13 Minute Freeze Dried Freezer and Printable Labels

I’ve been interested in making homemade jam for a long time, but I’ve been turned off by the time, work, and know-how that goes into canning.  

Honestly, canning just overwhelms me! 

All the heat that is involved in canning and the expense of fresh fruit is a little terrifying to be honest. With a family of six it can get expensive. And when I do buy fresh fruit it is because I want the nutrients – but heating it will remove most of the goodness. 

But, I found a solution to my dilemma!

No cook freeze dried jam

My friend Debbie gave me a recipe for freezer jam that only takes 13 minutes to make and requires no heat. I did not believe it could actually work – and actually taste good. But it did – and it does!

The secret is to use freeze dried fruit, like what Thrive sells. 

You may not realize it, but freeze dried fruit is extremely nutrient dense. What is even better is that you don’t have to cook it. That is how you can make this jam in just 13 minutes, and still enjoy all the nutrients that fresh fruit brings.

Even better, this jam can be made all year long! 

No need to wait until all the fruit is in season!

You can purchase a variety of freeze dried fruits here.  

My favorites for the jam are raspberries, strawberries, apricots, peaches, mangoes and blackberries. 

I have yet to try blueberry, grape, pear or pineapple though I’m sure they would work well too. Keep in mind that Thrive is always changing out options, so if you love a specific product – stock up! 

Try all the flavors you want for the jam. The only flavors I am not sure would work are the apples or cherries as they are a bit more difficult to crush when dry.

How to make freeze dried jam

Ingredients

• 2 cups water (only 1 3/4 cups if using strawberries)
• 4 cups crushed freeze dried fruit
• 4 cups sugar
• 3 ounces liquid pectin
• 2 tablrspoons lemon juice

You will also need a for Ball jars as well to store your jam.

The recipe should yield about 3 jars and only take 10-15 minutes to make.

Instructions

1. Add the water and the sugar to the fruit together and mix
2. Let sit for 10 minutes 
3. Mix lemon juice and pectin together
4. Add to fruit mixture and stir until all sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes
5. Pour into jars and let set for 24-48 hours

For most fruits 24-48 hours is enough, but I did find the apricot, peach and mango took a bit longer for me until it sets. So how long you let it sit will depend on what fruit or mixture you use! 

Most jams will stay good in the refrigerate for up to three weeks or in the freeze for up to a year.

And use this as you base! Play around with the flavors! I happen to like a blueberry and strawberry mix – and my kids love when I throw in some pineapple.

Recipe Notes

Although you might feel the urge to decrease the sugar, don’t!

Without the proper amount of sugar you will not get the proper gel consistency. The sugar also acts as a preservative to help prevent bacteria growth.

If you need something with less sugar, you can look into special pectins that may help your sugar requirements. I have not tested that so cannot offer any personal experience on that. I like sugar!

Printable labels you can download

In addition to the recipe, I also made some printable labels for your jam jars. 

There are two different types of labels:

(1) Circular labels you can glue to the top or tie around the lid
(2) Rectangular labels you can wrap around the jar

I actually created a bunch of jars that I gave to my children’s teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week. It was a pretty big hit!

To download the labels, just click on the image and print the attached PDF.