Instant Pot Blueberry Jam
It is super easy to make homemade jam with this Instant Pot Blueberry Jam recipe! Made from frozen blueberries and natural sweeteners, this is a must-try topping for yogurt, toast, or oatmeal.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This blueberry jam is easy to make and uses the chia seeds as a nutritious thickener.
Since we have a lot of sugar-sweetened compote recipes on our site (see our Blueberry Compote), we thought we’d use natural sweeteners in this recipe, with chia seeds for thickeners.
We found we didn’t miss the refined sugars and we loved the added nutrition from the chia seeds.
Just like our other fruit toppings, this one is easy to make and comes together in a flash.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED TO MAKE HOMEMADE JAM
You can make this easy jam with just five ingredients
- Frozen blueberries: We love how frozen blueberries cook into compotes in the pressure cooker. As they heat, they release a lot of liquid and become a lovely deep purple color.
- Lemon juice: Since this more of a freezer jam, the lemon juice is less important here. However, we love the flavor it adds, and it does help break down the blueberries.
- Sweetener: You can use agave or pure maple syrup (non pancake syrup) in this recipe. In our testing, my family preferred the version sweetened with agave, but both versions were delicious.
- Chia seeds: These tiny little seeds have a ton of nutrition in them—including fiber, protein, and omega-3s. In our grocery store, they’re located in the baking aisle.
- Vanilla extract: You can skip this if you like, but we like the little more complex flavor it lends the jam.
Notice that pectin isn’t on this list? Jams that are made without pectin are often not quite as thick, but their flavor is fantastic.
How to Make Blueberry Jam in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
This recipe is pretty easy! Just add the lemon juice and blueberries to the pressure cooking pot. (No need to add extra liquid—the lemon juice is enough to get started and the frozen blueberries will release quite a bit of liquid as they warm up.)
Cook at High Pressure with a 3 minute cook time and a 10 minute natural release.
Stir the blueberries in the pot, then add your sweetener (agave or pure maple) and chia seeds.
TIP: I like to pulse my chia seeds in a clean coffee grinder or mini food processor until they become a fine powder. They retain their thickening powers with much fewer seeds stuck in your teeth.
Use the saute function to bring the jam to a boil and keep stirring until the mixture thickens. (The mixture will thicken as it cools, so you don’t want it to be your desired consistency while it’s still warm.)
Adding the vanilla extract after cooking helps ensure the vanilla retains its flavor.
Transfer to storage containers to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate the jam until ready to serve.
The jam will continue to thicken as it cools.
Frequently Asked Questions about Blueberry Jam
Frozen blueberries tend to have more water in them, thanks to the quick freezing process. If you use fresh blueberries, you’ll need to add a little water—I’d start with 1/4 to 1/2 cup.
(Just keep in mind—you want to add as little water as possible to minimize the amount of time you need to reduce the jam to thicken to desired consistency.)
Cornstarch is our go-to thickener in our other Instant Pot compotes. I would use 1 tablespoon cornstarch and make a slurry with 1 tablespoon cold water. The jam will thicken quickly as it reaches the activating temperature.
Store the homemade jam in the fridge for one to two weeks. (I haven’t tested this jam beyond two weeks.) You can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Quick note: If you intend to freeze the jam, do not fill the storage containers all the way full. You need to leave some room (about ½-inch for the jam to expand as it cools.)
To defrost, transfer the jam to the fridge overnight.
MORE Instant Pot Fruit Recipes
We love making fruit sauces in the Instant Pot! Itching to try something new? We recommend one of these favorite recipes:
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Instant Pot Blueberry Jam
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen blueberries
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ¼ cup maple syrup* or agave syrup
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add lemon juice and blueberries to the pressure cooking pot. Lock the lid in place and select High Pressure and 3 minutes cook time.
- When the cook time ends, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then finish with a quick pressure release.
- Add syrup and chia seeds to the cooked blueberries in the pressure cooking pot. Bring to a boil using the sauté function, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- Scrape the pot into a storage container and cool to room temperature. Then transfer to the refrigerator and chill until ready to serve. The jam will thicken as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
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Can I use monk fruit?
I haven’t tried it with monk fruit, but it should work well. I would add a little bit at a time to taste.
What is the purpose of the chia seeds?? I don’t have any and I’d rather not have to buy them. Can they just be left out successfully?? Thanks.
That’s exactly how I feel, and would like to see an answer to your question.
I too am wondering about the chia seeds. Does the finished product suffer without chia seeds?
Chia seeds add nutritional benefits to the jam. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids and fiber. They also contain protein. If you don’t want to use chia seeds, you’d thicken the jam as described above in the FAQ section.
Crazy idea – what about pot in pot or make it in jars?
I don’t think that will work as you have to use sauté when you add chia seeds and vanilla to thicken it up.
Have you/can you substituted strawberries or other fruits for the blueberries?
Hi Stevo – we’ve used most every kind of berry.
A reader recently made it with cherries. She said it was hard to stir in chia seeds in with the cherries, but in the end, it worked out well.
How many jars does the recipe make, and what is a serving size? No way can I eat several 8-oz jars of jam in two weeks!
Hi Sally – it makes about 2 cups of jam, so 2 8-ounce jars. I would recommend freezing it if you can’t eat that much in two weeks. Enjoy!
Can’t find any maple syrup that’s not for pancakes. I’d rather use it than agave.
Most grocery stores sell real maple syrup. The Costco real maple syrup is well-priced. But if you prefer to use agave, that’s a great option too.
I think what they mean is real maple syrup, NOT maple-FLAVORED pancake syrups, like Log Cabin. Real maple syrups are next to the other pancake syrups in grocery stores.