For months now, I’ve been working on finding a way to make a jam from apples that is satisfying and, well, jammy. The problem with apples is if you try and cook them raw with sugar, which is the way you approach the fruit in most jam recipes, the apples don’t break down. They stay hard and firm, releasing little of their sugars and leaving you with a final product that is closer to marmalade than jam.
In some recipes, such as my Cranberry-Apple Jam, this isn’t such a bad thing. The cranberries and sugar do the jammy work, and the apples add nice texture and mouthfeel. But up until down, I’ve found that making a good jam with apples as the primary fruit just hasn’t been all that great (I did get close with my Apple-Ginger Jam, but it still wasn’t quite right). That is, until now.
This time, I cooked the apples down into a sauce with two cups of lemon juice before adding the sugar. And this did the trick. I got close to the texture I wanted from the fruit before I added the sugar (ensuring I’d get what I wanted once the sugar and honey was added), and I was able to infuse the tart flavor of the lemons fully into the jam to boot (this is a great way to get a whole variety flavors into jam, I’m already envisioning lavender, more ginger or chai spices).
You may be wondering why I’m so excited to find a good apple jam technique. Well, apples are cheap, abundant and store really well. I overbought at the fall farmers’ markets and so had an entire crisper drawer full that needed to be used (and I have plenty of applesauce and butter already stashed away). And, I just like apples. I think they’re endlessly adaptable and knew there was a way to make them do jam nicely.
Before, I jump to the recipe, I want to talk pectin. I do include one envelope (half of the contents of a box) of liquid pectin in this recipe. However, many apples are naturally high in pectin. If you’re working with green or under-ripe apples, you might not need to add any pectin. But if you’re using old apples that have been in your fridge for a couple of months, adding a little pectin is good insurance that your jam will have a good set.
Honey Lemon Apple Jam
Ingredients
- 12 cups chopped apples
- 2 cups lemons juice I used a combination of freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice and bottled
- 2 cups honey
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 envelope of liquid pectin can be omitted if you use a few firm, green apples
- zest of three lemons
Instructions
- Prepare your canning pot, as well as seven pint jars, lids and rings.
- Combine the chopped apples and lemon juice in a large, heavy-bottomed pot (an enameled Dutch oven works well here) and cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the apples have broken down. When you’ve got a nice, chunky applesauce, add the honey and sugar and stir to incorporate.
- Bring the fruit to a boil and cook for at least five minutes at a roll (watch out though, it will bubble and depending on the size of your pot, can get a little splashy). Add pectin and boil for a few minutes more, to active the pectin. When it seems nice and jammy, turn off the heat and stir in the lemon zest.
- Fill jars, wipe rims (this jam is sticky, so you may need to add a bit of white vinegar to your towel, to help ensure a clean rim), apply lids and screw on bands. Process in a boiling water canner for ten minutes (if you are above 1,000 feet in altitude, adjust your processing time accordingly).
- Eat on toast, spoon on muffins or use to glaze roasted chicken pieces.
I am so pleased with the results of this recipe. Its freaking delicious and so pretty! I did not make the full recipe. Reduced it by 1/3. I also added a splash of Ginger to give it a hint of something in the background. I used a full packet of pectin as my Cosmic apples were very juicy. I have been a fan of yours and have followed you for many years. I have also made many of your jams/preserves and it’s because I trust you and your safe practices. Thank you for this and the many others I have made, but had not commented on. You taught me the value in small batching, among other things!
Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so pleased that you are happy!
I’ve made this several times and this time I ran out of honey for the recipe. I substituted maple sugar (granuals) and it turned out just as good. I use an immersion blender to make it a little less chunky (leaving some chunks) and its so good. We have a meyer lemon tree that blooms all year round with fresh apples as well and this is my favorite treat on an english muffin. I make this in pints and the smaller ones (don’t know that size but their about 6-8 teaspoons worth) mixed together in a canner and they turn out fine. great for gifts and people are always asking for more. I love your recipes. they never disappoint!
Fantastic flavor! I added a bit of turmeric powder to boost the color. I cooked it down, rather than add pectin, and am wishing I had used pectin; the long cooking time darkened the (absolutely delicious!) jam more than I had wanted. I’ll try again with pectin.
Sounds glorious! I hope your next version turns out a little more to your liking.
I found this recipe while Googling for recipes using large amounts of honey ( I just made a great buy). I canned lemon juice last week, and had a big assortment of apples, so I used a mix of varieties. This cooked up into a beautiful golden jam that resembles crushed pineapple in texture. I got exactly 13 half pints. Bummer! No leftover bits to sample. I had to lick the ladle and silicone scraper to know how good the recipe is.
I’m so happy to hear that you’re pleased with it!
I am from the Carribbeam and all year round there are fruits and fruits for jams…never tried apple until now…Am so pleased with my jams but I used no lemon…will my jams go off if left out of the fridge during the long summer??
Lemon isn’t necessary for safety with apple, because apples are high enough in acid on their own to ward off any potential botulism growth. However, only water bath processed jams that are still sealed are safe to be kept outside of the fridge. Once you open a jar, it needs to be refrigerated.
Just opened the last jar and it is absolutely perfect. Used most of it as part of an odds & ends fruit crisp with desiccated tart blackberries and tayberries from a lost corner of the freezer. Delicious results with a sauce of Bird’s custard. Thanks again for the pandemic gift that keeps on giving!
Hope you & yours are getting vaccinated ASAP. Be well!
Just opened some of this jam in 2020 after making it in 2019 and it is wonderful. Thanks so much for making a spot of pleasure during a time of, well, plague and unrest(?)—I don’t know what words can describe the fullness of all the things going on right now, nor the mixture of anger, sadness, fear, and hope that I’ve been feeling. However, having a bit of something delicious that I made myself in the before-time is a nice moment. Thanks for sharing this recipe with past-me.
I’m so happy that you like it! It is such a strange time to be living through!
this looks delicious. What amount of dry pectin would you suggest?
https://foodinjars.com/blog/canning-101-how-to-substitute-pectin/
How would one adjust steps 2 (maybe?) and 3 for a pressure cooker?
This recipe might offer some guidance. https://foodinjars.com/2016/08/gingery-peach-butter/
Thank you for this recipe! we made it with great success today (using fresh squeezed lemons and honey crisp apples we picked about 1 month ago). The end product taste very lemony, of honey and apples. quite unconventional. We did add some pectin as insurance. Not sure if it was necessary. Based on the test tasters in our home, we would call this more attuned to an adult palate.
We are thinking of trying to make a more “typical” apple pie flavor profile for our next batch, and still trying to get the broken down apple texture of this jam. With the idea that the apples break down better in acid (lemon juice), have you tried making the apple sauce in apple cider vinegar and then adding sugar, and spices?
We may try it in a few weeks, so we will report back how it works out!
This was absolutely delicious and it helped me make good use of the applies from my tree, which I think are called “goodchild”. However, I found that although the mixture looked like it was going to set just fine, the processing after jarring made it more runny. Is that processing necessary, given the mixture starts out so hot and the jars are sterilized? I don’t recall processing other jams I’ve made, but I admit it has been a while!
Current wisdom is that all things need to be processed in a boiling water bath canner, including jams. Additionally, this one should firm back up after a day or two of cooling and sitting. Mine always have.
We have lots of cooking apples ready to pick, can i use them?
Yes.
This is delicious!
My taste is less sweet, so I reduced the sugar by 1/3. I also added some raw ginger (peeled and finely chopped (65 gms) with the lemon peel (which I added with the sugar and honey).
YUM!
p.s. I used natural sugar as I don’t like bleached food, but will use white sugar in the future as this sugar turned the jam to a light brown color.
This recipe looks perfect now that apples are appearing at the farmers markets again. If I wanted to use half-pint jars or jelly jars instead of pints, how should I adjust the time (if at all)? Thanks so much!
No need to adjust the time. It’s the same for pints, half pints and quarter pints.
Would it be possible to halve this recipe? Or even some of your other full recipes? I love your small batch recipes, and I know you aren’t really supposed to decrease the size of full recipes, do you have any tips or guides on how to make a small batch recipe similar to this and your other apple jams? Thanks! I love your work!
Yep, go ahead and cut this recipe in half. Nearly all of my larger batch recipes can easily and safely be divided in half. Just do the math. The warnings about changing recipes have more to do with increasing recipe size and altering proportions, than simply cutting recipes in half. You might also want to check a copy of my book, Preserving by the Pint, out of the library. It contains 100 really small batch recipes.
What is the best apples to use????
Use an apple that tastes good to you. There’s no right answer here.
Can I use a stock pot to make the jelly?
Stock pots aren’t the best vessels for making jams and jellies, because they inhibit evaporation and you want to encourage evaporation. If possible, you want to opt for a low, wide pan.
This jam is one of my favorites! So good. Similar to apple sauce, but DEFINITELY different. Very lemony. Great spread on top of chicken breast and baked.
have been making apple butter for years and playing with peels and cores to make an apple honey. This sounds wonderful! Have found fig jam freezes well as well as butters (apple, plum, peach). Have you tried freezing your jam? Yes/No?? Plan to try it soon and will probably experiment with freezing.
I really want to make this! I am curious what kind of apples you used for this recipe… some apples tend to break down all the way which is what you want if you’re making applesauce, some hold their shape which is what you want for pies. It sounds as if you cooked the apples with the lemon to force them to break down, but not all the way so that it’s a bit chunky. Thank you.
Marisa,
I just made this jam, it turned out wonderful, but I have a couple of Q’/comments.
Why do you use more sugar in your book?
I didn’t put pectin in, I just made a little cheescloth package with the apple cores and the lemons seeds. I took it out and squeezed it before putting in the sugar and honey. The end product is perfectly jammy!
I put in a vanilla bean in one jar and a piece of ginger in another. Do you have any suggestions how long I should let that steep?
Thank you!!
I used more sugar in the book because I thought it turned out better that way. As far as the vanilla bean and ginger, I’d taste them after a day or two, and see how you like the flavor.
I live in Marquette, Mi and the Meyer Lemon is not available here. Want to make this and wondering what modification to recipe would be necessary if using regular lemons?
There’s no need to use Meyer lemons in this recipe. I originally made it with a combination of Meyer and regular lemon juice, but since then have made it exclusively with regular old lemon juice and it was just fine.
Oh good! I’m making some this weekend for sure!!!
I made a batch of this today and am not disappointed. The Wolf River apples I used held up, and with the honey and lemon, the flavor is just right with tart and sweet. A stand-out of flavor in this unique blend!
this jam is so, so good. made it last night with about a dozen winesap apples from the scratch & dent pile at the farmers market. i went ahead & used the pectin, since i wasn’t totally confident in the newness of the apples. the flavor is divine! i would describe it as homemade lemon meringue applesauce. i’m not too sad that one jar didn’t seal – i admit to eating (it by) a few spoonfuls already. i was hesitant to make the full batch because 7 pints seemed like an awful lot… SO very glad i did. i will be proudly giving away the ones that DID seal at christmas time. made 3 pints and 6 half-pints of sunny yellow deliciousness.
Hi
Just found this site and I just got my canning kettle last week. Now, I want to can everything. This recipe looks so good. I was wondering if the apples could be grated instead of chunks with the same results? I am a newbe so any advice will be appreciated and followed. Thanks
You certainly can. You’re just going to cook the apples down into sauce anyway. You can prep them any way you want.
This was, without a doubt, the best tasting jam I have ever made. I had jillions of tiny apples from my tree this year that were very flavorful. I couldn’t bear to toss them to the deer. It was a real battle peeling and coring these little apples but the resulting jam was VERY well worth the effort. As I worked on the apples, I placed the chopped apples into a bath of acidic water to keep them from browning. I used 6 Meyer lemons from my tree instead of using part bottled lemon and did add pectin for insurance. My yield was 4 pints and 6 half pints. This recipe will go into my permanent recipe archive. I can’t WAIT to try it as a glaze on chicken and pork. YUMMY. Thanks so much.
We just made this one tonight. Used Pricilla variety apples. Not sure how they will do, but they are locally grown in MS and one of the best tasting apples I’ve had in a long time.. I had half a case of apples and HAD to do something with them before they ruined. The honey we used was local too. Can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Thanks for the tips Marisa.
Thanks for this recipe.
I have heaps of apples that need to be used too.
Can I use powder pectin? I don’t have the liquid kind, I have the powder.
Yes. Whisk the powdered pectin into the sugar and cook it with the fruit from the beginning of the cook time. However, you might be able to omit it entirely, because apples have a great deal of pectin.