What to make with Blackberries

I’m delighted to present to you ‘What to make with Blackberries‘ a collection of Blackberry recipes. You’ll find Blackberry Desserts;  Jams, Jellies & Preserves; Cakes & Bakes; Drinks & Cocktails and even a savoury recipe all using blackberries. There is bound to be a blackberry recipe you want to make.

Handful of blackberries

When I see blackberries ripen in the hedgerow around our farm, I’m out there picking them right away without a thought of what to make.

It’s only when I get home that I think about what I’m going to do with my haul. This is the ideal resource to find the perfect recipe.

blackberries growing

What are Blackberries?

Blackberries are the fruit of a usually prickly bush which is part of the rose family. Each individual blackberry, when ripe, is made up of 20-50 single seeds known as drupelets that are small, juice-filled, and a deep purplish-black when ripe.

Are Brambles the same as Blackberries?

In Scotland blackberries are known as brambles, the terms can be used interchangeably. Sometimes the long, prickly arching stems are referred to as the brambles and the fruit the blackberries. Whatever you call them, they are absolutely delicious!

Where can I find Blackberries?

Foraged Blackberries

Wild blackberries grow in all kinds of places. You will find them growing over ruined buildings, at the edges of woodlands, in parks, and in hedgerows. I even have them invading my garden!

Cultivated Blackberries

You can buy cultivated blackberries at markets, in supermarkets and green grocer’s shops. You can also grow the cultivated varieties in your garden. One of the advantages of cultivated blackberries is that you can get thornless varieties.

How to pick Blackberries

If you’ve never picked wild blackberries or brambles, then here are a few tips to help you with your foraging and avoid disappointment.

  • Blackberries are at their best towards the latter half of summer, peaking in August and early September.
  • You will find blackberries in woods, hedges, roadside verges, and possibly even your garden.
  • Do not trespass on private property, always ask if you see blackberries in an area that looks private.
  • Don’t pick blackberries close to a busy road as the berries will be covered in pollution from exhaust fumes.
  • Pick only berries that are fully black and shiny. Mature berries are plump yet firm, a deep black colour, and pull free from the plant without a yank. Berries do not ripen after being picked.
Blackberries on table
  • Once you pick each berry check the core (see photo above) it should be white and not discoloured.  If it is brown then the berry is past its best and should go into the compost.
  • Pick blackberries during the cooler parts of the day. Once picked, place berries in the shade and refrigerate as soon as possible
  • Once you get your berries home, pour them out into trays or baking trays in a single layer and remove any soft or unripe berries and random leaves.
  • Don’t wash the berries until you are ready to use them or freeze them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.

What to make with Blackberries – 30 Delicious Recipes

£0 Delicious Blackberry Recipes

Let’s make Blackberry Desserts

I love dessert and the sweet and sharp taste of blackberries makes an ideal vehicle for lots of different dessert recipes.  The apple is the natural seasonal partner for blackberries but blackberries also combine beautifully with mint, cinnamon, and lemon.

Blackberry & Apple Crumble

 Blackberries, apples, and sugar, topped with a crumble mixture of butter rubbed into flour, rolled oats and more sugar. The perfect comfort food when served with custard.

Blackberry and Apple Crumble
Blackberry and Apple Crumble is a classic dessert made with seasonal apples and blackberries and a sweet and crumbly topping. It is one of the real treats of Autumn and it's so easy to make.  
Check out this recipe
Blackberry and Applle Crumble in bowl with serving dish and spoons

Blackberry & Apple Trifle

A classic Scottish trifle made with layers of cake,  delicious blackberry and apple compote, topped with custard and whipped cream, a real feast of a dessert.

Easy Blackberry and Apple Trifle
Easy Blackberry and Apple Trifle is a glorious layered dessert full of sweet and tart flavours topped with whipped cream and crunchy toasted almonds. 
Check out this recipe
Blackberry & Apple Trifle

Blackberry & Apple Hand Pies

Individual fruit pies made easy by using ready-made puff pastry. These little pies make a delicious dessert served warm or take them on a picnic for the perfect end to your meal.

Easy Blackberry and Apple Hand Pies
Crisp puff pastry pies filled with a thick puree of apples and blackberries, eat them warm with cream or cold with a cup of tea or coffee. 
Check out this recipe
Blackberry & Apple Hand Pies

Blackberry Parfait

Blackberry parfait is a delicious dessert, perfect for serving at a Summer dinner party when these soft berries are at their best.

Blackberry Parfait
Blackberry parfait is a beautiful late summer dessert, making the best of the season’s soft fruits. Paired with some blackberry curd, pistachio crumb and sticky gingerbread it is a stunning dinner party dessert!
Check out this recipe
Blackberry Parfait dessert

Blackberry Sorbet

A light and fresh sorbet is just about perfect to serve as a simple dessert or simply to cool you down on a hot August day.

Blackberry Sorbet
Blackberry Sorbet by Recipes Made Easy. An intense berry sorbet that is perfect to keep in the freezer for those warm late summer and early autumn days. Using only five ingredients it’s easy to make too.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry Sorbet

Blackberry Coconut Chocolate Nobble Cheesecake

This cheesecake contains three different coconut ingredients to create a delicious dessert.

Blackberry Coconut Chocolate Nobble Cheesecake
Blackberry Coconut Chocolate Nobble Cheesecake from The Gluten-Free Alchemist Fresh, creamy, ethereally light, beautifully fruity, wonderfully coconutty and the prettiest colour.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry Coconut Cheesecake

Easy Blackberry & Apple Sorbet with a hint of Thyme

This sorbet is an adaption of a classic blackberry & apple compote, the thyme adds another dimension to the sorbet.

Blackberry & Apple with a hint of Thyme
This easy blackberry and apple sorbet is gently flavoured with thyme and is perfect from late summer. It’s easily made in an ice cream machine.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry and Apple Sorbet

Double Blackberry Chocolate Galette

This rustic blackberry tart has a hidden layer of chocolate blackberry jam to give added depth and sweetness, doesn’t that sound amazing?

Double Chocolate Blackberry Galette
Double Blackberry Chocolate Galette by Tin & Thyme. This pastry recipe is easy to handle and produces a beautifully flaky buttery crust. The chocolate blackberry jam adds depth of flavour and sweetness and the blackberries give their distinctive late summer essence.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry Tart

Let’s make Blackberry Jams, Jellies, and preserves

Blackberries are ideal to use to make all kinds of preserves. I’ve included recipes that use the whole blackberry with the seeds and also some with no seeds.

To make blackberry preserves with seeds, I would recommend using cultivated blackberries as there are fewer seeds and they are less hard.

Blackberry & Apple Jelly

Blackberry & Apple Jelly is a classic country jelly that is still popular because it’s just so good! I’ve been making it for many years and it is perfect to use foraged blackberries.

Blackberry & Apple Jelly
Blackberry & Apple Jelly is a classic and delicious jelly that is the perfect way to preserve the flavours of autumn (fall).
Check out this recipe
Blackberry and Apple Jelly on a spoon with pancakes and a cup of tea

Spiced Blackberry Jam

Spiced Blackberry Jam has an intense and deliciously spicy flavour. The dark berries combine beautifully with the spices and create something a little different. You can leave the berries whole or crush and sieve them to make a seedless jam.

Spiced Blackberry Jam
Enjoy the intense flavour of dark fruity blackberries spiced with cinnamon, star anise and cloves.
Check out this recipe
Spiced Blackberry Jam with sconess
Low Sugar Blackberry & Apple Jam
Low Sugar Blackberry & Apple Jam has all the flavour of Blackberry & Apple Jam with two-thirds less sugar than traditional jams and jellies.
Check out this recipe
Low Sugar Blackberry & Apple Jam with bagels

Blackberry Curd

You may be familiar with Lemon Curd, well this Blackberry Curd is made with a similar technique. Definitely different and well worth making.

Blackberry Curd
Easy Blackberry Curd by Fab Food 4 All is a rich smooth spread full of blackberry flavour. It can be made with fresh or frozen blackberries and uses a simple tried and tested method that you really need to try.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry Curd

Easy Blackberry & Apple Jam

Easy Blackberry and Apple Jam by Fab Food 4 All.  A delicious recipe using the classic combination of apples and blackberries, it tastes all the better for foraging for your own blackberries.

Easy Blackberry & Apple Jam
Easy Blackberry and Apple Jam by Fab Food 4 All. A delicious recipe using the classic combination of apples and blackberries, it tastes all the better for foraging for your own blackberries.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry and Apple Jam
Blackberry Chutney
Blackberry Chutney by Kitchen Talk & Travels for those who prefer savoury preserves, a wonderful concoction of blackberries, apples and spices that makes a great gift for foodie friends and family.
Check out this recipe

Let’s make Blackberry Cakes & Bakes

Add juicy blackberries to your cakes and bakes for great flavour and a touch of dramatic colour too.

Peach and Blackberry Meringue Slice

Peach and Blackberry Meringue Slice is a soft traybake style cake filled with pieces of seasonal fruit and topped with a thin layer of crisp meringue.  The contrasting flavours and textures make it a really delicious cake.

Peach and Bramble Meringue Slice
A fruity sponge topped with crisp meringue and all baked in a simple roasting tin for ease of serving.
Check out this recipe
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Quick and Easy Fig, Blackberry and Almond Tart

Quick & Easy Fig, Blackberry & Almond Tart is a super simple dessert that combines big fruit flavours with frangipane on a puff pastry base.

Fig, Honey and Almond Tart
A crisp pastry base, covered in honey almond meringue, topped with fresh figs, blackberries and pieces of comb honey
Check out this recipe
Slice of Fig Honey and Almond Tart with creme fraiche

Blackberry & Pear Cupcakes

These sweet little cupcakes are filled with Blackberry and Pear Jam, then topped with  Mascarpone & White Chocolate Frosting, topped with a blackberry and drizzled with a seasonal fruit coulis – oh my!

Blackberry and Pear Cupcakes
These delicious Blackberry and Pear Cupcakes make great use of autumnal fruits. Making a refreshing change to the traditional blackberry and apple pairing.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry and Pear Cupcakes

Blackberry Brownies

You can’t beat gorgeous chocolate brownies but I’ve never thought of adding blackberries. The two flavours work so well together that they areally are a must try.

Blackberry Brownies
These blackberry brownies are delicious. Delightfully chocolatey brownies are always a treat and with the addition of blackberries, they will definitely not disappoint.
Check out this recipe
brownies

Maple Cinnamon Glaze Plum & Blackberry Sticky Buns

I do love a sticky bun and these ones include many of my favourite flavours with plenty of sticky glaze too.

Maple Cinnamon Glazed Plum & Blackberry Sticky Buns
Maple Cinnamon Glazed Plum & Blackberry Sticky Buns by Kavey Eats. Based on a recipe that Anna Olsen made for Kavey on a trip to Canada with local seasonal fruits of plum and blackberry instead of blueberries. I
Check out this recipe
Maple Cinnamon Glazed Buns

Blackberry & Ginger Cake

What a delicious Autumn cake! It is filled with mixed spice and ginger and fresh blackberries and decorated with blackberries and fresh figs.

Blackberry & Ginger Cake
This moist and slightly spicy Blackberry and Ginger Cake is a yoghurt based cake with mixed spice and ground ginger. A warming bake for autumn days.
Check out this recipe
blackberry & ginger cake with figs

Blackberry & Lime Cupcakes

I love how lime is used to really enhance the flavour of the blackberries in thes Blackberry & Lime Cupcakes.

Blackberry & Lime Cupcakes
Blackberry & Lime Cupcakes from Chipa by the Dozen. These cupcakes are tender, full of berries and a delicious creamy lime frosting.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry and Lime Cupcakes

Blackberry & Apple Spelt Soda Bread

Choclette suggests this soda bread is served with soup. I like the idea of serving a semi-sweet bread with soup, I think that would work really well with something like Beetroot & Black Cumin Soup.

Blackberry & Apple Spelt Soda Bread
Blackberry & Apple Spelt Soda Bread by Tin & Thyme. This soda bread is quick and easy to make, It’s ideal at teatime, spread with butter or, for accompanying a bowl of soup.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry & Apple Soda Bread

Blackberry Upside Down Cake

Doesn’t that Blackberry Upside Down Cake look amazing? The rich reds of the blackberries are really stunning in this simple dessert.

Blackberry Upside Down Cake
Blackberry Upside Down Cake by A Baking Journey. This cake is really simple, as long as you have Blackberries in your freezer and the pantry of a casual baker, you should be able to whip up this cake in less than 30 minutes.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry Upside Down Cake

Let’s make Blackberry Drinks and Cocktails

Blackberries on their own and blackberries combined with different fruits and flavours make the most delicious drinks. Here are a few for you to try.

Blackberry & Vanilla Cordial

Make Blackberry and Vanilla Cordial with fresh or frozen blackberries.  It makes a refreshing drink with still or sparkling water or add dry wine, prosecco, and make your own cocktails.

Blackberry and Vanilla Cordial
A rich and delicious cordial made from blackberries and vanilla, a great combination of sweet and sharp flavours, very refreshing. 
Check out this recipe
blackberry and vanilla cordial in glass with blackberries and ice

Hedgerow Vodka

Hedgerow Vodka has to be the easiest of drinks to make, you just need a little patience. Blackberries, rosehips, hawthorn berries and sloes are gathered from the hedgerow, then combined with vodka and sugar. The finished liqueur has a rich spicy flavour, not too sweet and with a bit of an edge.

Hedgerow Vodka
Combine the fruits of the hedgerow with vodka and sugar to create a delicious drink to warm the cold winter days.
Check out this recipe
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Purple Stag Blackberry Cocktail

Purple Stag Cocktail by Tinned Tomatoes is a glorious cocktail featuring blackberries, berry tea, and blackcurrant jam!

Purple Stag Blackberry Cocktail
Purple Stag Cocktail by Tinned Tomatoes is a glorious cocktail featuring blackberries, berry tea and blackcurrant jam! Ideal to celebrate the end of the summer and the start of the new season.
Check out this recipe
blackberry cocktail

Blackberry Smoothie

This Blackberry Smoothie makes a delightful start to the day or an anytime healthy and filling snack.

Blackberry Smoothie
Blackberry Smoothie by Recipes from a Pantry is a combination of blackberries, bananas, yoghurt, and milk and sweetened with honey.
Check out this recipe
Blackberry Smoothie

Let’s make a savoury recipe with Blackberries

There aren’t many savoury recipes using blackberries and I think that is something I’ll need to remedy when the blackberry season comes around again.

Venison Steak with Blackberry Sauce
Venison Steak with Blackberry Sauce by Greedy Gourmet. A delicious dish that is perfect for when you have guests or family over. With its beautiful umami flavours paired with a creamy mash and blackberry sauce, this recipe will definitely impress.
Check out this recipe
Venison Steak with blackberries
30 Blackberry Recipes
I’m adding What to Make with Blackberries to #CookBlogShare the recipe link-up where you will find lots of delicious recipes

19 Comments

    1. Thanks, Camilla. Let’s hope we have a good crop of blackberries and can get cracking on some of these recipes.

  1. Perfect, just what’s needed in time for blackberry season. I’ve picked the odd tart one, but I reckon it won’t be long now before I can go foraging for a proper haul. So many gorgeous ideas here.

    1. Ours are not nearly ready, but it looks like a big crop. Thanks for letting me include your recipe.

    1. Thank you, Kavey. I’m often asked how you know whether blackberries ar ripe and if they are good to eat, so I thought I would include that in the post.

    1. Thank you, yes it’s lovely to have so many recipes in one place. Great to have your gluten free recipes to share, thanks.

  2. Wow! si many great recipes to choose from here I feel honoured to have some included. Its looking like a bumper crop this year what with the mixture of warmth and rain so I shall certainly be maing some of them.

  3. Now I want to jump on a plane to come back to the UK! No blackberries in LA (except for paying a fortune in a store for less than fresh berries) 🙁 I love this comprehensive list of recipes, the photos make me want to just start baking and cooking!

    1. I know, I torment you with rhubarb and blackberries. Definitely, time for you to come over again to get a fix of these yummy fruits.

  4. Every single one of these sounds delicious. But I must admit, the chutney really caught my eye. I am hoping to find more blackberries at work this year – we are off the main road, no public throughfair so I was lucky last year!

  5. What a gorgeous recipe collection! I have such fond memories of picking blackberries where I grew up in Canada (except for the wasp stings!). My mum used to make the best jam with them.

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