What Are Blackberries and How Can I Use Them?

Blackberries is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 70 recipes to get you started.

What are blackberries?

Blackberries are the glossy, purple-black berries of bramble shrubs, built from dozens of tiny juicy beads called drupelets clustered around a central core. Bite one and you get deep, winey sweetness with a tart backbone and a faint, pleasant grittiness from the seeds.

Unlike raspberries, a blackberry keeps its central core when you pick it, so it stays solid rather than hollow.

They grow wild across much of North America and Europe, and the cultivated ones in the store are bigger and sweeter than their thorny wild cousins, and a lot easier to handle.

A fun quirk to know: blackberries are red when they are unripe, then darken to that signature black. A reddish berry is a sour one, so reach for the dark ones.

Cooking With Blackberries

Fresh is glorious. Eat them out of hand, scatter them over yogurt or cereal, or fold them into a fruit salad. They are fragile, though, so add them to anything delicate at the last minute.

Their real strength is jam and preserves, where their acidity and the pectin in their seeds and skins help a batch set.

Easy Blackberry Preserves is one of the most-cooked recipes on the site for exactly that reason, and the same cooked-down fruit becomes a sauce for pancakes or ice cream.

Baking is where they earn their keep. They hold up in a hot oven and bleed gorgeous color into the crust, which is why pies and cobblers love them. Jumbleberry Pie and Apple Blackberry Pie both lean on that, and a steamed pudding like Blackberry Roly-poly shows off their juice.

They also churn beautifully into frozen desserts. Blackberry Lemon Ice Cream builds on a smooth blackberry purée, usually strained to ditch the seeds first.

Pairing and the Seed Question

Blackberries love a tart or creamy partner. A squeeze of lemon sharpens them, apple and other berries stretch a pie, and a hit of vanilla or red wine deepens their winey flavor. On the savory side, their sweet-tartness cuts through rich duck or game in a pan sauce.

Now the seeds. Blackberry drupelets each hold a hard little seed, and in a smooth sauce or a seedless jam those seeds feel like grit.

The fix is simple: cook the berries soft, then push the pulp through a fine sieve or food mill and discard what stays behind. You lose a little volume but gain a silky texture.

For pies and rustic cobblers, leave the seeds in; they are part of the character and nobody minds them there.

One more thing worth knowing. Blackberries are mostly water and bruise the instant they are crushed, so a recipe that calls for whole berries wants a gentle hand, while one that calls for purée does not care.

Substitutes

The closest swaps are other brambles. Boysenberries, marionberries, and black raspberries share the same shape and deep flavor, so they slot in one for one.

Raspberries are the everyday stand-in, brighter and softer with no central core, and a mix of frozen berries works fine in any cooked use. Blueberries will fill the gap in a pie or muffin, though they are sweeter and miss the tart, winey edge.

For jam specifically, blackberries and apples stewed together are a classic pairing, and the apple lends extra pectin if your berries run soft.

Buying and Storing

Look for berries that are plump and fully black, dry to the touch, with no green or red ones in the box. A few stray hulls or caps clinging on can mean the fruit was picked underripe, so glance for those.

Check the bottom of the container too. Juice stains or any fuzzy mold mean crushed or overripe berries hiding underneath.

Blackberries are among the most perishable fruit you can buy. Refrigerate them right away, unwashed and uncovered or loosely covered, and use them within one to two days. Washing before storage traps moisture and speeds up mold, so rinse gently only just before you use them.

To keep a glut longer, freeze them. Lay the berries in a single layer on a tray until firm, then transfer to a bag; frozen this way they hold their shape and keep for several months, ready for a winter pie or batch of jam.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find blackberries: Blackberries are usually found in the fruit section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Blackberries are a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

黑莓

British (UK) term

Blackberries

en français

mûres

en español

moras

How much do blackberries weigh?

Related

Fruits and Fruit Juices

Recipes using blackberries

There are 70 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Swedish Pancakes with Berry-Cardamom Topping

First time to make Swedish pancakes, it was so much fun to watch this petite pancakes being browned and puffed in the pan. I made a blueberry sauce that tasted fruity, refreshing and delicious with these warm pancakes. With a cup of orange juice, our breakfast was well served.

Blackberries Crumb Bars

Blackberry crumb bars, a buttery lemon-scented dough that doubles as crust and crumble, layered with a juicy cornstarch-thickened blackberry filling. Like portable blackberry pie, baked and cut into squares.

Apple Blackberry Pie

Classic lattice-topped apple blackberry pie with tart apples and juicy berries in a cornstarch-thickened filling for beautiful summer-to-fall fruit dessert.

Mom's Breakfast Berry Muffins

Mom's breakfast berry muffins with blackberries (or blueberries) tossed in flour to keep them suspended. A bakery-style butter-and-egg base produces tender, golden muffins. Makes 16 for the freezer.

Blackberry Jam

Make your mornings exciting with this tasty blackberry jam that's perfect on toast!

Blackberry Lemon Ice Cream

Blackberry lemon ice cream made with sweetened condensed milk, half-and-half, and fresh lemon juice. No-cook five-ingredient ice cream maker recipe. Bright, tart, and creamy in equal measure.

Mixed Berry Dutch Baby

A dutch baby is a german pancake that is baked in a skillet. This version adds summer fruits to make a recipe that serves as a dessert as well as a breakfast treat.

Decadent Blackberry Ice Cream

Seedless blackberry ice cream made by straining the berries through cheesecloth, simmering the juice into syrup, and folding into heavy cream. Smooth, intensely fruity, and free of seedy texture.

Decadent Blackberry Ice Cream

Seedless blackberry ice cream made by straining the berries through cheesecloth, simmering the juice into syrup, and folding into heavy cream. Smooth, intensely fruity, and free of seedy texture.

Rosemary Chicken Skewers with Berry Sauce

I've always been a fan of combining sweet fruits with savory spices, it sets up a certain flavor balance that just works so well. Mango with chili pepper, peaches and thyme, rhubarb and rosemary. They're all delicious, so can there be any question that blackberries and rosemary would just be a match made in heaven?

Jumbleberry Pie

Jumbleberry pie loaded with fresh blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries in a double-crust pastry with warm cinnamon and nutmeg. A triple-berry showstopper served with ice cream.

Blackberry Roly-poly

A rustic classic filled with blackberries, from my Grandmother's recipe book.

Breakfast Crepes with Warm Berry Sauce

Instead of pancakes, try these delicious crepes with warm berry sauce and a cup of orange juice or coffee for breakfast.

Bisquick Berry Yogurt Muffins

Bisquick berry yogurt muffins made with fresh blackberries, tangy yogurt, and lemon zest. Only 7 ingredients for a tender, fruity breakfast muffin.

Easy Blackberry Preserves

Three-ingredient seedless blackberry preserves with equal parts berries and sugar plus a splash of lemon juice. Old-school maceration method gives deep berry flavor without added pectin.

Swedish Fruit Compote~

Elegant Scandinavian berry compote with fresh blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries in a lightly sweetened maple and cinnamon sauce.

Trota Di Polenta

Italian polenta cake made with cornmeal and buttermilk, topped with a warm raspberry-blackberry sauce spiked with raspberry schnapps. Rustic, golden, and begging for a scoop of gelato.

Turkey Breast- Orange Blackberry Relish

Roasted turkey breast basted with orange juice concentrate, served with a homemade orange-blackberry relish thickened with brown sugar and cornstarch. A stunning, fruity holiday centerpiece that feeds 15.

Fresh Berry Tulip with White Chocolate Ice Cream

Fresh berry tulip with white chocolate ice cream: delicate tuile cookies shaped into edible bowls, filled with mixed fresh berries, whipped cream, and a scoop of white chocolate ice cream. Patisserie-level dessert.

Phaalse Ka Sharbat (Blackberry Downpour)

Phaalse Ka Sharbat is a traditional Indian blackberry summer drink with mashed soaked berries, sugar, and a pinch of salt over crushed ice. Refreshing North Indian sherbet for hot days.

Chicken Blackberry Vinegar

Blackberry vinegar chicken with a rich and flavourful demiglace. Great for a special occasion.

Yogurt & Fruit Parfaits

Very nice and easy, I made it for my kids, once I finished it, my husband and I we both loved it too, so it is a really good.

Atole - Atole De Zarzamora

Traditional Mexican Atole thickened with masa - two recipes in one: wild Blackberry Atole de Zarzamora and Champurrado (chocolate with cinnamon). A warm, nourishing drink served with tamales.

Pineapple Cherry Pie

Double-crust blackberry pie with a flaky shortening pastry and a simple sugar-and-flour-thickened filling. The kind of late-summer fruit pie that lets the berries do the talking.

Blackberry Shrub

Old-fashioned blackberry shrub, a sweet-tart fruit syrup mixed with lemon juice. Serve over ice, top with club soda, or float a scoop of sherbet for a colonial-era refreshing drink.

Blackberry Grunt

Blackberry grunt with spiced molasses berries topped with egg-glazed biscuit rounds baked golden brown. An old-fashioned fruit dessert with warm cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

Sioux Berry Soup

Sioux berry soup with broiled beef chuck, blackberries, and honey simmered in beef stock. A savory-sweet Native American stew with deep, rich flavor.

Fruity Gazpacho

Fruity gazpacho with blended tomatoes, peaches, apple, blackberries, cucumber, and yellow bell pepper in vegetable stock. A chilled summer soup with fresh fruit and no cooking required.

Iced Blackberry Yogurt

Iced blackberry yogurt swirls seedless blackberry puree with honey, brown sugar, banana, plain yogurt, and a beaten egg white into a light frozen dessert. A no-churn frozen yogurt for hot afternoons.

Blackberry Pie

Classic double-crust blackberry pie with a flaky shortening crust and simple sugar-flour filling. No frills, just four cups of berries baked golden in a homemade shell.

Blackberry & apple crumble

This recipe is healthy and tasty, very nutritious too. It can be served as a fruits salad, or mixing with ice cream, they all go very well!

Fresh Berry Cobbler

Fresh berry cobbler loaded with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries under brown sugar drop biscuits baked in individual ramekins.

Blackberry Cobbler with Pastry Crust

Old-fashioned blackberry cobbler topped with a buttery shortening-and-cream pastry crust. Hot berry filling pre-bakes briefly before the pastry top goes on for a crisp, golden finish.

Fourth of July Celebration Fruit Cake

Light almond sponge cake layers stack with blueberry ricotta filling and whipped cream, then get crowned with fresh berries for a patriotic red, white, and blue celebration dessert.

Peach Blackberry Compote with Basil Syrup

Peach blackberry compote tossed in a basil and orange-zest wine syrup. A no-cook summer dessert that lets ripe stone fruit and berries do the talking, with an herbal edge from fresh basil.

Makvlis Supi (Blackberry Soup)

Makvlis Supi is a Georgian cold blackberry soup with garlic, cilantro, mint, thyme, cucumber, and a splash of vinegar. Sweet-savory chilled summer soup, served with a swirl of sour cream.

Blackberry Sauce

Three-ingredient blackberry sauce with sugar and lemon juice, strained smooth and seedless. Pairs beautifully with duck and freezes for up to a year.

Roast Beef with Blackberry Ketchup

Five-spice-rubbed roast beef served with a homemade spiced blackberry ketchup, sweet, tart, and gently fiery with cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. An elegant roast with a surprising fruit condiment.

Brandied Berry Milk Shake

Brandied berry milkshake blends vanilla ice cream with fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and a splash of brandy. A grown-up frozen dessert drink ready in 5 minutes.

Berry Streusel Muffins

Blackberry and raspberry muffins with a pecan brown sugar streusel topping. Lemon zest in both the batter and the crumble adds a bright citrus note.

Tangerine-Berry Salads

Tangerine-berry fruit salad with sliced tangerines, blackberries, and blueberries on a creamy blended banana and sour cream base. A colorful no-cook fruit plate ready in 15 minutes.

Blackberry & Apple Crumble Cake

A British-style crumble cake with a buttery almond and cinnamon base, a layer of stewed blackberries and apples, and a golden crumble topping. Warm, fruity, and brilliant served with cream or custard.

Balsamic-Blackberry Crème Brûlée

Fresh blackberries macerated in aged balsamic vinegar, layered with creamy Greek yogurt and honey, then topped with a crackly torched sugar crust. A no-bake crème brûlée that's elegant enough for a dinner party.

Pan-Sized Lemon-Blackberry Pancakes

Pan-sized lemon blackberry pancakes are giant skillet pancakes built from buttermilk-style batter with whipped egg whites and fresh berries. Brunch upgraded to showstopper status.

Red Soaked Fresh Fruit Cake

Summer pudding-style fruit cake lined with sponge cake and packed with kirsch-soaked strawberries, blackberries, cherries, and currants. Chilled overnight and unmolded.

Jumble Berry Pie

Jumble berry pie with fresh blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries in a buttery single crust. A simple three-berry pie with a thick, bubbly filling and just five minutes of prep.

Blackberry Chicken

Pan-seared chicken breasts in a silky blackberry vinegar and cream sauce with shallots, crème de cassis, and fresh blackberries. French-inspired, elegant, and on the table in about an hour.

Fresh Fruit Tart with Banana-Cream Filling

Fresh fruit tart with banana-cream filling: a graham-honey crust, creamy banana-gelatin filling, and a crown of plums, raspberries, and blackberries under a glossy strawberry glaze. Dairy-free and naturally sweetened.

Easter Lemon Curd Trifle with Mixed Fresh Berries

A delicious and rich dessert to let everyone indulge!

Creamy Frozen Blackberry Souffle

This frozen blackberry souffle is creamy, rich and fruity with the fluffy texture. When you have the first bite, it's going to be difficult to stop going back for more and more...

All 70 recipes