it’ll set properly. The base always works, which means you can customize the other fruits based on what’s in season or what you have on hand. I usually add strawberries and blueberries, but peaches, raspberries, or blackberries would be just as delicious. It’s become my go-to because it’s simple, uses real ingredients, and tastes so much better than anything from the store.
If you’re looking for more ways to preserve fresh fruits, try my Cinnamon Applesauce, Blackberry BBQ Sauce, Cherry BBQ Sauce, or this Pear Applesauce. You can swap out the pears for virtually any fruit you want.
Watch This Quick Video Tutorial:
Mixed Fruit Jam Ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make this recipe and a few important notes, so keep reading!
- Apples: These are a MUST because they contain enough natural pectin to help your jam set up on it’s own. Always peel them before dicing into small pieces.
- Grapes: These are also a must. They don’t contain as much natural pectin as apples but they do have a good amount. You’ll want to chop these in 4’s.
- Strawberries: Remove their green tops and cut into small pieces.
- Blueberries: I like to cut mine in half, but this isn’t necessary. I find the jam cooks together quicker with them cut.
- Sugar: I recommend cane sugar, but granulated sugar or even coconut sugar will work too.
- Lemon Juice: Feel free to use freshly squeezed or bottled. Just don’t leave it out! Lemon juice is essential because it activates natural pectin and helps the jam set up while balancing sweetness.
As for essential equipment, you’ll need a 4 quart saucepan, metal spoons (thrown in the freezer), and two 8 ounce jars.
How to Make Mixed Fruit Jam
1. Cook Until Jammy. Bring the fruit, sugar, lemon juice, and salt to a boil. Stir and mash for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick and jammy.
2. Test The Jamminess. Dribble the jam onto a frozen spoon. If it fills back in when you run your finger through it, it’s not ready and needs to be cooked for an additional 5 minutes and tested again. If the jam stays in it’s place, it’s done.
3. Pour and Cool. Pour the thickened jam into two 8 ounce jars. Let it cool completely before sealing with airtight lids and storing.
Find the complete recipe instructions with measurements below.
Storing Information
This recipes makes two 8 ounce jars. This means one can go in the refrigerator and the other in the freezer. Refrigerated jam stays fresh for up to 4 weeks, while frozen jam lasts up to 1 year.
To use frozen jam, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and enjoy within 4 weeks. Always use clean utensils when scooping to prevent contamination. Discard if you notice any mold, off odors, or signs of spoilage.
Helpful Recipe Tips
Customize your fruits. Apples and grapes are the base to this recipe because they contain larger amounts of natural pectin. This helps the jam set up without having to add artificial pectin. Beyond that, you can add whatever fruits you want: strawberries and blueberries like I did, or apricots, cherries, raspberries, peaches, blackberries, cranberries, etc. Just as long as the mixed fruit equals 5 cups.
Wash your fruits.This seems obvious, but I always like to remind readers of how much yuckiness that can be on our fruits we buy at the grocery store. I spritz mine with white vinegar, let them sit 5 minutes, and rinse while lightly rubbing with cool water. Dry with a clean towel and move onto chopping.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
More Kitchen Basics For Your Recipe Box
Mixed Fruit Jam
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups apples - washed, peeled, diced in 1/2 inch chunks
- 1 cup grapes - green and red, washed, cut in 4's
- 1 cup strawberries - washed, and diced in 1/2" chunks
- 1 cup blueberries - washed, cut in half
- ½ cup cane sugar - or granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice - fresh squeezed
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put metal spoons in the freezer (to test the jam later).
- Into a medium saucepan, add the apples, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, cane sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Over medium heat, stir and mash the mixture until it comes to a boil.
- Once boiling, cook for 20 minutes while stirring and mashing frequently, or until the fruit becomes thick and jammy.NOTE: Use an immersion blender around the 15 minute mark for a more smooth jam.
- Remove a spoon from the freezer and dribble several drops of jam onto the spoon. Wait a few seconds, and then run your finger through the jam. If it leaves a line and does not fill back in, the jam is done. If it runs back in on itself, cook the jam for an additional 5 minutes and check again.
- Remove jam from the heat and carefully pour into two, 8 ounce jars. Allow it to cool to room temperature before sealing with an airtight lid or ring and lid. Storing information below.
VIDEO
RECIPE NOTES
- The apples, grapes, and lemon juice are essential for body and texture, but you can swap the strawberries and blueberries for any fruits you want. Examples are apricots, cherries, raspberries, peaches, cranberries, etc. Just make sure your fruit is equal to 5 cups.
- Frozen fruit can be used in place of fresh fruit, though you might need to adjust cooking times to get the right consistency.
STORING INFORMATION:
- Refrigerated for up to 4 weeks.
- Frozen for up to 1 year. Place frozen jam in the refrigerator overnight before using. Enjoy within 4 weeks once thawed.
- Always use clean utensils to prevent contamination. Discard if you notice any mold, off odors, or signs of spoilage.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
