This post is for new jam makers. If you are an experienced and seasoned canner, I invite you to leave your wisdom in the comments section!
You’re a new canner and your jam didn’t set. It is runny and sloshy and you don’t know what to do. Before you start to worry, let me ask you a few questions.
When did you make the jam? It can sometimes take 24-48 hours for a batch of jam to finish setting up. If your jam is still just an hour or two out of the canner and you’re worried about the set, it’s time to chill out. Literally. Walk away. Stop thinking about it.
Okay. You’ve let the jars rest for a day or two and it’s still more sauce than jam. Next question. Did you follow the recipe? Many of us look at jam recipes and are aghast at the amount of sugar it calls for. So we reduce the amount of sugar, thinking that it won’t do anything but make the jam less sweet.
Sadly, sugar plays a huge role in set. If you cut the amount in the recipe and you don’t compensate with a pectin designed for low sugar preserving, your jam may well be runny.
Did you check for set while the jam was cooking? Any time a recipe gives you a cooking time, it’s simply an approximation. During cooking, you also need to be checking for signs of set. You do this by using the frozen plate test, watching how the jam sheets off the spatula, and taking the temperature of your cooking jam. More on those techniques here.
You followed the recipe, it’s been a couple days since the jars came out of the canner, and still, your jam is runny. What kind of pectin did you use? If you used Certo or Sure-Jell liquid pectin, that might be the culprit. They changed their formulation a few years ago and I find that it’s not as effective as the other options on the market.
So. You followed a recipe, you checked for set, you used reliable pectin, the jars have been out of the canner for a few days, and still, the jam is too darned soft. Put a jar in the fridge and check the consistency in 24 hours. Cooler temperatures often help the jam find its way to a firmer consistency.
If you’ve gotten to the end of this post and you’re still unhappy with the way your jam turned out, you’ve got a couple of options. The first is to rename the preserve you’ve made. Call it sauce, pancake topping, or preserves. By changing the name, you shift your expectations and suddenly, runny jam doesn’t seem like such a big deal.
Or, if you absolutely, positively need to have a firm set, you can always remake the jam. I’ve got instructions on how to do that here. Just know that you’ll lose some yield in remaking it, and that there are no guarantees that you’ll end up with exactly what you want.
I cooked a gooseberry jam up. The recipe stated no pectin needed because of natural pectin in the berry. Well it’s still loose after the cook. I assume it should have some added with sugar and another cook? Imput sugar in to taste, might not be enough but I liked the flavor.
You may not have used enough sugar to create a set. Even high pectin fruit require a certain concentration of sugar in order to fully set.
Hi, what is it’s one jar out of a batch? All the others did set … I
Put that one in the fridge and see if it sets. It was probably the first one you filled and so the rest of the jam had the advantage of a few more moments in the pot.
We made Pepper Jelly, and made quite a bit. We did use Certo Liquid Pectin. I have made this same recipe 2 yrs ago and everything turned out great. I just read your post that the liquid pectin is now made differently. Can I use your fix Of 1/4 c. sugar to a Tablespoon of pectin powder. Please advise…We have quite a bit of money invested, as well as time. We, my 2 friends and myself, did not do this for profit, but for our own enjoyment and gifting. Thank you for any feedback you can provide.
I am so sorry that I am only replying now. Did you try and correct the set? How did it turn out?
Ich habe die Zwetschgen schon entsteint, wieviel Gelierzucker muss oder sollte ich dann nehmen?
Typically, I use half the amount of sugar as I have fruit.
My tops all went down but 1/2 of them popped back up! 2 months later!
That sounds like spoilage to me!
I used a jam recipe that calls for pectin and just completely forgot to add it. (The joys of trying to get one last batch started at 12:30 am…) It wasn’t setting up properly while I was cooking it so I cooked it for far longer than I would a pectin-added recipe but not as long as a pectin-free recipe. (I should have known something was up at this point…)
If I decide to “fix” it rather than re-name it, should I use the 1/4 cup sugar:1 Tbsp powdered pectin ratio you give in your other post or should I skip adding the extra sugar and just add the pectin like I should have at the beginning? Everything I’ve found online so far discusses how to fix jams that didn’t call for pectin in the first place so they’re already starting with less sugar than what I have in my batch and I don’t want to over do it…
You should use some additional sugar because it helps prevent the pectin from clumping. You don’t need to use a full 1/4 cup per tablespoon of pectin powder. Just enough to help distribute the pectin.
My peaches floated to the top and my jell did not set
It sounds like you did not cook it long enough!
How much pectin do you use in remaking sour cherry jam?
I typically start with 1-2 tablespoons powdered pectin and go from there.
Here’s the fast fix: Thick-It is a stir-in thickener for people who had a stroke and can’t swallow safely anymore. It can thicken plain juice to nectar or pudding consistency. If a batch of jam comes out thinner than I like for whatever the reason, I ignore it until I’m ready to open a jar. Then I whisk in enough Thick-It to get it right, maybe a teaspoon or so per cup of jam. Whisk in less than looks right to you, leave it for 10 minutes, and it will set up, NO REHEATING NEEDED. Then refrigerate same as you would with any homemade jam.
Love all the positive”renaming” Tips.my grape jelly didn’t set. What suggestions for Grape syrup?
Grape syrup is terrific in sparkling water or cocktail/mocktails. You could also use it to moisten a fruitcake or drizzle over a berry salad to sweeten. It’s also good stirred into plain yogurt.
I forgot to put 2 pouches of Certo in jam .I only put one so can I reheat jam and put in another pouch .
If you’re unhappy with the current set, you certainly can do that.
So my jam didn’t set all the way but when I put a jar in the fridge it set up perfect. Can I wait and just put the others in as needed and do you think they will follow suit?
Jams are always a little firmer in the fridge, so you should experience that increase in set with all the jars when they go into the fridge.
Thank you for all the advice. This is my first time here.
I made (atempted) Brazilian cherries & mulberry it turned out runny. Am going to remake it and will update you.
What are the pectin brands you would recommend , for reliability?
These days, I use either the Ball powdered flex pectin, Mrs. Wages pectin, or Pomona’s Pectin if I’m doing a low sugar recipe. To remake a batch of jam, I like the Ball flex pectin in the canister best, because it allows you to use precisely what you need.
I forgot to put pectin in my jam. Do I start over and put the pectin in with a hard rolling boil? Darn
If you like it the way it is currently, you can just can it without added pectin (pectin just helps with set, it doesn’t make things safe). However, if you don’t like the consistency, add the pectin and boil.
The ma made set on the cold ..p,m yesterday not completely set this a,m s
After the 48 hours should I reboil .
Follow the instructions in this post!
my jam is like cement
what can i do?
Heat it in a small saucepan with a little fruit juice.
My recipe didn’t call for pectin I really wanted to add some but being new to water bath canning I didn’t want to add to recipe. It’s still like liquid. If I add pectin along with more sugar it’ll be even sweeter. Not sure what to do?
It’s hard to advise without knowing the recipe. You could add pectin and recook it without adding additional sugar.
Would this be the same process for quince jelly
Yes.
My experience exactly. I lowered the sugar and didn’t use a pectin. The jars all sealed and it sure tasted good on a biscuit this morning. So I’m not going to worry about it. It will be great on cream cheese, or pancakes or empty a couple jars into a tin and put a crust on it for a cobbler.
Hello – my jam set on Sat – slight liquid but still useable as jam. I shipped two pints to my son (ground) and they box for hit and it turned to liquid, and seals popped.
I don’t have canning equipment here (we flew to sons house).
Can I add the pectin and sugar option, put back in jars?
Don’t care if they seal – we will be using them (hopefully as jam) while camping. I would just like them back to jam.
I don’t think you need to add anything. Just open the jars and boil the jam for a little while to reduce it and thicken it up.