Preserving Raspberries: Jam, Syrup & Juice
Preserving Raspberries – Summer in a Jar
Raspberries are delicate: they start to get crushed almost as soon as you pick them. The solution: process them right away or freeze them. With the right method, the flavor stays fully intact.
Raspberry Jam
Ingredients (makes about 6 jars of 200 ml):
- 1 kg raspberries (fresh or thawed)
- 500 g 2:1 jam sugar (jam-setting sugar)
- Juice of half a lemon
Steps:
- Lightly crush the raspberries in a pot.
- Stir in the jam sugar and lemon juice, let sit for 30 min.
- Bring to a boil while stirring, boil at a rolling boil for 4 minutes.
- Setting test: drop a bit onto a cold plate – if it wrinkles/sets, it's ready.
- Fill into clean jars (dishwasher or at least 5 minutes in boiling water, BZfE) and seal immediately – according to the BZfE, do not turn them upside down.
Shelf life: about 1 year stored dark at 15–20 °C according to the BZfE. If there is mould in the jar, throw it all away (BfR). Keep opened jars in the fridge.
Variations:
- With vanilla (scrape a pod and cook it in)
- With rose petals for a floral note
- With 50 g raspberry liqueur, for the adults
Raspberry Syrup
Great for spritzers, cocktails, and desserts.
- 500 g raspberries + 250 ml water → cook until soft, press through a fine cloth
- Measure the juice, add an equal amount of sugar
- Bring to a boil until the sugar dissolves, fill hot into bottles
- Storage: in the fridge and use up quickly – or freeze it
Raspberry Juice (Pasteurized)
- Juice the raspberries using a juicer or steam juicer
- Heat the juice until it starts to boil, fill straight into clean bottles or jars, seal and process in a boiling water bath – for apple juice the NCHFP gives 5 minutes for pint and quart jars (up to 1,000 ft)
- Store cool and dark and check regularly; throw away if mouldy (BfR)
Freezing – the Simplest Method
- Don't wash the raspberries (they turn mushy) – just pick them over
- Pre-freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to bags
- Shelf life: 12 months
- Great for smoothies, yogurt, sauces, and baking
Sources
- German Federal Centre for Nutrition (BZfE): Obst einkochen (Einfache Sprache), accessed 5 Oct 2026
- National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP), University of Georgia: Apple Juice, accessed 5 Oct 2026
- German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR): Schimmelpilze in Lebensmitteln, as of 11 Mar 2026, accessed 5 Oct 2026
The sources support individual statements in this article. The organisations named have neither reviewed nor endorsed it.