Instant Pot Blueberry Jam

Instant Pot Blueberry Jam is my new favorite homemade jam recipe. Using fresh blueberries, it is so easy to make jam in an Instant Pot, and this jam is tangy, sweet, and oh-so-delicious.

Blueberry season is one of my favorite times of the year. We LOVE jam at our house, and every year I make peach, strawberry, blueberry, and sometimes even muscadine jam. We love to make our own jams, and I like to sweeten my jams with local honey – it still comes out sweet, but it isn’t too sweet.

Homemade Blueberry Jam is one of my favorites because it is always a little tart. (Homemade Strawberry Jam is a close second, though.) I’m a glutton for punishment, and I like to add lemon juice and lemon zest as well – I think they balance out the sugar and make such a delicious jam. It is so delicious spread on a piece of fresh sourdough bread or on your morning toast.

Because this jam is made with fresh berries and is not strained, it does have the texture of preserves and is a bit chunky – but that’s part of what makes it so delicious. This recipe is also actually Paleo and refined sugar-free, with less sugar than traditional jams unintentionally, but you can use granulated sugar instead of honey if desired.

This simple recipe is the perfect way to preserve some of those delicious summer berries – even if they have to be turned into a delicious jam and tucked away in the freezer!

🥘 Ingredients Needed

• Fresh Blueberries – If you can get them, try to get berries from a local farm or farmers market. If you can’t find freshly picked berries, you can use frozen – just defrost them first but don’t drain the juice, and don’t add extra water.
• Raw Honey – I like to try to find local wildflower honey – eating local honey helps with allergies, and my husband and I seem to disagree with the pollen around our house! If I can’t find any, I like Nature Nate’s or Amazon’s Wildflower Honey. (You can use granulated sugar or even maple syrup if desired, though the maple syrup will definitely alter the flavor!)
• Fresh Lemon Juice
• Lemon Zest
• Arrowroot Powder or Cornstarch
• Water
• Optional, Chia Seeds

🍽 Equipment Needed

• An Instant Pot
• A Zester
• Measuring Spoons
• Measuring Cups
• A Rubber Spatula or Spoon

🥣 How to Make It

Unlike traditional jam recipes, you don’t have to babysit your jam as much when following an Instant Pot recipe – so it is really the easiest way to make jam. (You don’t have to stand there and stir, and stir and stir to make sure that the blueberries don’t burn and stick to the bottom of the pot – it’s the easiest thing!)

First, wash your blueberries, then drain off any excess water and add them to a clean Instant Pot. (Pictures 1 – 2 ) Then add about ¼ cup of lemon juice (about the juice of one lemon), the zest of one lemon, and honey. (Picture 3)

Mix this all together and cover your Instant Pot, but do not turn it on. Let this mixture sit for 30 minutes. (Picture 4)

This will allow the blueberries to release some of their juices. (Picture 5)

When 30 minutes have elapsed, give the mixture a stir, then close and seal your Instant Pot.

Set the Instant Pot for 2 minutes on Manual Mode/High Pressure. It will take 5 – 10 minutes to come to pressure, then it will cook for 2 minutes. (Picture 6) I like to cook my blueberries longer than I would cook the berries for a strawberry jam in order to break through the outer skin and to soften them up, so you don’t get chunks of chewy skin.

When two minutes are up, let the Instant Pot sit and do a natural pressure release for 15 minutes. (If you have a “Keep Warm” setting, you can just leave that on and use it as a timer!)

While 15 minutes is counting down, mix your arrowroot (or cornstarch) and water together to form a slurry.

After 15 minutes, quick release any remaining pressure manually, then open your Instant Pot and set it to the “Sauté” function. (Picture 7 – 8) (Your jam will look really watery – this is okay!)

When the mixture starts to bubble, mix in your arrowroot or cornstarch slurry. Let this all bubble together for a few minutes, then turn off your Instant Pot. Blueberry jam thickens up pretty quickly, so do not cook it for very long – it will make a thicker jam than you think once it cools. (Pictures 9 – 10)

Blueberries don’t really need to be mashed as you would other fruit – they will be pretty soft after cooking and will mash up just from being stirred. (If you really want, you can puree them with an immersion blender to make a smoother jam, but you’ll mostly just end up with blueberry skins all over your immersion blender.)

Let the jam cool, then serve or transfer to jars – it will be pretty sticky, and as the jam cools, it will thicken. 

The great thing about this recipe is since it isn’t being canned, the amount of sugar or the amount of honey can be adjusted based on your preferences. Because it is made with delicious, fresh fruit, it will be a tasty jam no matter how much sugar you use.

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

🍳 How to Use Instant Pot Blueberry Jam

We love to use blueberry jam on drop biscuits, sour cream biscuits, or on English muffins. We also love it mixed into homemade yogurt for breakfast or spread on a buttermilk muffin. It is also DELICIOUS as the filling of a pop tart or heated up and drizzled on top of pancakes!

🥫 How to Store Blueberry Jam

This jam should be stored in an airtight container and will last in the refrigerator for a little over a week. I like to make the whole batch, then freeze about ⅔ of it, leaving only one jar out at a time. There are only two of us in our house so we can’t eat it that fast!

I like to freeze my jam in a small ziplock bag that is flattened (remove it from the bag while it is still frozen and defrost it in a bowl or jar) or in a mason jar with some room at the top for the jam to expand. Mix it well after defrosting – the jam can separate in the freezer!

This recipe has not been tested, so it is not safe for canning.

✏️ Helpful Tips

• Use this jam as filling in homemade pop tarts or on homemade biscuits – it is super yummy and not too sweet.
• Make double or triple the jam recipe so that you can store some in the freezer for when blueberries are out of season!
• If you don’t have arrowroot powder, you can use cornstarch.
• If you don’t like honey, you can substitute ⅓ to ⅔ cup of sugar to make this jam the more traditional way – though the taste will be a bit different.

🥞 Other Tasty Breakfast Recipes

One of my other favorite Instant Pot Recipes to make for breakfast is an Instant Pot Strawberry Jam recipe – though I love to use it to make Hard-Boiled Eggs as well!

• Paleo Pancakes
• Paleo Sweet Potato Pancakes and Waffles
• Baking Soda Drop Biscuits
• Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt