How to Rebatch Jelly That Didn’t Set Properly

“HELP! It’s been more than 24 hours since I made my jelly and it didn’t set!” This happened to me a few times when I tried to use a couple of low-sugar pectin recipes for my grape jelly. All I wanted was to enjoy homemade grape jelly with a little less sugar, is that too much to ask? Apparently so. Well, my mishaps are for your benefit because I figured out how to rebatch jelly that didn’t set and I’m happy to share it with you.

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Why Your Jelly Didn’t Set Properly

Making jelly or jam with the right consistency involves a little bit of science. The key factors are pectin + sugar + acidity in the fruit + time/temp when cooking. You can make jams and jellies without using added pectin because pectin is naturally in fruit. The trouble is, there’s a different amount in each type of fruit and it requires longer cooking times and more monitoring. I have made a few things without pectin but I prefer to go the easier route and add it for most recipes. The sugar and the pectin work together with the acid in the fruit to form a gel-like consistency when it is heated. Most recipes only take a few minutes of boiling and it’s done!

So, if it’s so easy, why didn’t your jelly set? You either didn’t use enough pectin, or enough sugar or didn’t let the mixture boil for long enough. If you don’t let your mixture boil long enough the heat doesn’t have a chance to dissolve the sugar and activate the pectin. When you add pectin, it doesn’t take long for this chemical reaction to occur so that probably wasn’t the problem if you used pectin in your recipe. In my case, I was trying to use a low-sugar recipe with low-sugar pectin and probably didn’t add enough sugar to help activate the pectin. Unfortunately, when you rebatch, you add more sugar and pectin so my lower sugar dream for my grape jelly did not come true 🤣. However, I am not complaining because I would still rather have homemade jelly over store-bought any day.

Too Much Sugar/Not Enough Sugar

If you add too much sugar to your jelly it will become too thick or could crystalize because the sugar can’t all dissolve. No one wants to have gritty jelly on their morning toast. If you don’t add enough sugar to your jelly it won’t set and will be runny (this is what happened to mine). Sugar also acts as a preservative for canned goods so not adding enough sugar can result in your jelly developing mold even if it is sealed properly.

Too Much Pectin/Not Enough Pectin

Similar to the sugar, if you add too much pectin to a jelly recipe it will affect the texture, possibly making is bubble, uneven, or really thick. If you don’t add enough pectin it will be runny because it can’t properly gel. Insufficient amounts of pectin can also make for a shorter shelf life.

Time to Rebatch Jelly

First of all, rebatching simply means that you need to redo the jelly. It involves dumping your sealed jellies into a pot and adding more sugar and pectin, then reheating it.

What You’ll Need:

• runny jelly
• sugar: I use organic raw sugar
• regular pectin (not low sugar for rebatching): I usually get pectin from Walmart, Farm and Fleet, or Menards because it is generally cheaper than on Amazon
• lemon juice
• half-pint jars: I don’t usually buy these from Amazon because they are a lot more expensive so look for them at Walmart, Farm and Fleet, Menards, etc.
• lids and rings for jars: It is recommended that you use new lids every time you can something new to make sure you get a proper seal.
• canning tools: These tools make canning so much easier
• water bath canner: Mine is similar to this one! There are also bundles where you can get your canner and the tools together and save a little bit.

Directions:

Don’t use more than 4-6 cups at a time when you need to rebatch jelly. You want to make sure the batches are small enough that everything works properly and gets to the right consistency. Measure the jelly that needs to be rebatched. This recipe is for 4 cups at a time but you can adjust to make it 5 or 6 if you have more than 4 half pints of jelly that need to be rebatched. If you have more than that, I would suggest just doing multiple batches.

Wash and sanitize your jars by boiling them, putting them in the oven, or running a sanitizing cycle on your dishwasher. Since these jellies are only going to be in the canner boiling for 5 minutes, they need to be sanitized. According to the University of Georgia’s National Center for Food Preservation if something is being water bath canned for 10 minutes or longer, the jars don’t need to be sanitized.

Let’s get JAMMIN’ (or jellying…not quite the same ring 😂)

Heat jelly in a pot over medium heat until it starts to boil. Mix sugar and pectin together in a bowl to help the pectin not clump when you add to the jelly. Add sugar/pectin mixture and stir. Add water and lemon juice and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.

Stir constantly. Boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Skim any foam that formed on the top if you want to. I don’t actually skim the foam because it doesn’t bother me but it bothers some people so if you want to skim it, go for it!

Fill sanitized jars to 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims and put the lids on. Rings should be finger-tip tight. Put water in your water bath canner and put it over medium heat to start heating the water. Add your jelly jars and bring the water to a boil. Process in the water bath canner for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove from canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Check for proper seal and store in a cool, dry place with the rings off.

Frequently Asked Questions about How to Rebatch Jelly

Why didn’t my jelly set?

As I mentioned above, jelly sometimes doesn’t set due to too much or not enough sugar or pectin. The time and temperature it is being cooked at also plays a huge part in the thickness.

How do I know if my rebatch jelly has set?

There are several ways to tell if jelly has set. The spoon test is where you let some jelly fall off of a spoon. If it comes off in individual drops it is not ready, when it comes off as a sheet, it is set. When the temperature of your jelly reaches 220ºF it should be set. The plate test can also be helpful in knowing if you jelly has set. Put a small plate in the freezer when you start making your jelly. When you’re ready to test it put a small amount of jelly on the plate and wait a few seconds. Press it with your finger and if it wrinkles it is ready to come off the heat. If your finger slides right through it, keep cooking.

Can I use the microwave to reheat the jelly?

It isn’t recommended to use the microwave because you don’t have as much control. Using the stove allows you to keep a close eye on your jelly to make sure it is boiling for the proper amount of time.

How long will rebatch jelly last?

Rebatched jelly should last as long as any other properly canned jelly; about 1 year stored in a cool, dark place. Once it has been opened it should be eaten within a couple of weeks.

What’s the best way to store jelly?

It is best to store home canned goods in a cool dark place. Do not stack jars on top of each other and always store with the rings off. More on that HERE.

Thanks for checking out this post! I hope you were able to rebatch jelly that might have failed you the first time. Let me know in the comments what kind of jelly you needed these instructions for.

Rebatched Jelly (because it didn’t set)

Learn how to rebatch jelly that didn’t set properly. This recipe will make it easy for both beginners and experienced canners to salvage their jelly!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Processing Time 10 minutes mins

Ingredients

  

• 4 cups runny jelly
• 1/4 cup sugar organic, raw
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice
• 4 tsp pectin not low-sugar pectin

Instructions

 

• Measure jelly that needs to be rebatched. Wash and sanitize jars. Put jelly in a pot and bring to a boil.
• In a bowl, mix sugar and pectin together to help the pectin not clump when you add to the jelly. Once the jelly boils stir in the pectin/sugar mixture. Add water and lemon juice and bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
• Stir constantly. Boil for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Skim any foam that formed on the top (optional).
• Fill sanitized jars to 1/4 inch head space. Wipe the rims and put lids on. Rings should be finger-tip tight.
• Process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes. Remove from canner and allow to cool for 12-24 hours. Check for proper seal and store in a cool, dry place with the rings off.