If you haven’t had elderberry jam, you are in for a unique treat. This jam is easy to make and is a small batch of the jam so you won’t be storing this or going through the standard canning process. This recipe is meant to be consumed within a couple of weeks and is a fresh jam. The good news? You won’t have any trouble consuming it during that time frame. It is amazing on toast, crackers, English muffins and croissants and can be used in any of your baking recipes. Be sure to try my Elderberry Thumbprint Cookies.
Before we get into making this dish, you should note a couple of things about elderberries. If you haven’t worked with them before, please note that I’m working strictly with dried elderberries, not fresh. Why you ask? First, fresh elderberries are hard to find in your grocery store. They do have toxic parts of the plant so foraging and preparing fresh elderberries is another whole blog post. So, for this recipe (and all my elderberry recipes), I’m using dried berries.
What do elderberries taste like? I like to compare them to a combination of blackberries and cranberries. A little sweet and a little tart. They make an excellent sauce for Thanksgiving so be sure to check out my cranberry elderberry sauce recipe. And don’t mix my elderberry liqueur recipe…such a great cordial to make for the holidays.
To get started, you’ll soak the berries overnight in the filtered or bottled water. If you have a filtered system at home, simple use that filtered tap water. If not, bottled water is just fine. You are just looking for the purest water possible for the best taste. NOTE: I’ll often add a couple of tablespoons of extra water when soaking to be sure I have 3/4 cup of the soaking liquid left the next day. Just pour into a measuring cup to get your 3/4 cup.
The next day (after soaking), add the 3/4 cup of the soaking water, the hydrated berries, the apple juice and my secret ingredient, the elderberry infused balsamic vinegar into a large pot. Bring it to a boil. Note that if you don’t have the elderberry vinegar, substitute regular balsamic vinegar or omit it completely.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix the pectin and sugar. Add to the boiling liquid and stir really well. Stir for a full minute, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the pan to get everything dissolved and incorporated.
If you enjoy this jam, be sure to try a few of my others:
Want to try something different? Try my Apricot Mostarda which is perfect on your next cheeseboard.
Elderberry Jam
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Dried elderberries
- 3/4 Cup Filtered or bottled water
- 1 1/2 Cups Apple juice
- 1 Tbsp. Patricia and Paul Elderberry Balsamic Vinegar
- 3 Tsp. Sugar-free pectin
- 1/2 Cup Swerve sugar substitute
Instructions
- Soak the dry elderberries in 3/4 cup of filtered or bottled water overnight. Be sure they are completely covered.
- In a large pot, bring the berries, the soaking water, balsamic vinegar, and juice to a boil.
- In a bowl, mix the pectin and sugar. Pour into the boiling jam liquids. Stir continuously for about a minute until the sugar and pectin are completely dissolved into the jam mixture. Be sure to scrap down the sides, bottoms and crevices so that everything is well incorporated.
- Bring the jam to a boil again. Reduce heat slightly and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes until the jam starts to thicken. Note: the jam will appear to still be too fluid but the jam will thicken up as it cools.
- Remove pot from heat and pour or spoon jam into jar (s). Serve with your favorite bread, toast or crackers.
