This pressure cooker jam with no pectin takes 15 minutes to make. Use any fresh or frozen fruit you want in your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi. Homemade jelly or huckleberry jam is a family favorite spread for toast at breakfast time.
I have always wanted to make homemade jam but never really got around to it until now! My Instant Pot is just an amazing thing and figured I could probably make some easy pressure cooker jam with fresh huckleberries I bought. It came out delicious and is now added to our 101+ Instant Pot Recipes here on my site. 😉 (affiliate links present)
How to Make Jam in Instant Pot
You can make this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe as well, or in a Crockpot Express. They all work the same with high pressure. After you’re done you can enjoy it in the next few weeks as is or this is how to can jam so it lasts so much longer.
You cannot use this machine for InstaPot canning as stated by the manufacturer but we will show you how to do that the old fashioned way. Fresh is always best though and it never lasts long in our house enjoyed for breakfast or dessert.
Table of contents
If you are new to pressure cooking we have a lot of easy one pot meal recipes for you here. To begin with let’s start with a few basic tips:
- Make sure to Bookmark our InstaPot recipes page. We add new ones each week!
- Then PRINT this —–> Instant Pot cooking times cheat sheet that will help you understand how long meat, vegetables and beans take to cook in your pressure cooker.
- I HIGHLY recommend you buy this non stick pot.
- You should know how to deglaze a pressure cooker after sautéing but it won’t have as many issues with this better liner.
For reference, this is the model I have (a 6 quart) and use for all recipe creations.
If you want to make this same homemade jam on your stovetop, we used fresh huckleberries. You can use any fresh or frozen berries to make either of these. I opt for quick versions though and you must too. 😉 I bought a bunch since they’re only in season once a year here in Idaho. I started by making this huckleberry cobbler.
You can use any berries or even peppers you might have but this is what I used this time. Later on I made green pepper jelly <—-using this recipe but the instructions here for a pressure cooker vs. stovetop.
Ninja Foodi Jam
With this pot you will use the lid that is not attached. I suppose you could make Instant Pot jam with frozen berries but I haven’t tried that yet. If I did I probably wouldn’t adjust the time since fruit cooks so fast this way. When I try that I will update this to let you know how that turns out. Or if you use frozen let me know below so I can share that info. 😉
Can you peel plums to make jam?
Yes! If that is your favorite fruit then by all means remove those skins and use those. I have had people comment to me that this fruit works rather well and delicious.
Pressure Cooker Jam with Fruit Ingredients
- Small mason jars – these mason jars for jam are perfect for yourself and to tie a ribbon around and use as gifts
- Fresh fruit – 2 lbs. made 4 jars for us, the 3 shown in the pic at the top and one other one not shown.
- I have also made pumpkin jam without pectin with this vegetable
- Sugar
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Vanilla extract & lemon juice – I think both are a good addition to any fruit jam but that is personal preference
Why do you add lemon juice to jam?
I like the flavor in small doses. Another reason is that it prevents the growth of bacteria if you’re canning your homemade jam. Then make this homemade bread recipe or rolls and serve them together.
Can you make jam from canned fruit?
You can if that is really all you have. You’ll just need to drain the liquid out of the can first. It won’t have the same consistency, it will be smoother without the chunks of fruit you see here. It will be more like jelly versus jam.
When it is summertime we are all about fruit because it’s so fresh and inexpensive when it’s in season. There are tons of farms out here so we get on their email list and schedule trips up to pick fresh peaches, blackberries and anything else we can get our hands on.
If you have a backyard garden I suggest planting strawberries and trying to make homemade jam this year. It is SO simple and I guarantee you won’t buy a jar at the store after you try it. I would involve your kids in the process too, I assure you they’ll love it.
Fruit releases a lot of juice so liquid really isn’t necessary. Then you just add a bit of cornstarch and water at the end to thicken it up. The combination of huckleberries and strawberries worked well too. It brought some added sweetness to the typically slightly sourness of fresh huckleberries. Sugar was also needed to sweeten it up.
If I were to use something like peaches I would add less sugar. Closer to 3/4 of a cup instead of 1 but that is personal preference. Use this guide to make your own Instant Pot strawberry jam recipe or whatever flavor you prefer and sweeten to your liking. 😉
We usually only have it for 1-2 weeks or freeze some for later.
If you do not can properly and just save it in jars inside your refrigerator it should last up to three months.
Nope! It is not recommended by Instant Pot to do this because it doesn’t reach the optimal temperature to kill all bacteria and store on the shelf safely.
InstaPot Canning
You may have heard some people online stating that they do this, it is not advised. You need to ensure that the temp. inside the device reaches a very high heat in order to kill all the bacteria that may be present and seal well. It is stated on their website that even under high pressure it will not quite get to that point.
How to Make Jam in Instant Pot
- Add fruit into Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi with sugar and vanilla.
- Close and lock the lid.
- Set to high pressure cook time for 1 minutes!
- Allow to naturally release steam for 10 minutes and then open valve to release the pressure remaining. Remove the lid and set aside.
- In a small bowl add cornstarch and water, stir to combine. A whisk works well to get it nice and smooth. I do not add fruit pectin to this, cornstarch is easier and I always have it on hand.
- Set pot to saute and once bubbling add slurry for 2-3 minutes to thicken and then turn off.
- Take inner pot out of machine and put on cooling rack or pour jam into mason jars immediately so it doesn’t continue to cook.
- Allow to cool before storing in the fridge. Could can to last longer too. Entire process including cool time should take about 30 minutes. Find more Instant Pot recipes here.
Pressure Cooker Jam
Equipment
- 1 pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lbs fruit, we used 1.5 lbs. huckleberries, .5 lbs strawberries
- 1 c sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla, optional
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp water
- How to can jam, cannot be done in pressure cooker
Instructions
- Wash and cut stems off berries, if present. Dice larger fruits you might be using into bite size pieces (we left huckleberries whole and cut strawberries in half).
- Put berries into pressure cooker with sugar, and vanilla if you’re adding those. Gently stir so all berries are coated.
- If you want a sweeter jam allow this mixture to sit for about 15 minutes or so to allow sugars to really seep in.
- Put lid on, close steam valve and set to pressure high for 1 minute.
- Allow to naturally release steam for about 10 minutes, then release rest of steam.
- In a small bowl whisk together cornstarch and water until smooth, empty contents into pot with berries and set Instant Pot to saute.
- Stir consistently and slowly until mixture bubbles, do this for 2-3 minutes so jam begins to thicken. Turn pot off and transfer to small mason jars (what we used). Do not put lids on until completely cooled. Put lids on and refrigerate, enjoy on just about everything!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If my grapes have seeds ,after they are cooked in my instant pot but not before I add the cornstarch do I strain the juice with cheese cloth then put back in instant pot & sauté with the pectin or cornstarch??
Did anyone give you an answer on this.
I would strain the grape seeds out first, before adding pectin or cornstarch. Alternatively, adding an apple to the jam as it is cooking will provide natural pectin. Depending on the fruit, adding unripe fruit to the mix will also add the pectin needed to thicken the jam.
OMG I am going out to buy fruit and make this for homemade Christmas gifts. My jam is usually more runny than I’d like so I think the Instant will work 🙂
Oooo I need to make this as soon as possible, using huckleberries! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Easy and delicious! So many ways to use it, too!
Can you do this with grapes
How do you get the seeds out??
You could use seedless grapes
We had a “ricer” that took out tomato seeds, grape seeds, and many others. Look in the canning section. It is about the size of a medium sauce pan and has a handle and a blade in it. The bottom of the pan has holes. You crank the handle with the cooked items inside (do in small batches) and the de-seeded product comes out the bottom.
I made this with frozen blackberries and peaches, it was ever easier and it still tasted just as good as with the fresh fruit
How long will it last in the refrigerator and can you freeze it?
How much pectic would you use if you wanted to can it?
I used 3 tablespoons
Could you use pears?
I don’t see why not, just take skin off outside so it is smooth.
Why not add a bit of pectin instead of cornstarch then you can actually can it instead of having to store it the refrigerator? It’s much more giftable that way, as well as lasting longer.
Great idea!
How much pectic would you use?
I have a power quick pot. Will the recipe work in that?
How much pectin would you add ?
I used 3 tablespoons and was perfect