I have been successfully canning jams without the water bath method. Here’s my process, my background, and some science behind it.
Yes, you read that right! In over 30 years, I have never water bath canned my jams – and I probably never will.
I understand that that statement could make some of you very uncomfortable. You might be thinking, but what about botulism?
In this article, I will share with you my process, my background, some science, and some resources. Then you can educate yourself and decide what you are most comfortable with.
Disclaimer: Both the FDA and USDA recommend how water processing for jams. Please do your own research and make decisions accordingly.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure here.
So why can without water bath?
That is a very good question!
First of all, it’s just a habit. I had been watching both my grandmother and my mom making jams. They used the no water bath can method all along. So in a way that is what I have witnessed and what I grew up with.
Then, canning without the water bath method saves time. You see, often I make a few jars of jam in between some other activities.
And lastly, I am certain that you will lose vitamins when you’re adding another 10-15 minutes of high-heat water processing.
My jam canning process
This is the method that I always use:
- Sterilize the jars
- Clean, select, boil the fruit with sugar and lemon juice or citric acid
- Fill the hot jam into the hot jars
- Put the lid and the band on tight
- Put the jars on their head for about 5 minutes
- After 5 minutes put the jars upright again
First, I sterilize the mason jars in either a pot of boiling water for 10-15 minutes or do that in an oven set to 200˚-250˚ F for about the same time.
In the meantime, I boil my cleaned, picked, and potentially cut fruit for 3-5 minutes with the appropriate amount of sugar and some lemon juice or citric acid. Depending on the time I have and the fruit I am using, I might add some pectin.
Then, I fill the hot jam into the hot jars, leaving about ¼ inch of space at the top of the jar. I tightly put on the lids and the bands.
Next, I put the jars on their head for 5 minutes. After that time, I set them upright again and let them cool down. Before I store them, I make sure all of the jars have good seals. Often, I can hear when that happens. But also, when you press on the lid with your finger, there should not be any give.
My background
If you’ve been following me, you might know that I grew up in Germany. Everybody cans their jams this way there and I haven’t seen anyone use the water bath method.
For example, I have a friend who likes to buy just a couple of pounds of fruit at the farmer’s market when it’s in season and on sale. While making dinner, she might make the jam, and fill a few jars at a time. She does that several times a season rather than embarking on longer canning sessions.
When I came to the US, I soon realized that everyone was water bath canning their jams, just like the USDA and FDA recommend. But I also thought that this method was somewhat particular to this country. I think most European countries and New Zealand for example use the no water bath canning method.
On a recent trip to Germany, I wanted to find out more. So I went to a local farmer’s market and talked with a commercial jam seller. I asked him if he hot water processes his jams. He looked at me somewhat incredulously, only to tell me that he had never done that in all the decades he had been making jam.
In my research, I went to the website of a popular German baking product website that also has a lot of canning recipes. None of the recipes that I saw included a recommendation for hot water processing. They have an English website but that does not have any canning recipes.
Furthermore, I checked my antique cookbooks, both American and German. While that may not necessarily be authoritative, I thought it might give me some clues. None of them seemed to be particularly concerned with food safety, making me believe that botulism is in fact pretty rare.
What is the concern with jams and the no water bath canning method?
The main concern when you use the no water bath canning method is botulism. Under certain circumstances, it can grown in your jams and preserves. When it does, it can cause severe illness and potentially death.
However, in my research for this topic, I learned that in 2017 for example, the CDC only reported 182 cases of botulism. This is a stark contrast to the 1.35 million yearly cases of salmonella. So botulism is a pretty rare occurrence and disease.
Science behind canning jams and preserves
So what I am doing in order to prevent the growth of any bacteria, mold, or botulism while I am using the no water bath canning method?
Well, as I mentioned above, I sterilize my jars in either hot water or my oven.
I also like to add quite a bit of sugar as that acts as a preservative. With the addition of lemon juice or sugar, I am lowering the pH of the jam, especially in low-acid fruits such as blueberries.
I fill the jars almost to the top and make sure to create a good seal. This is something I check when opening a jar (if the lid comes off too easily, it wasn’t properly sealed).
Lastly, I understand science in that protein needs to be available for botulism to grow. Fruits don’t typically contain any protein at all. Therefore, I would not use the no water bath canning method for canning meat or beans or foods with protein in it.
Now, if in doubt you could check the pH of your jam with either pH strips or a pH meter. Simply put some of the jam in question on a spoon or in a small bowl and test it there according to the directions.
So, I am thinking that the hot water processing recommendation is just another safety measure to basically rule out any chance of botulism.
More resources
Below, I am linking several resources that I find interesting. Again, I encourage you to research and educate yourself and use your best judgement.
A Washington Post article on this topic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/08/26/jam-canning-safety-water-bath/
How Sugar preserves: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-do-salt-and-sugar-pre/
Study on low pH to prevent botulism: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39257/
German strawberry recipe: https://www.oetker.de/rezepte/r/erdbeer-konfituere
German video on jam making: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y01ysaT7Yjo
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I would love to hear all your -kind- comments and questions so that we can all learn from one another!
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Can you use trivia, stevia, or a stevia blend instead of sugar?
You will need the sugar so that the pectin can form a gel. Otherwise, your jams will not set. You can either use less sugar and add stevia to increase the sweetness or use a no-sugar pectin ~ Anja
Hello. I am a southern girl from Mississippi. I too do not use a “water bath”. Never have nor my mother nor her mother. So I never understood the need for the water bath process. We have always canned fruits and vegetables by your process. The only difference is that we would heat the lid with rubber in a pot of boiling water just before placing on jar. Never lost any food and never went bad. Thanks for the article
Thank you so much for sharing your traditional ways ~ Anja
Very interesting reading, thank you! It answers a lot of my questions.
I’m relatively new to jam making, although I watched my Granny do it many times growing up. We never had any issues with illness or spoiling. I’m in Australia, and have always done it the way you do (sterilise jars first (I boil first, then dry in oven), add filling while everything is hot, turn upside down, check lid indented/firm for vacuum). I had always thought this meant air was excluded. Plus the preserving effects of the sugar (or vinegar in the case of savoury) helps. I have been intrigued by the recommendations to use the water bath after filling in some online recipes. My impression is that it seems to be an American thing. I thought it might make the jars explode, putting them under water and boiling again but perhaps not! Thanks again for the insight and information.
Hi Fran, in my personal opinion (please do your own research) both the American FDA and USDA are VERY conservative agencies that recommend practices that are essentially fool-proof. I will publish another post and video soon about this topic and how to know if you actually might have botulism in your jams so stay tuned for that ~ Anja
This was my first year canning anything. I used the water bath method for all my jam, but then heard about this method later on! This is so fascinating and I found your post so insightful. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you and I am so glad you found this helpful! Happy canning ~ Anja
I didn’t know you that you could make canned jam without a water bath. I love this post. Your posts are so thoughtful and detailed. You really do make me feel like I take on any of your recipes with such ease. Thanks for sharing.
I have never heard of canning without a water bath before. What a time and energy saver! I’ll need to try this out the next time I make jam.
I have been canning 50-ish years. My grandmother and mother used the no-water bath method for jams/jellies too. They also used wax to seal jars but that is waaay to messy for me. In reality the government agencies haven’t actually tested “anything” since around the ’50s or ’60s. They just keep repeating themselves, covering their on rears! They say steam canners are not safe. Why? Because they haven’t taken time to test them because the government doesn’t give them money for new research. When making small batch jams/jellies it is a serious time saver to kick the waterbath canner back to the closet and perfectly safe as long as like you said “steralize properly”.
Thank you, Tina 🙂
We used to make jams years ago by sterilizing the jars and utensils, just like you do. Now however I do recommend water bath canning, as a safety precaution for further preservation. You have a good question about the possible reduction in vitamins with the further exposure to heat. It’s all food for thought. Thanks for a great post!
I have an apple tree with sour apples at my new house. I was thinking of canning some apple jam. Do you think this method would be ok for that? Should I add lemon juice? Do you use this method with American ball jars?
I have always wondered why some recipes call for water bath canning jams and some don’t. Thank you for clearing this up using science and some resources to support your method. I will definitely use this as a personal canning resource.
Thank you for commenting and happy canning ~ Anja
What if you don’t want to use sugar?is there another option?
It depends on whether you want some added sweetness or not in your jams. If you’re looking for sugar alternatives, you could use grape juice or apple juice. You can make jams without any added sweeteners but I recommend adding a bit of citric acid.