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Bowl of Cherry jam
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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Cherry Jam

Freshly prepared Cherry Jam with just three ingredients.
This jam is easy, quick and needs no added preservatives or pectin. Spread it on bread, dip croissants in it or use it for making desserts.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 15
Calories: 113kcal
Author: Smruti

Ingredients

  • 4 cups Cherries
  • 1 ¾ cups Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Lime Juice
  • 2 tablespoon Water

Instructions

  • Wash and pit all the cherries and set aside. I like to use this cherry pitter to make it easy.
  • In a pan add the cherries and water.
  • Bring to a boil, ensuring it does not boil over.
  • The mixture will start to bubble, keep stirring till the foam settles.
  • Keep mashing the cherries with a potato masher as they cook. Cook until the cherries start to become mushy.
  • Add the sugar and lime juice. Mix well.
  • Mix well and cook for another 5 minutes so the sugar cooks but not longer as it will result in the sugar crystalizing. The lemon juice helps break the skin that has already cooked for a while.
  • If you want a smooth jam, run the immersion blender for a minute. To test doneness, freeze a steel plate or bowl for a few minutes. Drop some jam on it. If it sets immediately, the jam is done. Or cook the jam till the instant read thermometer reads 105 C or 221 F.
  • Turn down the flame and let the jam come to room temperature.
  • Transfer to a jar and preserve in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

  • The easiest way to scale the recipe is to use half the amount of sugar as fruit; i.e. 1 pound cherries need ½ pound sugar to begin with. Use less than that if you would like a mild sweet jam.
  • Adding lime juice is optional but helps soften the cherry skin and makes the jam perfect in flavors. I highly recommend using it.
  • Do not overcook the jam. The sugar turns clumpy and hardens when cooked too long.
  • As we do not add any preservatives, the jam can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for upto 3 months.
  • The nutrition facts are for 2 tbsp; i.e. 1 serving of the jam. We make a total of 3 cups using this recipe. 

Nutrition

Calories: 113kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 0.3mg | Potassium: 83mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 24IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.1mg