This Easy Vanilla Blueberry Jam is a quick, low-sugar, and low histamine way to enjoy fresh blueberries any time of year. Made without pectin, it naturally thickens on the stovetop while preserving the fruit’s bright flavor. Perfect on pancakes, toast, or even stirred into dairy-free yogurt, this versatile jam is simple, delicious, and freezer-friendly for year-round enjoyment.
For other low sugar jam recipes, also try my rose blackberry jam and sweet cherry jam.
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✔️ Why This Recipe is Great
Sweet Low Histamine Sauce: with fresh blueberries as the base, this is a great vegan-friendly dessert sauce for topping ice cream, chia pudding, overnight oats, or even a fruit salad. Much like the other low histamine sauces on the site, this vanilla blueberry jam is versatile enough to be used as a dip, sauce, or drizzle for your favorite bread and fruit slices.
Much Cheaper Than Store-Bought: It's hard to find reasonably-priced jam sauces, so making your own at home is a cost-effective way to enhance your home-cooking.
You can easily double or halve this recipe, so if you need more or less of this to make something else, just follow the steps with your fruit of choice.
🫐 Ingredients
Blueberries: whether you use fresh or frozen berries, these are the star of the show. They're also a strongly antihistamine fruit, as a rich source of mast cell-stabilizing antioxidants.
Vanilla Powder: this dried, powdered form of the vanilla bean is twice as powerful as the traditional vanilla extract, but be careful that you buy real vanilla, without added sweeteners or fillers.
Sumac: this red-hued spice is actually a ground-up dried berry with strongly antihistamine and acidic properties. It adds tang and a bit of sourness to this jam.
Date Syrup or Honey: these natural sweeteners provide gentle sweetness and depth of flavor; date syrup offers a rich, caramel-like taste, while honey adds floral notes—use in moderation and choose high-quality, additive-free options.
Monk Fruit: when you’re trying to eat low-sugar, monk fruit extract will be one of your best friends. It packs a sweetness level approximately 200x that of table sugar, so it should be used sparingly.
See recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.
🥄 How to Make Blueberry Jam (Step-by-Step)
Step 1) Thoroughly wash your blueberries, and then place them in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and turn the heat on medium-low (image 1).
Step 2) While the pan heats up, add the date syrup to the blueberries (image 2) and then measure out the monk fruit, sumac, vanilla, and salt into a separate bowl.
Step 3) After a few minutes, your blueberries and syrup should start to get mushy and bubble up (image 3), and you should start stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon, lightly smashing some of the berries as they further soften.
Step 4) Lower the heat to low and give this mixture about 5 more minutes of simmering (if it's still boiling, lower the heat even more), continuing to crush the berries and blend them with the date syrup (image 4).
Step 5) After those 5 minutes, take your potato masher (or a large whisk) and mash all the berries. Add your monk fruit, sumac, vanilla, and salt mixture and blend thoroughly. If you want a very smooth mixture, use an immersion blender to even out the texture (image 5).
Step 6) Cook this mixture for 1 more minute, then turn off the heat and continue to stir the mixture for another minute or two before moving it onto a cool surface. If you cook it much longer you'll start to cook out the flavor of the spices.
Step 7) Allow your jam to cool for a few more minutes and then place it in a glass jar to use immediately and safely freeze the rest.
🍧 Variations
- Lower-Sugar Jam: Reduce or omit the date syrup or honey and rely on monk fruit or stevia for a lighter, low-sugar version.
- Honey-Free / Vegan Option: Use date syrup only to keep the jam fully vegan and low histamine.
- Extra-Tangy Jam: Increase the sumac powder slightly for a brighter, tart flavor without adding citrus.
- Mild Vanilla Jam: Reduce or omit the vanilla powder for a simpler fruit-forward taste.
- Chunky Blueberry Jam: Lightly mash the blueberries instead of fully cooking down for a spoonable, chunky texture.
- Thicker Jam Texture: Cook a little longer or reduce the added liquid for a thicker consistency without pectin.
- Smooth Spread: Blend the cooked jam with an immersion blender for a smooth, silky texture perfect for spreading.)
🧊 Freezing or Storage
This jam is great in the freezer! It's best fresh, of course, but it loses very little by spending up to 3 months in the freezer, and I recommend saving it in an ice cube tray if possible, to make single servings easier to defrost. Alternately, if not eating low histamine it will stay good int he fridge for up to a week.
👨🏻🍳 Expert Notes & Tips
Date Syrup: you can sub honey or maple syrup, but it needs a bit of traditional sweetener alongside the monk fruit. If your stomach can't yet handle sugar, you can omit it, but the texture may be overly-thick and it won't be as sweet.
Sumac: If you can't tolerate sumac you can sub the same amount of amchur or 1 teaspoon lemon juice, if tolerated. Also, note that some sumac contains salt already, so if yours does, simply omit the pinch of salt.
Vanilla: you can sub ½ teaspoon traditional vanilla extract if tolerated, but the alcohol base can irritates some people.
❓ What to Serve With Vanilla Blueberry Jam
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, simply use date syrup instead of honey to make it fully vegan.
The jam naturally thickens as the blueberries cook down, creating a spreadable texture without added pectin.
Yes, you can omit the date syrup or honey and rely on monk fruit or stevia for sweetness.
Sumac adds a subtle tartness and depth of flavor, enhancing the natural sweetness of blueberries without using citrus.
Yes, this recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and low histamine-friendly.
Have you tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Blueberry Vanilla Jam (No Pectin)
Equipment
- immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 Cup organic blueberries washed
- 2 Tablespoons date syrup or honey
- ¼ teaspoon monk fruit extract or stevia powder
- ½ teaspoon sumac powder
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder
- Pinch of salt omit if sumac contains salt
Instructions
- Thoroughly wash your blueberries, and then place them in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and turn the heat on medium-low.
- While the pan heats up, add the date syrup to the blueberries and then measure out the monk fruit, sumac, vanilla, and salt into a separate bowl.
- After a few minutes, your blueberries and syrup should start to get mushy and bubble up, and you should start stirring the mixture with a wooden spoon, lightly smashing some of the berries as they further soften.
- Lower the heat to low and give this mixture about 5 more minutes of simmering (if it's still boiling, lower the heat even more), continuing to crush the berries and blend them with the date syrup.
- After those 5 minutes, take your potato masher (or a large whisk) and mash all the berries. Add your monk fruit, sumac, vanilla, and salt mixture and blend thoroughly. If you want a very smooth mixture, use an immersion blender to even out the texture.
- Cook this mixture for 1 more minute, then turn off the heat and continue to stir the mixture for another minute or two before moving it onto a cool surface. If you cook it much longer you'll start to cook out the flavor of the spices.
- Allow your jam to cool for a few more minutes and then place it in a glass jar to use immediately and safely freeze the rest.
Notes
Nutrition
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