Easy Raspberry Jelly (No Pectin)

4.78 from 9 votes

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Beautiful and tasty, this homemade raspberry jelly is so easy to make! You’ll love the bright and fresh flavors of the raspberries and soft spreadable consistency.

Raspberry jelly in a wide mouth glass jar with spoonful of jelly rested on the jar.


 

Our raspberry patch in the backyard has been bursting with raspberries this summer! I love to go out there and spend couple of hours picking bucketful of raspberries.

And what better way to preserve them than making a jelly, right? It’s an annual tradition for me. And here’s my go-to raspberry jelly recipe.

Why you’ll love this jelly recipe:

This seedless raspberry jam recipe has been time-tested family favorite. And I know you’ll love it too, because this recipe …

  • is truly easy to make.
  • requires less than 30 minutes and only 2 ingredients.
  • produces jelly with bright flavors and soft spreadable consistency.

Ingredients:

You’ll only need 2 ingredients to make this seedless raspberry jam.

  • Raspberries – Only use fresh raspberries and preferably with some unripe berries in the mix, because unripe berries are higher in natural pectin. Jam with frozen raspberries didn’t set properly.
  • Sugar – Don’t be tempted to reduce the sugar. Besides sweetening the jam, sugar also helps to set the jam and lengthens the shelf life of the jelly.

How to make this recipe:

1. Juice the raspberries

The secret to smooth jelly consistency is to juice the raspberries!

I use a juicer to remove the seeds and extract as much raspberry juice as I can. I’ve been using my Omega VERT350 since 2012 and it still works like new in 2022.

Tip

To extract as much juice as possible, I run the seeds through the juicer couple of times until they come out almost dry.

Side by side images of fresh raspberries and juicer extracting raspberry juice.

Not juicer? No problem! Simply cook the raspberries with some water for about 10 minutes, then push it through a fine mesh sieve, cheesecloth or jelly strainer.

Using my juicer, I get exactly 5 cups of juice out of 3lbs of raspberries.

2. Cook the jelly

  1. Combine equal parts of raspberry juice and sugar in a deep Dutch oven.
  2. Gently heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.
  3. Once the most of the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat to medium high and cook the mixture until it reaches at least 215°F on an instant thermometer, about 25 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent the jam from scorching on the bottom.
  4. Turn the heat off and skim off the foam with a slotted spoon.
Step by step photos of making raspberry jelly.

Tip

Be sure to use a large heavy-bottomed pot! You’ll need at least 5qt pot, because jam boils up quite a bit.

3. Canning

  1. Divide the jelly into sterilized jars, leaving at least 1/4 inch space from the top.
  2. Clean the jar rims with a damp towel and place the lids. Then tighten the metal ring on top, while holding the lid in the middle with your finger. That way, you won’t damage your lid seal when tightening the metal ring. (A tip I learned from my mother-in-law!)
Side by side photos of canning the jelly.
  1. Carefully put the jars into a deep pot, filled with boiling water and lined with a rack.
  2. Boil for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before removing onto a counter lined with a towel.

You may hear some popping sounds after you remove the jars from hot water bath. It means your jars are being sealed, and that’s exactly what you want to hear!

After the jars are completely cooled, check the seal by pressing in the center of the lid. If it springs back, it means the jar hasn’t been sealed. Store it in the refrigerator.

How to sterilize the canning jars and lids: 

  • Put clean canning jars into a boiling water for about 5 minutes.
  • Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat and put the canning lids in the hot water. Don’t boil the water with the lids, as it may compromise the rubber seal. 
A talk glass jar of seedless raspberry jam.

Tips for Success:

  • Use fresh raspberries to make raspberry jelly. And avoid over-ripe berries as they lack natural pectin. In fact, it’s ideal if there’s a mix of unripe raspberries, which are high in pectin.
  • I don’t recommend frozen raspberries, because they’re typically ripe berries and they don’t have enough natural pectin to set properly.
  • To extract as much raspberry juice as possible, use a juicer!
  • Be sure to use equal amounts of raspberry juice to sugar for proper set and shelf life! For every cup of juice use 1 cup of sugar.
  • Use a heavy-bottom pot, so it distributes the heat evenly. Enameled Dutch oven pot works perfectly for it!
  • Be sure to use a large enough pot (at least 5qt) to accommodate bubbling mixture while cooking.
  • Overcooking the mixture will produce darker colored jelly. So be sure to keep a close eye on it!
  • This canning kit is super convenient!!!
A glass jar of raspberry jelly with a spoon dip in it.

FAQs:

How do you get seeds out of the raspberries for jelly?

There are multiple ways to remove raspberry seeds. 2 of my favorites methods are:
1. Use a juicer to remove raspberry seeds.
2. Cook the raspberries with water and then push it through a sieve, cheesecloth or a jelly bag.

How to sterilize the jars and canning lids:

– Put clean canning jars into a boiling water for about 5 minutes.
– Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat and put the canning lids in the hot water. Don’t boil the water with the lids, as it may compromise the rubber seal. 

What is the difference between jam and jelly?

Typically, jelly doesn’t have any fruit pieces. Jam, on other hand, is made of mashed fruits.

Hope you’ll make this beautiful jelly for your friends and family. It definitely makes a great hostess gift. And as always, thanks for reading!

A glass jar of raspberry jelly with a spoon dip in it.
4.78 from 9 votes

Easy Raspberry Jelly (No Pectin)

Beautiful and tasty, this homemade raspberry jelly is so easy to make! You'll love the bright and fresh flavors of the raspberries and soft spreadable consistency.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 6 jars

Ingredients

  • 5 cups fresh raspberries juice Note 1
  • 5 cups granulated sugar Note 2

Instructions 

To make the jelly:

  • In a large heavy-bottomed pot (at least 5qt), combine raspberry juice and sugar.
  • Gently heat the mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar.
  • Once the most of the sugar is dissolved, increase the heat to medium high andbring the mixture to full rolling boil, which means the mixture continues to boil even when you stir it.
  • Continue cooking the mixture until it reaches at least 215°F on an instant thermometer, about 25 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to prevent the jam from scorching on the bottom.
  • Turn the heat off and skim off the foam with a slotted spoon.

Canning Instructions:

  • Divide the jelly into sterilized jars, leaving at least 1/4 inch space from the top.
  • Clean the jar rims with a damp towel and place the lids. Then tighten the metal ring on top, while holding the lid in the middle with your finger. That way, you won’t damage your lid seal when tightening the metal ring.
  • Carefully put the jars into a deep pot, filled with boiling water and lined with a canning rack. Make sure the jars are covered with at least 4 inches of water.
  • Boil for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before removing onto a counter lined with a towel.
  • As the jars cool down, you should hear popping sounds. It’s a sign that the jars are being sealed. Sealed jars can be stored in the pantry for up to 1 year. Unsealed jelly is good for 1 month in the refrigerator.

Tips & Notes

Yields: 6 half-pint jars
Note 1: Only use fresh raspberries and preferably with some unripe berries in the mix, because unripe berries are higher in natural pectin. Jam with frozen raspberries didn’t set properly.
To juice raspberries:
– Method 1: Using a juicer, juice the raspberries to remove the seeds and extract as much raspberry juice as possible. (I use this Omega VERT350 juicer and I run the seeds through the juicer couple of times until they come out almost dry.) I get exactly 5 cups of juice out of 3lbs of raspberries.
– Method 2: Simply cook the raspberries with 1.5 cups of water for about 10 minutes, then push it through a fine mesh sieve, cheesecloth or jelly strainer. You may need about 4lbs of raspberries to get 5 cups of juice.
Note 2: Use 1 cup of sugar for every cup of raspberry juice. Don’t be tempted to reduce the sugar. Besides sweetening the jam, sugar also helps to set the jam and lengthens the shelf life of the jelly.
How to sterilize the jars and canning lids:
– Put clean canning jars into a boiling water for about 5 minutes.
– Bring a pot of water to a boil, then turn off the heat and put the canning lids in the hot water. Don’t boil the water with the lids, as it may compromise the rubber seal. 

Nutrition

Calories: 697kcal
Carbohydrates: 179g
Protein: 1g
Fat: 1g
Sugar: 171g
Sodium: 3mg
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American

This recipe was originally published on August 11, 2013.

Hi, I’m Shinee!

Welcome! I’m so happy you’re here! I believe anyone can cook restaurant-quality food at home! And my goal is to help you to become a confident cook with my easy-to-follow recipes with lots of tips and step-by-step photos.

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25 Comments

  1. 3 stars
    The flavor is great but it never set. I actually cooked it to 218-220 (for my altitude) and it never reached a jel stage. I’m not sure what happened

    1. Hi, Andrea! I noticed that raspberry jelly takes a bit longer to set. I bet if you try it now it’s nice and set. 😉