How to Make Mulberry Jelly: Step-by-Step
Have you ever tried mulberry jelly? My kids love it!
Never heard of mulberries? Surprisingly, I never had either until I met my husband, and his parents had a massive mulberry tree. I decided that I would learn how to use those mulberries. That meant learning how to make mulberry jelly!
The mulberry bush hangs over the top of the kids’ swing set on the property. It used to be my husband’s swingset growing up.
One thing about mulberries is that they have the staining power of like 100 strawberries. My kids naturally run barefoot on the property. There is something so darn cute about mulberry stained feet. Just be aware and try to avoid getting the stains on clothes that matter.
What are Mulberries?
Mulberries are a fruit that grow on a deciduous tree in temperate areas of the world. People love them for their unique flavor and composition of nutrients.
They have a sweet and tart flavor that make them ideal for jams, jellies, tarts, pies, wines, and more. Andrew, my husband, is making mulberry wine this year, and I can’t wait to share the results of that with you!
The Health Benefits of Mulberries
Just like other berries, mulberries have tons of nutrients that support our bodies, such as vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and calcium.
A few of the health benefits of mulberries include:
- Aids in digestion because it contains 10% of the recommended dietary fiber.
- The high levels of iron content can boost the production of red blood cells, helping to distribute oxygen to tissues and organs.
- Helps to improve vision because of the carotenoids found in mulberries.
- Mulberry leaves have anti-inflammatory properties. You can use mulberry leaf tea to reduce inflammation pain.
- The fruits contain more vitamin C than oranges with 190% of the daily recommended value per serving.
If you’re interested in learning more about the health benefits of mulberries, check out this list from Organic Facts. It’ll make you want to eat mulberries even more.
Making Mulberry Jelly
Making mulberry jelly requires a few steps and some canning supplies. After you pick and wash the berries, you need to juice them with a juicer
. You can make mulberry jam, but the stems should be removed, and that’s just too much work for me. I like to push them through the juicer. I ended up with a full gallon of mulberry juice from one day of picking.
Mulberry jelly needs to be placed into a water bath canner, and you’ll need to add some lemon juice to be sure the acidity level is correct.
Otherwise, I use basically the same recipe for most of my jellies and jams. This recipe uses low-sugar pectin. I don’t like to put too much sugar in my jellies and jams; I like the flavor of the fruit to shine through more than the sugar.
The Best Mulberry Jelly Recipe
Mulberry Jelly
A delicious, foraged jelly from mulberries, perfect for snacks and sandwiches
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Mulberry Juice
- 3.5 Cups Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
- 1 Box Low-Sugar Pectin
Instructions
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After picking the berries, wash them well to remove any bugs and twigs that might be stick in the bucket.
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Juice the mulberries. It removes the stems and seeds. I recommend re-juicing the pulp at least once to remove even more of the liquid. You'll be surprised what comes out if you run the pulp through the juicer a few times.
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Put the juice in a heavy-bottom pot. Bring the juice to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes to cook off some of the excess water.
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In a bowl, mix part of the pectin and one cup of sugar. Whisk it together then pour into the boiling juice. Mix well to remove lumps.
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Add the remaining 2.5 cups of sugar and 1/4 cup of lemon juice.
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Bring to a rolling boil. Stir for the entire minute to prevent the jelly from burning. Remove from heat.
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Ladle hot jelly into jelly canning jars. Measure 1/2" headspace and wipe off the edges of the jar with a clean rag. Put on the lid and rims and tighten.
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Process the jars at 10 minutes. Remove from the canner and let sit on the counter top, on a dry towel, for 12 hours.
Check Out These Other Jelly & Jam Recipes
Have you ever tried making mulberry jelly? Let me know in the comments!
Yum, this is a good recipe! I actually got 7 half-pints and it was very thick even before the final boil. I might try taking the sugar down more, as it’s very sweet. Thanks for sharing it, and I love the photo of juice-stained feet!
I have been making mulberry jelly. I failed to cook the juice long enough and ended up with fantastic syrup for pancakes!!!
Have you done any elderberry harvesting and jelly making? Incredible flavor and health benefits.
Hello! Im about to make some jelly. How much pectin do I need to use? I didn’t understand that part.
I often buy my pectin in boxes at the store, so it’s an entire box.
HELP! How do I “juice” the mulberries? I’ve been reading about juicers for hours and I’m still confused. Steaming in one of those 3 container pots on the stove? A juicer? A juicer one would use for oranges, etc.?? Or is it better to use cheesecloth? When I laid out tarps to collect (shake tree) berries a lot of debri came with it and it is a nightmare. I’ve gotten out the leaves and twigs but it looks like there is a lot of little stuff from the tree. It looks like a nightmare. Please advise. After 2 hours I’m still picking crap out of the berries and ready to throw the mess to the chickens. Please advise. thank you.
I should have added I do not want to make jam given the amount of tree debri like dried pieces of berries stuff so it is impossible to get it all out unless I just pick the berries and not shake the tree. So I’m looking to do jelly, but how to juice.
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/extract_juice.html
Take a look at this example!
Hi Donna! I just came in from picking mulberries and with stained hands I will tell you that several years ago,I bit the bullet and purchased one of the 3 part steamers. As someone who cans, freezes and dries everything I can, it is one of my top five favorite helps. It gently steams out the juice from just about every fruit. I have grape vines and each year I just pick the grapes, rinse them and put them in the top, stems and all. I don’t even take them off the cluster. The juice comes out hot and it is put right into the canning jar from the incorporated tube. I love it. Makes this kind of work soooo easy!
I use an actual electric juicer. You can find them at most stores. Look for something like this: https://amzn.to/2Skn7dD
If you don’t have access to something like this, you’ll need to cook the berries down in a large pot and then strain overnight in a cheesecloth. Shaking the trees and picking out the debris is the worse, but after you strain or juice the mulberries, make sure you give whatever is leftover to the chickens. They love it.
Hi, I invested in a Victorio Food Strainer. Manual crank and it does a great job. Not expensive at all. If not that, do what my Granny did with grapes – cook them till they pop then put in cheesecloth and let drip overnight into a heavy bottom pan. There is a technique to it but I’m sure YouTube or something similar would have a demonstration – not hard, just time consuming. Well worth it in the end though. Good Luck!
These are great solutions for someone who doesn’t have a juicer! Thank you for sharing!
I rinse mine and try to remove all leaves and debrie for I have a pecan tree near by also, do you soak yours in vinegar water beforehand, I have and then use my lettuce spinner with paper towels and get at much extra water as I can from the berries, I am using an old napkin and a strainer and a big bowl, do you see that the juicer is beneficial??
The juicer eliminates the whole.. needing to boil the berries down. I think it just makes the process faster but the end result should be the same regardless.
I have been making mulberry jelly for about 9 years, ever since we moved into the country with a HUGE mulberry tree in the front yard. I have used the Pomona low sugar pectin and most recently the Ball low/no sugar pectin. It comes with instructions on how to use it and how much to use. I use the same recipe as is listed here, but I only use about 1 cup of sugar for 4 cups of juice. It comes out great, for those who want to really have a low sugar recipe. I also use the old fashioned (tedious) method of washing my berries and boiling and mashing them for about 5-10 minutes to release the juice. I then strain them in a colander lined with cheesecloth for about 2 hours or so. I pour off this pure juice and then pour about 1/4 to 1/2 cup boiling water over the leftover pulp and let that drain for another couple of hours. At this point I put this over a fine strainer and squeeze the cheesecloth, being careful not to release any pulp, to get as much juice as possible. This usually gives me about another 1/2 cup or so of juice.
Do you have a recipe for Mulberry Jam?
I typically don’t make mulberry jam, but when I have, I use the same recipe that I use for my strawberry jam and swap the berries. I would use 4 cups of mulberries, 4 cups of sugar, and a box of low-sugar pectin.
I am from a state in Nigeria that has fantastic climate so we have a lot of fruits and vegetables..
Unfortunately I live and work in the capital Abuja so I likr learn alot about preserving and getting the most out of the fruits and veggies I bring back..
Just made mulberry & mango jelly…its fantastic!
-Mulberries
– thick mango juice
– ginger juice
– a little honey
Boil all on low heat until thickened.
Bottle and enjoy!!!
I followed the recipe but it didn’t jell. What did I do wrong? Don’t get me wrong, it made really good syrup.
It’s possible that you didn’t use enough pectin. Did you let it boil for one minute after adding all of the sugar and pectin? You can reprocess it, so it’s not a total loss!