This tomato jam (use any tomato variety you have on hand!) is one of the most popular recipes I’ve ever published. I can’t even take credit for it, the recipe came to me from a friend! It’s better than the most delicious ketchup you’ve ever tasted. I’ve updated the photos, but the recipe is the same.
I used to have a fantastic coworker named John. He was calm in the face of chaos, had a buoyant sense of humor and knew how not to take things too seriously. And, his wife Amy just happened to be my kitchen soulmate. You’ve got to love a coworker who comes attached to good people.
Amy was the first person to introduce to me tomato jam and now I can’t go back to a life without it. She gave me a jar with the recipe attached, and I am forever grateful. I use it in place of ketchup (with turkey burgers), as well as in places where ketchup wouldn’t dare to tread (try it with a soft, stinky cheese. It is life changing). I also love serving it with roasted root vegetables like sweet potatoes and carrots.
For those of you who are accustomed to preserving tomatoes, you’ll notice that this recipe does not call for you to peel these tomatoes. That is not a mistake.
The first time I made a batch, I thought I could improve on things and peeled and seeded the tomatoes prior to cooking them down. However, without those bits, the finished tomato jam was too sweet and entirely without texture. It needs the skin and seeds. Don’t take them out.
A few things to know about this jam.
Don’t double the batch. This jam doesn’t use any additional pectin and so gets to the proper texture through reduction and sugar concentration. If you increase the batch size, the cooking time will greatly increase and it will be much harder to get to the proper texture before the bottom of the pot begins to burn.
Tomato choice matters. The yield of this jam can vary widely depending on the variety of tomato you use. Meaty tomatoes like paste, Roma, or San Marzano will produce a higher yield. Super watery tomatoes like heirloom slicers will produce a smaller yield. Any tomato can be used, but the yield can vary up to a full depending on your choice.
Wider pots are better. The more surface area you give the jam, the faster and more efficiently it will reduce. Stock pots are designed to prevent evaporation, so they aren’t the best choice for this recipe. A low, wide Dutch oven or soup pot is a better option.
Homemade Tomato Jam for Canning
Ingredients
- 5 pounds fresh tomatoes finely chopped
- 3 1/2 cups sugar
- 8 tablespoons bottled lime juice
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon red chili flakes
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large, non-reactive pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce temperature to a simmer. Stirring regularly, cook at a low boiluntil it reduces to a sticky, jammy mess. This will take between 1 and 1 1/2 hours, depending on how high you keep your heat.
- When the jam has cooked down sufficiently, remove from heat and fill jars, leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, apply lids and twist on rings. Process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.
- When time is up, remove jars from water bath and allow them to cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, test seals. Store jars in a cool, dark place for up to one year.
I am new to your site….we live at roughly 4700+ feet in altitude, so for other canning, I’ve always had to add 10 minutes to the processing time. I assume the same is true for your recipes here? Although this recipe is similar, and it only requires 10 minutes processing time. So hmmm. http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/spiced_tomato_jam.html
Ariana, if you live above 1,000 feet in elevation, you always have to adjust your processing times. Because I live at sea level, I often forget to remind people of that. Here’s a post I wrote about it: https://foodinjars.com.s164546.gridserver.com/arugulapesto/2012/02/canning-101-on-adjusting-for-altitude/
And the processing time on this recipe is 20 minutes because the end product is quite thick. However, since the NCHFP says that could keep it shorter for their recipe, chances are it would be fine to cut this one back as well. I was just being cautious.
I made this recipe last week with my mother in law and we were both surprised at how delicious it was. We cooked it for a long while but the thermometer refused to come up to 220 degrees and it just wasn’t thickening up, so I added a few spoonfuls of low sugar pectin (about 4 tablespoons) and kept cooking until the freezer plate test worked. Worked great! Brought it in to work and people’s expressions of surprise have been so funny – everyone has liked it. I am serving it on saltines with a cream cheese based herbal dip and a dollop of the jam. I can definitely see it being really good on something like a turkey sandwich. Thanks for sharing so freely on your blog!!!
hi, my mom and i are making up some tomato jam right now! and we wanted to know if you included any of the tomato peels in your jam. also, did you ever add pectin if it didn’t gel up? thanks
Yes, leave the peels in. I always specify in the recipe if peeling is necessary. And I never add pectin to this jam. I rely on the process of cooking down to develop the right texture.
I made a half batch of this today and am amazed at how deliciously amazing this is. I tried it off the wooden spoon and then immediately grabbed a piece of soft cheese to plop some on. Wowsers! Thank you for this recipe! 🙂
Loved this recipe! Had a huge glut of cherry tomatoes and they worked great for this. I chose to cook it in the oven using a casserole dish, uncovered. I put it in about 9pm at about 200 degrees and let it go overnight, and most of the next day as well. It reduced well and kept the mess to a minimum!
Thanks for great recipes for Juliet tomatoes. The recipe for tomato jam says to finely chop 5 lbs. of tomatoes. Do Juliet tomatoes also need to be finely chopped and if so, what would be the best method since these tomatoes are quite small? I can’t wait to give this recipe a try!
For Juliet tomatoes, I think the easiest thing to do would be to simply cut them into quarters.
Just made my first batch today! My jars are “bathing” now, as the jars cool will it set up a little more? Or should I dump back in pan and cook longer and/or add pectin?
It will thicken some as the jars cool. However, if you’re unhappy with the texture, you can always cook it longer.
Marisa – thanks for this recipe! I have a question…if I add finely chopped mixture of red/yellow/orange mini peppers (about 2 cups worth) & a few minced serrano peppers, can the rest of the recipe stay the same? Thanks!
Liz, you’d need to add a great deal more lime juice to the recipe to compensate for all those low acid peppers.
Thanks, Marisa! I will add much more lime juice.
I have become a bit concerned regarding mixing in the peppers. I’m thinking not! I’ll stick to Pepper Jelly. Your tomato jam recipe is delicious as is! Thanks again!
Wow, I am just making this now. I don’t know what it will tastes like, but it smells awesome!
Last summer I tried canning for the first time. Sweet hot pickles,dill pickles, dilly beans, honey apple ginger jam,tomatoes, Tomato sauce and…tomato jam. Ahhhhhh the tomato jam! I work At a Nursery and the Nursery manager had planted rows and rows of tomatoes in one of the empty fields (hense the first attempt at canning). We had crates and crates of tomatoes well into October. In my research to find out what the h*** to do with them all, I found your website…what?? No peeling, no de seeding? A gift from the fall harvest gods
. We made 34 pints, stopped giving them away by November…” Could I have another jar of that yummy tomato jam?” “oh how about some delicious dilly beans instead, we are getting a little low” trying agilely to block the pantry door where my only remaining 21 pints are kept.
As I dig into my 2012 tomatoes my strategic planning may exclude all other canned tomato products in order to reserve what I need to make enough tomato jam. Hmmmm enough tomato jam, is that possible? Thank you!!!
This is a terrific recipe as written. I have made 56 half pints so far. I have two batches worth of tomatoes still on the kitchen counter. I use a mixture of heirlooms and romas from the farmer’s market.
Here is a recipe from American Spoon Food, an outstanding company in Petoskey, Michigan. It makes great use of tomato jam, and is even outstanding in winter, when the only tomato approaching good is a cherry or grape tomato from the supermarket.
http://www.spoon.com/recipe/?p=1297
Made your yellow tomato basil jam last week… So yummy! Going to try this one next week, but am wondering why the processing time on the other is 10 minutes but this one is 20? Just curious. Also, since I don’t like things too spicy, I plan to cut the pepper flakes in half. Is there a point at which you recommend tasting the jam and then adjusting the amountt of pepper flakes if it needs more? Thank you!
Bobi, this tomato jam came to me from a friend and the 20 minute processing time was her call. It is quite dense, which does make me think that the longer processing time is warranted.
Thank you. It’s fantastic! I tasted the jam about half hour into the simmer and added a few more pepper flakes (started out at half). Simmering time for me was spot on at 1 1/2 hours.
I have made your Tomato Jam 3 times. Love it. Absolutely love it. I do have a question though…is it o.k. to double the recipe that is in your cookbook? I’d like to make more at one time if that is possible. I didn’t know if it would change the cooking time or ruin the recipe to do it. I have a big jam pot and thought I could easily fit a double batch in it. So, is it o.k.?
As long as you have a giant pot, it will be okay to double the batch.
Thank you Marissa. Yesterday, I picked 10+ pounds of potatoes (off of my 3 plants) and made the double batch of jam. It took longer to cook down but, the end result was fabulous. I love your recipe!
I am going to make jam this weekend. I would like to add onion powder or minced onion and garlic powder. Will this change the ph? Should I can in the pressure cooker if it does make a change?
You should be able to add a small amount of onion and garlic powder without impacting the acidity.
You are completely right – this jam changed my life 🙂 I adore it and have slathered it on everything. My favorite was with some simple crackers and herbed goat cheese. Heaven! Took 2+ hours to cook down to the right consistency though because the tomatoes I’m working with have quite a bit of water. I didn’t mind though because it made the house smell so wonderful!
Could I freeze this in Ziploc bags?
You could, though for freezing, plastic containers would probably be better than bags.
For what it’s worth:
1) I adore this recipe, and so did everyone I gave the results to last Christmas (after they got over their suspicion. I finally told people “treat it like fancy ketchup.”)
2) When I’ve made it, I’ve used brown sugar instead of white, and subbed half the lime juice for balsamic vinegar which preserves the acidity of the recipe but deepens the flavor along with the brown sugar.
3) Having made four batches now, I concur with others that I need much more cooking time. A single batch on my electric stove in a deep pot, at 4 or 5 on my burner knob (so medium or just shy of medium heat – a temp where there are very slow bubbles surfacing every so often but there is not a rolling boil and the bottom doesn’t scorch) needs 4-5 hours to cook down to a dark mess and thicken a bit, but even then it’s a bit thin. This time around I added 1.5 T pectin to help beef it up a little, and cooked it another couple of minutes before putting it in jars and water bath canning it.
4) I had no luck with the crock pot. Lid on doesn’t allow reduction of the liquid. Lid off doesn’t get hot enough even on 6 hour high. After the batch on my stove was done and canned (5+ hours) I transferred the batch in the crock onto the stove and needed at least 2 more hours at medium heat. It was still even soupier than the first batch so I added more pectin. It’s canning now.
This is my first experience with tomato jam. After two hours it was still very soupy. So, I cranked up the heat a bit and continued to stir often. I then decided to go to my computer to make sure I had followed the instructions. That’s when the trouble started. I became so engrossed in the postings that the time got away. Within about 15-20 minutes my jam had reduced considerably and was starting to stick and burn! ARGHHH! I immediately reduced the heat a bit, and started stirring. Interestingly, it was thick and a beautiful, deep red. I tasted it and thankfully no burnt taste or bitterness. NOTE TO SELF: Stay focused, keep stirring, don’t leave cooking food unattended—duh! I ended up with 3.5 pint jars. I am very pleased with the final product and look forward to doing more canning. Next project: Fig preserves!
Could you put in some garlic powder? I’d also like to be able to switch up the spices a little – using roasted fenugreek, fennel, cumin. Garlic powder wouldn’t change the acidity enough to count would it?
Hello! 🙂
I am, at this very moment, making your recipe for the 4th time this summer. I discovered very quickly I did not have time to play with this all day, so after the first time, I cut them up and let them cook down in a crock pot for, no kidding, about 18 hours until I could get back to them. Doing so allowed me to cut back on the sugar (like in half) while at the same time creating a dense, amazing sweetness that has jarred up really well. That also allows us to double the recipe and just let it cook down like crazy. I currently have 2 crock pots going and we’ll put it in jars tonight, so this batch will cook down for nearly 24 hours. If you have any concerns about safety with that, please let us know, but so far, so good. When we are ready to can, we put it in a big stock pot to get it boiling so we can hot pack it, then we adjust for taste and water bath can it.
We just bought about 12 lbs of seconds from our Amazing Amish Connection at one of the farmer’s markets and we started it last night. They’ve cooked down to half in the crock pot, whom we affectionately refer to as Mrs. Cleaver, and the whole house smells like an Italian restaurant. We’ve been pouring it over fresh chickens to bake down and mixing it with goat cheese for an amazing spread, among many other things.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, you are our hero!
This tomato jam is to die for! It is the perfect blending of flavors, and the slight heat from the pepper flakes make it all the better. I had to cook mine down for quite a long time. I used locally harvested slicing tomatoes at their peak, and there was quite a bit of water that cooked out. But, in the end, it came out to the perfect color, flavor, and viscosity. Thank you for sharing!!!!!
I made this today, but mistakenly processed my wide-mouth half-pint jars only 10 minutes in the boiling water canner. I was just now looking at the recipe again and see that they should have processed for 20 minutes. My jars all did seal – should I open them and reprocess, or will they be safe having processed for only 10 minutes?
They should be fine.
I’ve made probably 4 batches of this recipe now since I started last year and just NOW realized something – your yield says 4 – 5 pints. I have always gotten 4 *half* pints. I know you say yield will vary, but I’ve consistently gotten half of what you predict. If I stopped cooking at 4 pints I’d have barely even started cooking it, and my results wouldn’t be even remotely jammy, more soupy. The texture of my finished jam is sublime, perfectly spreadable with little tiny chunks of tomato in it. I also get a much lower yield when I make red onion relish. This is making me question what in the world is going on in my kitchen now! I’m also wondering if I should process my half pints for less than the 25 minutes that pints are to be processed at?
I just finished a batch and the inital taste is AWESOME.
Just have to add that it took much much longer than 1 1/2 hours to get the “sticky, jammy mess”. After the 90 minutes on a “simmer” I still had soup. I pushed up the heat to a light boil and just kept going till I got it reduced. I was using a large variety of smaller tomatoes so not sure if that makes a difference. And in the end I got only 2 pints out of my 5 lbs of tomatoes with a scant 1/2 cup left for the fridge.
I will do this again – probably before the season is done. I truly understand now why the release of commercial bottled ketcup in the late 1800s was such a big deal. Not that it is hard – just time consuming. But this homemade, grown-up version is sooooo much better.
Sheryl, a simmer *is* a light boil. Simmer means a just short of an active boil.
I made this a couple weeks ago. I didn’t have any lime juice so I substituted apple cider vinegar. We just tried it on our hamburgers and it is delicious! Even my highly skeptical husband ( tomato jam… are you kidding?) had to admit he liked it and ate a second hamburger with it. Thank You for this recipe.
I was making this last night (second year in a row, it’s so good!) but completely forgot to add lime juice. I didn’t realize my mistake until I put the jars into the canner. Once I did, I just threw them in the fridge and called it a night. Is it okay to re-heat the jam + lime juice now and then re-process?
I love this recipe! I have made a ton of batches and given as gifts the past two years! I went paleo eating this year and wondered what the effects would be if I cut out the sugar and used honey and/or maple syrup?
Thanks! We love this on steak and roasts! Mmm!
You could try making it with two cups of honey in place of the sugar (honey is sweeter than sugar, so you need less). The flavor will be different, but I’m sure it will still be good.
Hi Marisa-
What is the reason that onion should not be added? Does it change the PH?
Thanks- love your blog!
Susan
Yes, the onion will change the pH and could push it into an unsafe zone. Onions are very low in acid.
Hey there! I’ve made this before, but I’m wondering if it would compromise the canability (that’s a word, right?) to add an onion, finely diced?
Yes. Don’t add onion.
I thought so. Thanks.
I’m slightly bummed that mine didn’t turn into ‘jam’. Mines still a bit runny 🙁 I cooked it for almost 5 hours. It still filled 4 jars though. I love the taste of it. Next time should I just let it keep cooking?
Kristy, I cannot imagine how it’s still runny if you cooked it for almost five hours. Was it bubbling the whole time? Did you stir it regularly? And did you use the full amount of sugar the recipe called for?
I had the same experience when I made this last year – I had to cook for about 6-7 hours but I was using heirloom tomatoes which may have had higher water content. And my patience was rewarded with amazing jam!
I’m about to make a batch today, and am considering either using the crock pot as someone else suggested, or possibly adding some commercial pectin to help the jam set, though cooking it down via patience does really caramelize the sugars.
Made the tomato jam yesterday and loving the flavor but next time I need to cut way back on the chili flakes. Alas, to much heat for my family.
Just made 1/2 recipe with a mix of cherry and medium size tomatoes. It has set beautifully and the taste is out of this world. Awesome recipe…thanks.
If I made this without the chili flakes, would it be like the tomato preserves I remember my Mom making to be eaten on toast? Has anyone tried this?
Having not tried your mom’s tomato preserves, it’s hard to say. But maybe?
I had an assortment of sungold cherry, yellow pear and black cherry tomatoes, and couldn’t consumer 5 pounds worth, so I tried this. I cooked and cooked, and though it still seemed soupy, I jarred and processed. The jars all sealed properly, but the mixture is not at all jammy. After cooling, when I tip the jars, the contents are still soupy.
Can I open the jars, put back in a pot and cook down some more, then re-process? I am hoping for something more jammy and less like a sweet salsa. Thanks very much for this and other recipes on your site!
Mine came out soupy as well… wondering if that is how it is suppose to be? It’s still yummy though
The cook time on this recipe is approximate. You should cook it to the finished texture described. If it’s still soupy, cook it longer!
I made this last night and it is amazing!! I’m so glad I made this recipe. I ended up with 6 half pints and a little left over for the fridge. I will say that I had to cook it down for 3 hours – probably because all of the tomatoes that I had were big boy or another ‘non-roma’ tomato. But I plan to make this again because I want to give them out as gifts and I hate to give away all of this goodness!!
I made this using purple cherry tomatoes from my garden and it was fabulous! As a first time canner I have found so much helpful information on your site. Thank you! Off to make another batch, this time with red tomatoes.
That’s the kind I used also. I think the purple ones are naturally sweeter so I used less sugar and am happy with that!
Hi, I just made this recipe today and it was excellent! I forgot to put in the ginger, but it still tasted great. I’m putting some up to give away as Christmas gifts. I’ll have to get your book, glad I found your blog!
I’ve started this recipe and am down to the red chili flakes. Is that the same as crushed red pepper? If not I’ve got to get in the car and go to the supermarket.
Thanks in advance, thought I had everything.
Yes, the very same thing.
I just made this tonight and actually laughed out loud when I first tasted it, because it was that good. Quite spicy, though…which I’m attributing to the fact that I got my chili flakes at an Indian food market. Probably quite hot comparatively. Made about 3-3.5 pints; don’t think I’ll be giving any of these jars away!
It’s amazing how much variation there is in the heat of red chili flakes! So glad you like the jam, though!
I made this jam for the first time last night. I cooked the tomatoes mixture for 1 and a half hours. Maybe I should have cooked it longer, as mine is still a “little bit” runny, not totally a jam, but still thickened. I expect it is still okay to use. Also, I found it to be a bit sweet – with a “candied” tomato feel. I will try it will a cup less sugar next time. But, it is so delicious! Any thoughts?
With a jam like this, cooking times vary depending on the water content of the tomatoes. So it may have needed more time. And you can certainly reduce the amount of sugar if you want.
I don’t have time to read over 200 comments, so I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned this, but if you really want to change your life – try adding some sweet smoked paprika to the recipe=) heaven!
Ack! I can’t believe I didn’t add some. Granted it has enough heat but we add that stuff to everything usually and it is always awesome! Thanks for the reminder!
I made a batch of this jam last week, and we really like it. My daughter-in-law calls it “magical.” Anyway, I was wondering how long is it okay to use an open, refrigerated jar of this jam? Thanks!
It keeps in the fridge for many weeks.
I have a double batch on the stove now. It has been cooking for five hours but my tomatoes were really juicy. I think it has about another hour to go-low and slow. The flavor is really delicious. I think I got carried away with the pepper flakes so if you don’t like heat you might want to adjust that. Thinking it would be delicious on cream cheese with crackers or even added to soups and stews to add a little zip and depth of flavor.
I have a bunch of grape tomatoes to use and would love to try the tomato jam. Should I still use 5 pounds of them? If I have less, can I adjust the recipe accordingly? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
Karen, you can certainly adjust the recipe to use the number of grape tomatoes that you have.
This sounds wonderful. Anyone tried making a sugar free version? Would Splenda brown sugar work or does it need real sugar?
This has been in my to-do file for almost 2 years, and I’m so sad that I’ve missed out on two years of this deliciousness! I’m eating it on a grilled cheese sandwich right now – holy yum! Thanks for the recipe!
I am SO glad our garden runneth over in tomatoes this year!!! I was racking my brain to figure out what to do with them all when I stumbled upon your website. First I made the yellow tomato basil jam tediously chopping sweet yellow cherry tomatoes and, after tasting, it was worth every minute of the time spent. This past weekend, I made the tomato jam. My husband tried it on his pepperjack cheese while eating cheese and crackers….we also had it on our grilled burgers that evening. I plan to be very choosey as far as who I gift these delicious gems to! Thank you! I have bookmarked your site and plan to visit often!
Hi,
I have my own garden and a huge blackberry patch. I live alone and a lot of stuff goes to waste (my relatives and friends have their own gardens also) so I’m going to make some of this jam–also the blueberry, peach and blackberry jams. But: since I don’t have a food scale and can’t afford to buy one right now, is there another method to determine the 5 lbs?
I also make lots of dilly beans every year–can’t have a sandwich without them! I do have a great recipe for those, from America’s Test Kitchens. Also, the BHG recipe for dill pickles turned out to be the best I ever made last year.
I’m happy that I found your site.
Thanks
Lynn, it’s about 12 cups of chopped tomatoes.
Thanks Marisa!
This is amazingly delicious! I don’t eat tomatoes, but this honestly transformed them into something totally different — like a mix between super rich BBQ sauce and pepper jelly. Can’t decide whether to give it to friends or horde it all myself, but it’s definitely going in my recipe file.
Tried a small (small as in I only had 1 lb of tomatoes & they needed to find a purpose soon) batch of this last night and it is DELICIOUS! Aside from scaling down measurements, the only change I made was using brown sugar. After cooking down, it only filled one half-pint jar, so it’s obviously not going to be stored in the pantry, but rather in the fridge for the short time until it’s devoured. 🙂 Can’t wait until I have enough tomatoes to make a full batch so I can truly can some!
This recipe sounds wonderful! I do have one question, though – – – any thoughts on cutting down the amount of sugar? Not only do I tend to like my tomato ‘stuff’ (ketchup, sauce, etc.) a little on the less sweet side, but I also try to stay away from sugar in my diet overall. Thanks!
I only had 2.5 cups and I wouldn’t add more actually. It has a nice sweet start and a spicy finish.
Thanks, Heather! I’m getting ready to make another (full) batch today.
Thanks. Much appreciated. I’m attending a canning swap and would rather not make anyone ill. 😉
Marisa, just wondering if the processing time is the same for a half pint jar?
Yes. Processing times never go down for smaller jars. They only go up for larger ones.
I’m really looking forward to making this recipe, but was just wondering do you still process it for 20 minutes if you use 1/2pt jars? I’m on the newer side to canning, but I love it and want to make sure that I don’t mess anything up. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this recipe! It was a struggle while this was cooking to not want to just eat it up! I think I’ll have to make another batch and gift it for Christmas. I’m looking forward to a very snazzy grilled cheese for lunch I think!
Can you chop the tomatoes using a food processer or blender? Can you use commercially prepared key lime juice? Thank you so much. Mimi
It’s best not to use a food processor or blender for this, because they tend to mash and tear the tomatoes. You want to start with chunks, not a puree. It’s fine to use bottled lime juice.
I’m not Marisa but my 2 cents based on last year’s experience is that it works fine in a food processor. I did it this way. I was just careful not to overprocess and I was very happy with the finished product.
Do you really need to process in water bath fro 20 minutes? Thanks Mimi
Because of its density, yes.
Hi-looking forward to making this. Do you think it could be frozen in jars rather than giving a water bath? Perhaps not as long a shelf life? Texture change? Thoughts?
Thank you. Kate
I’ve never frozen it, so I don’t know. I only can it.
This looks delicious! Do you weight for 5 pounds after or before coring? I have five pounds tomatoes AFTER coring and chopping, which seems like a lot. Hmm. Thank you!
When recipes ask for weight, it’s always the starting weight, before you core, peel and chop.
I think that it depends on the wording.
“Five pounds tomatoes, cored and finely chopped”
would mean something different to me than
“Five pounds cored and finely chopped tomatoes”
I would translate the first as meaning “start with five pounds and then core and chop” and the second as “core and chop, then weigh out amount”
It would be clearer if there were measurements for how much chopped tomato you end up (cups or weight) with rather than the starting weight of the tomatoes. How much five pounds of tomatoes ends up to be depends on what kind of tomatoes, what size, how aggressively you trim vs. how I do it, etc. Those differences translate to a different finished product.
That said, this is one of my all time favorite recipes. I made three batches last year and am all set to make the first double batch of the year. Thank you so much for this (and many other recipes!)
I am getting ready to make this for the first time. Do you strain the juice before you cook the batch? Do you strain it at all?
Nope, no need to strain.
“WOW!” Is that my family said about the tomato jam. I made it exactly to your recipe. I cooked it for 1 1/2 hrs. and was a nice “preserve” constancy. I ended up with 5, 1/2 pint jars. After picking 5 lbs from our garden I ended up with a combination of tomatoes ranging from heirloom to cherry, red, yellow & green. I read some where that green (under ripe) tomatoes have more pectin. Next time I will use more green to hopefully cut down on the reduction/cooking time to have more of this tomato treasure.
Again, thanks for this site.
I love the flavor of this recipe, but having trouble with the consistency. I’ve tried it twice now without the ingredients simmering down to a ‘sticky and jammy mess.’ Instead after 1.5 hours simmering the tomatoes maintain a sauce like consistency. Given, after placing a jar in the fridge it became a teeny, tiny bit more jam like but not enough to be spreadable. Again, I love the flavor, I just need it to jam!
Any thoughts?
Jennifer
Jennifer, it sounds like you need to cook it more. Your idea of a simmer might be slightly different from mine, so you might not be cooking it as high as I do. Essentially, with this recipe, you just keep cooking until you reach the desired texture. One and a half hours is just a suggestion.
I was told this was not an approved canning recipe, due to the unknown pH. I canned a 1/2 batch and thought with all that lime juice it’d be safe? This one has me baffled.
I made it with the crockpot and love it! I used up cherry tomatoes and even though I’m not a ketchup fan, this stuff is really good!
Sorry, I didn’t see the post above mine.
I’m an experienced canner, and was not worried till someone brought it up.
Joyce, this recipe is totally fine as far as acidity goes. Tomatoes are acidified at the rate of 1 tablespoon of lemon/lime juice per pint jar. This recipe has 8 tablespoons in it and yields no more than 5 pints. That’s more acid than is required for safety. I don’t know who told you it was unsafe, but it sounds like they’re just trying to make trouble.
Thank you both so much for the input. I miss-worded my post. I was referring to using fresh lemon or lime juice which was said to have a variety (un-stable) of pH levels. The Ag. Dept. stressed on using bottled lemon juice or the dry citric acid that is at a (controlled) constant level of the recommended pH level. If fresh lemon or lime juice is used then use a pressure canner and process at 10 lbs. for 15 minutes (high elevations). I assume that tomato’s are on the cusp of the low acid scale.
I have this on the stove now, which tastes and smells sooooo good. Thank you for your site.
Dorothy
I was reading a post from the Dept of Ag. In the section regarding canning tomato’s they were firm that citric acid or bottled lemon juice be used to be sure that the acid pH level was correct. They were also stressing that it be processed at 240 degrees to kill any possible toxins. I am new to canning! Any input? I just want to keep my family okay. We live in a very hot area and want to store this for the winter.
Thanks…. Dorothy
Dorothy, if you don’t add acid to your tomatoes, they do need to be processed at 240 degrees (ie. in a pressure canner). However, if you properly acidify your tomatoes, they can safely be canned in a boiling water bath canner. Because this jam contains lime juice, it is considered properly acidified and so is perfectly safe as written.
Yummy! Love this slathered over avocado slices with a sprinkle of tangy farm cheese, and sometimes I wrap this up in a tortilla for lunch. Also a wonderful glaze for grilling chicken breasts.
2 more questions….. Can I use powdered ginger, and do you think this would cook down in a crock pot?
You could use powdered ginger, though it won’t give you the kick that you can get from the fresh stuff. And I’m not sure how it would do in a crock pot. It would probably take 4-6 hours to get to a finished consistency. That’s just a guess, though. I’ve always made this one on the stove top so I don’t know for sure.
Do you think that this recipe would work with Splenda instead of sugar?
Probably not. This jam needs the sugar to help it develop its finished consistency.
This recipe was WAY TOO SALTY for me….. 1 teaspoon of salt would probably be more like it……
I find that 1 tablespoon of salt is the right amount for me. However, every palate is different. Sorry that you’re disappointed.
I just came back by because I’m getting ready to make this year’s batch of this. Or I should say, batches, as judging from the popularity of last year’s, one batch simply will NOT be enough. Thanks again for sharing, it’s now one of the top recipes for canning that I have!!!
I had enough tomatoes for 3 batches of jam (this after I made a big pot of marinara sauce), so I got to test what would gel and what wouldn’t, and two different flavor variations.
I had a mix of overripe and underripe tomatoes, so had plenty of juice. I didn’t think to strain it for the first batch but did for the combined 2nd and 3rd, so that last batch jammed up nicely while the first I added a little pectin to it out of worry. I flavored one batch according to this recipe (minus the chili), and the other was spicy with the pepper flakes, horseradish, and mustard seed. I’ll be curious to see which I like more. The sweeter one on bread just now didn’t taste like tomato at all to me, which almost was a disappointment, but I’ve also never had tomato jam before.
I have a batch of this just finishing up and I am about to can it. This stuff is amazing!!!!
We are down to our last jar and I was just looking at this recipe again while making my spreadsheet for preserves for next summer. 🙂 I think this may well have been our favorite preserve last year. So good!
This is amazing on a sandwich with bacon and lettuce. A BLT in the wintertime!!
That sounds really good!
This is the best tomato jam I have had – spicey and sweet! Thank you again for your recipes, I am really enjoying your site!
I have been making tomato jam for a few years. As with most jams, results are variable according to the type of fruit used and–sometimes important to success–its ripeness. That perfectly ripe or overripe fruit of any variety sometimes fails to gel because the pectin is too low. I usually try to use about 25% underripe fruit and that usually insures gelling and decreases the cooking time which also helps preserve that fresh flavor. So, try to think about making your jam early in the season when pectin content is higher even though it’s tempting to use up late season fruit by making jam. (Not that it won’t work with late season…I’m just sayin’.)
I enjoy Tomato Jam made with cherry tomatoes–just cut each one in half rather than chopping and proceed with the recipe. A few underripe ones will help with gelling, as will addition of the lime juice called for in the recipe. Cherry tomatoes are usually very juicy, not like the plum types, and so may take a bit longer cooking. Their skins provide a chew that I really enjoy. I like to add a few very thin slices of lime in addition to the juice.
Seasonings: To me, the salt and the pepper flakes detract from the sweet jammy impression that I love. Suit yourself (as I know you will). I like to use a spice bag with whole cloves and stick cinnamon, which gives a beautiful clarity to the jam. Also try using orange juice plus rind/slices for a different flavor. If you have those short (1″) cinnamon sticks, put one in each jar for flavor and loveliness–nice for gifting.
Can’t believe you’re still with me here! Thanks for reading….
Yes, unripe fruit helps jams “set”! Thanks for reminding me– just picked a few unripe tomatoes from the garden & threw them into the pot!
Making this Tomato Jam a second time. First batch was awesome and almost gone so in the midst of setting up for the next batch. Thanks so much for the recipe. Yummmm
This is amazing on sourdough with leftover turkey and gorgonzola!!
Seriously…WOW! I am processing this delicious recipe right now. I did add a hint of allspice to the mix instead of the ginger and used lemon juice instead of the lime (simply because I didn’t have any ginger or lime juice in the house). And I can’t get enough. Can’t wait to open it up for leftover turkey sandwiches this weekend. Yum. Thank you for sharing.
Have this on the stove right now- tastes amazing!
Whoo….that’s ‘picy! Great recipe 🙂
Quick update on the jam. Forgot to pick up some fresh ginger so I substituted with pickled ginger I had on hand. I think it’s a winner…but, will know for sure in an hour or so. Smells delicious!
Thanks again for sharing.
Marisa,
Just found your site…yum! This is the first year I’ve really gotten serious about preserving food. I can tell I’ll be visiting here often…wonderful!
I’m getting 75 pounds of Romas on Saturday and plan to turn some of them into this jam recipe. I’m thinking it would be a delicious filling for a baked brie for the holidays.
Thanks for the terrific ideas!
Best,
Michelle
This tomato jam is THE BOMB. I made two batches before the local tomatoes went out of season and I fear I don’t have enough put up to last through the winter. This jam makes me smile; will give some as Christmas gifts, but not too many. Thanks so much for this great recipe and a fabulous blog.
I just want to say that I made this a couple of months ago and I am going to have to make more already. It is so good, especially on fish. I just hope I get enough tomatoes from the garden before the season ends! Great on sandwiches, too. I know I should make ketchup for my son instead, but heck, he’s only 8. He’ll be fine with Trader Joe’s. ;D
I was asked to pick my friend’s tomatoes while she was gone. The first picking I basically just ran around giving them all away. The next batch I decided to roast in the oven ( olive oil, dried basil, onions, sea salt and pepper) and we have been eating it as spaghetti sauce….and I made tomato soup from part of it. I had already made two sheet trays which made 8 cups of sauce. Yesterday most of the remaining tomatoes seemed to have reddened up ready to work with. I put them in the oven to roast and then found your recipe for jam, and decided to give it a try as I didn’t want to go through the whole deskinning, and ricing to get out the seeds. It was late, but I just added in some things. I rarely follow recipes, but use them as an inspiration. I didn’t have lime juice but found some sour orange in a bottle. I have no idea why I have that, but I used that, and a little lemon juice, some cinnamon, and the minced ginger ( which is weird , it was the first time I had ever bought a stub of ginger and had not used it and didn’t have a plan for it. I had been at the store and thought “why have I never bought fresh ginger?” ) Anyway, I added in brown sugar and some white sugar. Then I just mixed it up and stuck it in the frig. This morning I melted some cheese toast on homemade bread in the skillet with some olive oil…and then dumped some of this mix on it. Heavenly. I was a little worried about the onions and basil but they are a great addition. Just makes it a little savory. I think I will just go and dump it in the crockpot and let it cook down and see if I can find some jars. I don’t think it will make very much. I will probably just put it in the frig or maybe even just freeze a little jar…Now I am pretty excited to go pick my friend’s tomatoes one more time before she gets back! I will make sure to give her a little jar too!
Do you think it would matter if I diced up the green tomatoes and just added them in as well? There were a few that I could tell were just going to totally split open before they ripened on the vine. I have been making fried green tomatoes with them.
Linda, the concoction you made sounds delicious, but since you didn’t add the lime juice (necessary acid) and added onions, it’s probably not safe for canning. When it comes to canning, it is important to follow recipes.
This recipe was amazing. Thanks for sharing and inspiring!
I had a couple pounds of tomatos gifted to me this week, so decided to try your tomato jam recipe. Yum, it really is life changing!!! Awesome by itself, even better with a little crumble on blue cheese on a water cracker!
Finally got into the tomato jam I’d made about a month ago, and it is AMAZING! May never eat a turkey sandwich without it ever again – thanks so much for sharing this fabulous recipe! Yum, yum, yum.
Just made this tonight. Started with 5 lbs of very ripe cherry toms that I just cut in half. It took about 2 hours to cook down to 3 pints. As someone else said, the color is fabulous. Taste is like an incredibly rich ketchup. I used lemon instead of limes since there’s a ready source of lemons in the neighborhood.
This is excellent! And much easier than tomato sauce or ketchup, since the peels and seeds stay in. I’m glad you cross-referenced the recipe in your tomato post this year, since I’d missed it the first time around. I cut the sugar down to 2 cups (used brown sugar for a deeper flavor), and it was nice and jammy after about an hour. Made 6 half-pints. Thanks for a great addition to my tomato canning season.
3.5 pints in the canner! This stuff is awesome! A tad on the sweet side, and plenty of heat. 🙂 Thank you for the great recipe!!!!!
I’ve made two batches of this jam, and it is really good. On the second batch, cut the sugar by 1/2 cup, and only used 1/2 tsp. chili flakes. Took longer to cook down, about two hours, but the flavor is still great. The tomato mix was about 1/2 Romas, and 1/2 heirlooms, and some from my friends garden that looked like cherry tomatoes on steroids. Will do this again next year. Thanks so much for the great recipes you give us!
Marisa- I just made this and it is absolutely the best thing I have ever canned. I want to just go at it with a spoon. And the color is amazing!
I have to update my above comment. I tasted this again after it has cooled off the next morning, and the result was SUPERB! I served it during supper that day, and my husband, who is not a fan of tomatoes (raw or cooked), loved it, even plain. I also asked my SIL to taste it and see if she can market it. She never liked cooked tomatoes until she tried this tomato jam, and yes she thinks she can market it (she supplies the small stores in this area). So, thanks a bunch for this recipe!
A hint? We took the lid off of our crock pot and let it simmer and have a bit of the fluid evaporated and we got a very thick product. Amazing what the stick blender does for it!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It was just what I needed to use up the final few tomatoes from this year’s garden – these were small little guys, and I wasn’t looking forward to trying to peel and seed them. It took several hours to reduce down to jam consistency, and my yield was 5 half pints. The taste is amazing, and this will become a regular in my canning repertoire!
Just finished canning a batch of this! Heavenly! We got 4.5 half pints, FYI.
Finally, finally made this stuff. It never “jammed” up for me though. I let it sit for 24 hours in a crock pot and it was still kind of runny. It did turn into a lovely dark red and still had fantastic flavor. I put it in my Vitamix and pureed it. So now I have a wonderful, unique BBQ sauce that will still make great Christmas gifts. I really wanted the jam but I guess I can mix some sauce into whipped cream cheese and make a yummy spread? Thanks, Marisa.
Sorry to hear that it didn’t jam for you! Mixing it into cream cheese sounds delicious!
i’m on hour 3 of simmering this jam (eeps!). i used around 5 pounds of brandywine heirlooms. should i bring the whole thing to a hard boil again or just let it simmer forever until it looks all jammy?
Kyna, I’m afraid I’m replying too late to be helpful. But essentially, the trick with this jam is just to cook the liquid out. So whether you do it at a hard boil or a slow simmer, the end effect should be the same.
Hello main blog person!
I just found this recipe and am going to try it… I had a question, though, about the amount of sugar called for. that seems like a lot! I never use that much sugar in any of my other jam recipes. How sweet is the tomato jam and have you tried using less sugar or pectin? Thanks!
-mothling.
I have not made this jam with less sugar than the recipe calls for. Because this jam doesn’t have any additional pectin, it needs the presence of the sugar to help it set. For more information about reducing sugar, read this post: https://foodinjars.com.s164546.gridserver.com/arugulapesto/2010/12/canning-101-how-to-can-creatively-and-still-be-safe/
New to canning, Uh-Oh???
I have a batch of tomato jam simmering on the stove as I type, but now I’m wondering whether I’m in trouble… or not…
I used 5 lbs of chopped tomatoes. These are heirlooms*, subjected to a dry summer followed by drenching from (2) tropical storms, so I removed a good deal of cracking and scarring. Is the 5 lbs called for in your recipe before or after prep? If before, is my 5 lb batch now too low on acid to be safe and shelf stable?
(*Using Aunt Ruby’s German Green, may not be pretty but they’re what’s in my garden right now and I’m thinking they’ll give a nice ‘smokey’ nuance to the jam.)
Somebody asked me on fb if I had a recipe for tomato jam (I posted on my wall that I was not yet done canning tomatoes. Of course, I did not, but the Q triggered me to search for several. I chose to try this recipe. I was able to make 7 half-pint jars from this recipe. While the taste was not what I expected, it definitely was very good, albeit a bit too salty for me, but then if I will use this for something like a glaze for ham or a roast beef, maybe it will be just fine.
I probably will make some more tomorrow and use more sugar, less salt. Then I can imagine using it on crackers with some cream cheese.
So excited, I made this tonight and the flavor is amazing! In Portland, Or out tomatoes are just now in full swing. I am pretty new to canning. I decreased the water bath time because I used 4 oz jars. This was based on somethings I read on other websites as well as food in jars. The jars sealed, do you think they are safe to store?
Love your website!!!!
Alisa, the rule of thumb is that you don’t reduce the processing time for small jars, you only increase it for larger jars. It takes 10 minutes in a boiling water bath for something to become sterile, and if you didn’t start with sterilized jars, you’ve got to give them that 10 minutes to ensure that any microorganisms are killed. However, if your jars were boiled for at least ten minutes before you filled them, you should be fine.