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Jars of blackberry pie filling next to a bowl of fresh blackberries, ready for canning.
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Blackberry Pie Filling

This recipe offers a simple way to preserve the fresh, vibrant taste of blackberries, perfect for making pies, tarts, or using as a topping for various desserts. Make 4 quarts.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Blackberries, Blackberry Pie Filling, Summer
Servings: 4 quarts
Calories: 4602kcal
Author: Katie

Equipment

  • 8-10 quart stockpot
  • strainer (optional)
  • Water Bath Canner
  • Jar lifter
  • Funnel
  • Ladle
  • chopstick (used to as a debubbler)
  • lids and rings
  • Towel

Ingredients

  • 16 cups or 4 quarts blackberries fresh or previously frozen (see notes)
  • 4 ⅔ cups sugar
  • 1 ¼ cups clear jel
  • 4 ⅓ cups water (or reserved liquid from frozen blackberries)
  • ⅓ cup lemon juice

Instructions

  • Prep berries. If you are starting with frozen blackberries, allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight. The next day place the blackberries in a colander over a bowl and allow the blackberries to drain, reserving the juice of the blackberries.
  • Prep canning supplies. Wash your jars with hot soapy water.Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water and allowing the jars to be fully submerged in water. Place over medium heat, covered and allow to simmer. Place the lids and rings in a pot of water and simmer on low.
  • Combine sugar and clear gel. In a large bowl combine the sugar and clear jel together. Set aside.
    Mixing clear jel and sugar in a bowl for blackberry pie filling.
  • Mix with liquid. In a large pot add the water or reserved berry liquid. (If when thawing your berries you do not get enough liquid, add water until it equals 4 ⅓ cups liquid) Add the sugar and clear jel mixture to the large pot stir to fully combine.
    Cooking blackberry pie filling mixture in a large pot with bubbling liquid.
  • Heat until thickened. Set to medium heat, stirring constantly and allow the mixture to thicken and start to bubble. The mixture will become thick and if you are not stirring constantly it will stick to the bottom of the pot.
    Stages of thickening blackberry pie filling from liquid to thick in a pot.
  • Add lemon juice and boil. Add lemon juice and stir to fully combine. Allow the mixture to come to a boil and cook for 1 minute.
  • Add berries. Remove from the heat and fold in the blackberries.
    Adding blackberries to the thickened pie filling mixture in a pot.
  • Fill jars. Ladle the blackberry pie filling into the prepared jars. You will want to leave 1 ¼” heat space to prevent oozing.Using a chopstick, remove any bubbles. A wooden or plastic chopstick works better than a standard debubbler to prevent breaking up the blackberries.
    Filling jars with blackberry pie filling using a funnel and debubbling with a chopstick.
  • Wipe and add lids and rings. Wipe jars using a moist paper towel (water or white vinegar will work) making sure that the rims are fully clean. Add lids and rings.
    Cleaning jar rims and placing lids on filled jars of blackberry pie filling.
  • Process. Process in your water bath canner for 30 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Once done, turn off the heat, remove the lid of the canner and allow the jars to rest inside the canner for 10 minutes.
    Jars of blackberry pie filling in a water bath canner and a jar being lifted out.
  • Cool and check seals. Remove from the canner and allow them to cool. Let them sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Check the seal, once a seal has been confirmed, remove the ring and store in a cool dark place for up to 18 months.
    Sealed jars of blackberry pie filling cooling on a towel.

Notes

This recipe used previously frozen blackberries. I recommend this so you can use the reserved blackberry juice giving the pie filling a better flavor.
Make sure not to overfill the jars, the pie filling will ooze if overfilled. 
Allowing the jars to rest in the water bath canner for 10 minutes helps prevent the pie filling from oozing.
Nutrition info is for an entire quart, which you obviously will not eat!  

Nutrition

Calories: 4602kcal | Carbohydrates: 1157g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 3835mg | Fiber: 122g | Sugar: 1046g | Vitamin A: 4935IU | Vitamin C: 515mg | Calcium: 713mg | Iron: 15mg