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 just made my 2nd batch of this delicious tomato jam with one snafu: after water bath and all half-pint pinged and sealed, it seems I have more of a ketchup consistency this go round vs a jammy set . Can i open and cook down more, then reprocess?
yes.
I just made this and it came out runny. I am about to open the jars and reboil and add pectin….should I not succumb to the allure of pectin? will that even work?
I need it to be firm! btw i used all cherry tomatoes and 3 cups sugar instead of 3.5…
If it’s runny, that simply means you didn’t cook it enough (reducing the sugar also leads to a looser texture). If you want to firm it up, it would be better to open the jars and cook it longer. Pectin isn’t really necessary here, more cooking time is.
we are trying this , but our tomatoes had parts that we needed to cut off. Plus I don’t have a scale. Could you please tell me how many cups of tomatoes cut up would be??
THANKS!
It’s probably 10-12 cups of chopped tomatoes.
Well, it’s 9:16pm – still trying to cook these tomatoes down. My house smells ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!!!! Nice addition to this Fall type day. I had some REAL juicy tomatoes I guess. My husband loves the flavor already! He chopped all the tomatoes, so we’re not giving up! We doubled the recipe since we have an overload of tomatoes. Just about ready to can. :o)
Deby, it’s the fact that you doubled the recipe that’s causing your troubles getting it to cook down. When you put more volume in the pot but you don’t increase the surface area, you vastly increase the amount of time it takes to reduce. Keep with it, though. It will happen eventually, though.
I only have 2 lbs of cherry tomatoes but I don’t want them to go bad. Can I still do this recipe just 1/2 it?
Or can I add some green tomatoes?
You can definitely cut it in half. I’ve not tried it with green tomatoes, so I don’t know how that will impact the yield and flavor.
how long to just pressure it – (not a water bath) and at how many pounds? for pints.
also, I would like to use only honey – (half the amount of sugar) – anyone else try that?
Deby, this recipe does not need to be pressure canned. It has more than enough acid for boiling water bath canning. There’s absolutely no reason to process it in a pressure canner. To swap honey for sugar, reduce the volume by 3/4.
Just about to make the 2013 of this jam, which was the hugest hit last year. Everyone we gave a jar to raved, and asked if they could get a bigger jar next time! Last year, I dropped the sugar to 2.5 c and increased lime juice to 10T, as well as 1 tsp paprika which I saw recommended in a couple of comments – the balance of sweet/acid/spice was perfect for our tastes. This time, I mistakenly measured 1.5 T red chili flakes, and I’m inclined to “go for it” rather than make myself crazy trying to spoon some out. We do like spicy so I don’t think the taste will be the issue, but I would love to know if an additional 1/2 T of the chili flakes would impact acid levels. I am still going with the 10T lime juice (up from your 8T). I’m a pretty experienced canner in terms of the cooking/jarring part, but have never been confident about the acidity part, and rely on folks like you for safe recipes.
Actually increased lime juice to 12T, just for giggles. Still interested in your thoughts on acidity impact of 1 tsp paprika and and extra 1/2 T chili flakes.
The additional paprika and chili flakes should have no impact on the finished acidity.
I LOVE this recipe, it never lasts very long in my house! I’m just using regular jam jars with screw lids as the preserving jars are expensive in London. Is there a way to seal normal jam jars to make this self safe????
Check out Gloria Nicol’s blog, Laundry Etc. She is based in England and so has all sort of tips on preserving with the jars and bottles you have available to you over there. http://www.laundryetc.co.uk/
Can I substitute bottled lemon juice?
yes.
Can I used fresh squeezed lime juice for this or does it need to be bottled?
It’s recommended that you use bottled lime juice to ensure a consistent acidity.
Can you replace all or some of the sugar with Splenda?
You could certainly try replacing some of the sugar with Splenda. However, do know that this recipe depends on the sugar for texture and set, so if you replace all the sugar with Splenda, you’re going to have a hell of a time getting it to set. What’s more, sugar acts as a preservative, so a batch made without it won’t last as long. Finally, I must tell you that I’ve never made it with Splenda, so I can’t guarantee your results. It might be terrible. I just don’t know.
Hi – we planted a bunch of tomato plants – and the ones that survived only produced baby tomatoes…. as I scoured to find what to use my tomatoes for I found the recipe – and a few hours later am enjoying my 5 star tomato jam!! It is amazing!! I scooped out the remainder from my saucepan (during processing) and paired it with Ewephoria Gouda + red wine…. yum!! Can’t wait to share the rest.
What size jars is the processing time for this recipe? I am always looking for recipes that don’t involve peeling and seeding things!
Pints or smaller.
I got 15 pounds of really ripe tomatoes for cheap at a local farmers market so tomato jam here I come. Half my BFFs are on some crazy sugar free diet so I decreased the sugar to 2 cups, added a minced jalapeño and 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar per someone else’s suggestion. It’s cooking now and smells awesome. I’m not going to can this batch because I’ll bet said BFFs are going to gobbleit up tonight. Will adjust favors and can th next batch because I still have 10# of tomatoes to use up.
What types of tomatoes produce the best yield / results?
I made you tomato jam recipe yesterday.It is really nice however a little too sweet.
I skipped the final process in the water bath. How long will it last in the cupboard or is it better to keep it in the fridge?
Chrissy, if you don’t run it through the water bath process, you must refrigerate it. It is not shelf stable otherwise.
Everybody I gave a jar to LOVES this jam! Thank you for the recipe! I was just wondering how you came up with the twenty minute processing time?
Tomato Jam is traditional and Portuguese,my grand mother made this every year,when was the time for the tomato picking in our farm,and this is not the correct way to make this speacial Jam ,yes it can be use as a ketchup as it has been added with other ingredients savory, but to be a delicious flavoured Tomato Jam it doesnt need any savoury ingredients,as it is naturally delicious from its original way of making it,as i stil make it myself.
IT has a great secret.
I used this last night as a glaze for roasted chicken (along with a little bit of dijon mustard) and I think that’s my new favorite tomato jam application. Thanks!
I made this the other day and have it set aside for gifts. It is really good, but a little sweet for me since I don’t eat sweets. I added just a splash of balsamic vinegar to give it some depth and cut the sweetness some. Delicious.
I’ll make this again next summer when the tomatoes come in.
Made this in the weekend and it is amazing. I can see a few more batches being made over the summer
Am making this for the first time, first time jam ever actually, and am wondering if I simmer covered or uncovered? In the process now so am going to try uncovered but let me know for next time!
Thanks:)
Jam is always cooked uncovered.
Had Tomato Jam at the Z Cafe here in Pleasanton, CA it was so good in my sandwich, came home that day and saw all my tomatoes on my plant and now I’ve made 3 batches of it. I keep giving it away so everyone can try it. X-mas gifts here we go. Thanks!!
I made my first batch last night, and it was amazing! I can’t wait to put it on a grilled cheese, or really just open up a jar and eat it straight. It may be served with brie and crackers tomorrow night too. And perhaps over eggs tomorrow morning…
Thank you so much for this recipe! It is fantastic. I put it in a provolone grilled cheese the other day… yum. Some of the jam oozed out of the sandwich and onto the pan and it got all thick and sticky and caramelized- it was like tomato candy. In a good way!
Thanks again!
Hi, I made this recipe a few weeks ago and I love it! Jam, brie, and Arugula sandwiches are delicious. Anyway, I don’t have a food scale, and I picked the last of my tomatoes from my garden, but I am not sure how much it is. About how many cups are in 5lbs? I am using juliet tomatoes (last time I approximated 2 cups per pound).
I typically estimate 2 cups per pound as well.
Thanks for sharing. A few questions from a newbie:
1. What size pot did you use? I am trying to figure out what size I may need to buy.
2. Can you use early girl tomatoes?
1. I tend to use a wide, 8 quart pan to cook this jam in. You want something that is wide, low, and non-reactive (meaning, it’s made from bare cast iron or bare aluminum).
2. You can certain use early girls.
One thing to bear in mind about early girls, though, is their thicker skins (especially if you’re using dry-farmed ones). I split 50/50 momotaros and early girls and I still felt like I was happier fishing out a few skins towards the end.
PS, Marisa, I’m Stephanie’s (grubreport) friend who asked about canning whole tomatoes in pints. Thanks for the advice – worked perfectly!
Hello Fatemeh! Thanks so much for weighing in on the Early Girl issue! And I’m so glad to hear that my advice was helpful!
Thanks SO much for this recipe. I’ve just learned to can in the last few months. This is BY FAR the best jelly I’ve made! Thanks again!
Marisa,
Thanks for the wonderful recipe-served it at book club with soft goat cheese, brie and crackers and it was a huge hit. I was very dubious about using this recipe initially but I have several varieties of cherry tomatoes that I needed to use. This was a great site for preserving these tomatoes instead of having them go to waste. Thanks again for the wonderful recipe and site!
Hi,
Just googled tomato jam and found your site. I am a big fan of slow roasting
tomatoes but thought having a jar of jam would be nice, too. I am not a person
who does ‘jam’ so I am unfamiliar with the ‘bathing’ part.
So, if I do not do this process:
How long would a jar last in the fidge?
Can a jar be frozen till ready for use.
My husband and I are on a quest to reduce the sugar and eliminate the grains in our diet. I wanted to make this, but I couldn’t add that much sugar. So, I used half the recommended amount of sugar, but I did it with a half sugar/half splenda mixture and 1/4 c of honey swirled in near the end. Then I doubled this recipe (WE LOVE TOMATO JAM) otherwise. I added two tbsp of smoked paprika (remember this was a double batch) and subbed half of the lime juice with balsamic vinegar. I initially started the jam on the stove until the liquid was cooked down by 1/4, then it all went in the crock pot on high overnight and on low during the next day. I elevated the crockpot lid with a couple of wooden spoons so it could reduce, retain heat and not spatter.
This is so versatile and delicious…we love it on cooked turkey and chicken, salmon, cheeses, you name it, it’s delish!
Can you use ground ginger in place of the grated?if so what measurement would you recomend?
Rachel, I actually don’t recommend that swap. The flavor won’t be nearly as intense.
Thanks again for the recipe. The jars I shared at the canning swap were a hit. Mentioned you in my post & linked back to the recipe.
http://myediblejourney.com/2012/10/02/canning-swap/
I usually just top my jams with wax. Would this work on the tomato jam?
Kelly, that method for sealing is not recommended anymore.
I just made this jam and it’s in jars and one has already “popped”! I got four half pints out of the 5 pounds of tomatoes and I had no problem at all with it thickening – I just followed Marissa’s definition of simmering being at a very low boil. The recipe called for lime juice so I squeezed fresh limes; it did not occur to me that the acidity in bottled lime juice would be different. I had no fresh ginger so I simply left that out and it tastes quite yummy regardless. This was SUPER easy to make and I recommend it for someone who is not used to making jam or canning anything as a first try. I’m going to put this on veggie burgers, and brie or cream cheese as a dip. I’m sure roasted potatoes would enjoy this topping as well….and scrambled eggs. Anything that you would put ketchup on or chili sauce would be good, I’m sure. Thank you for a great recipe!
YUM! This recipe is fantastic! I will be making more of this to use up the remaining tomatoes in the garden. I was worried that some of my tomatoes were to ‘orange’ but after cooking the jam is still a deep beautiful red and tastes delicious! I have a new baby so I couldn’t dedicate 1.5 hours of stirring and attention so I reduced my jam in a crock pot with the lid askew (no chance of burning). I left it on low overnight, and will crank it on high for a few more hours this morning so it thickens to my liking. I will also give it one final boil on the stove as an extra food safety measure before canning.
Thanks for the recipe!!
So I tried the Tomato Jam Recipe – and I made the fatal mistake of running to town for a few items while it cooked……I came home and it had stuck and looked like it was burnt. Tasting it it doesn’t taste burnt but taste really strong and concentrated. So question for everyone is – do I make another batch and incorporate this one into it to “thin it” or do I can this little bit knowing I only use a teaspoon of the stuff on anything…Help!
Marissa, is this a recipe that can be doubled or even tripled in the pan? It’s so, so good, but it’s hard to be able to make only four half pints (if I’m lucky!) at a time. I’m wondering also about adding some garlic or onions: we found some onions in the soil (planted by a colleague) when pulling all the tomato plants out.
Thanks!
Can you use fresh lime juice or does it need to be the concentrated juice out of the bottle? thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Normally when it comes to tomatoes, you want to use the bottled juice because of its consistency acidity. However, with this recipe, I’ve includes more than double the amount of lime juice necessary for safety, so you can use fresh and not worry if the fresh lime juice happens to be slightly lower in acidity than the bottled version.
OMG!!! Just put it in the jars. A bit of heaven. I used my grape tomatoes. I had a moment when it began to darken…I was almost going to grab my stick blender and smooth it out a bit…sooooo glad I didn’t. It is awesome.
Thank you…Thank you.
i made a batch yesterday and stuck it in the fridge overnight-do i need to bring to room temp or anything before i go ahead with the water bath? thanks!
I have a bunch of grape tomatoes to preserve. My question is, can this be stored as freezer jam? And if so how long would it last? I have no canning equipment or experience. I did make two batches of freezer strawberry jam this summer, though! Thanks!
I made tomato jam about 4 weeks ago and love this recipe! However, I did not water bath mine, the lids are sealed and they have been stored in a cool dark place. Would it be safe to water bath them now? I would hate to have to throw it all out, but I would hate to get sick or worse, worse…
Thanks!
Could I substitute a different sweetener for the sugar? Is it safe to can with less sugar? Also, would it be safe to use fresh hot peppers instead of chili flakes?
No, you can’t use a different sweetener, because you need the chemical reaction that sugar provides. You can safely reduce the sugar, but you don’t want to cut it back too drastically. And if you’re going to use fresh pepper, you can’t use much.
Aha, so that’s what we did wrong….we were processing 20 lbs of tomatoes (for various uses) and skinned/seeded them all before we started making jam. Next time we’ll just chop and go! Our jam, despite 2 hrs of simmering, was runny. Also we used honey and sugar (much less than the NY Times/Melissa Clark recipe called for), and I think the honey flavor was too strong.
Thanks! Love this site!
I’m a huge fan of this recipe. It’s now a pantry staple – thankyou! I’m about to inundated with a pre-frost harvest of green tomatoes here in the midwest. Have you ever adapted it for greens? Is the acidity in green tomatoes different (which would mean I’d need to adjust the acid levels?). Much appreciate any thoughts…(and I’ll let you know how it works out!)
How did it turn out? I just picked a few pounds of green tomatoes before the upcoming frost and have made this jam using red ones. Crossing my fingers that you had good luck!
First of all, I love your site (& have put your book on my wish list)!
I have just finished making a batch of your tomato jam. I absolutely love it – I’m already envisioning a round of Brie smothered in the jam baked inside puff pastry… My husband found it too sweet. My ‘long story short’ question is can you reduce the amount of sugar in the jam without messing it up?
You can reduce the sugar a bit, but sugar does play a role in its finished consistency, so you don’t want to pull it back too much.
We are in the process of simmering and we are on hour 4. Just wondering what we can do to speed up the cook down process?! Also would straining the chopped tomatoes before hand help?
It sounds like you’re not cooking it quite high enough. Crank the heat to cook faster.
Just made this for the first time using cherry tomatoes, yummy! Can’t wait to use it on meatloaf.
I was surprised just how good this recipe is…. I was skeptical on the sound of it, but is turned out awesome. When I was having trouble with it thickening, I just added a little more sugar, and it set up perfect. I am making my second batch right now, the first batch was with the seeds, and skin, the second I used a food mill and am trying to have it turn out like a jelly. I put it on a Wheat Thin Cracker, with cream cheese..YUM. Thanks for the great recipe.
Love the slight heat at the end. I did the simmering today and will can tomorrow. Thank for a great recipe
I made this at the reccomendation of my sister-in law. Holy crap is it good. Next time you make chili put about 1/4 of tomato jam in it. Huge difference my best pot of chilit yet.
Hi there! I can’t wait to try this. I have tons of grape tomatoes that are frozen. How should I prepare them? Defrost and a quick run through a blender? I am not too keen the idea of trying to chop them all up. Thanks!
Hannah, since they’re frozen, they’ll probably break down upon defrosting enough that you can make the jam with them with no additional chopping.
Okay, great! Thanks so much!!! Looking forward to my weekend project.
Delicious! I just finished making a double batch with Juliet tomatoes; I quartered them and chopped some smaller. Consensus: quartering would be plenty sufficient. This jam is subtle but bold, delicate flavors juxtaposed against strong aromatics – in a word, sublime!! Thanks, Marisa … I was so excited to not have to peel ten pounds of Juliet tomatoes with this blessed recipe – and I love your blogs and beautiful photography!!
I just made a triple batch the other day, I have it in the fridge waiting to finish. My question is, if my jam seems watery should I add pectin ? I cooked it on the stove for a few hours and put it in the crockpot over night, and it still isn’t a jammy consistency. Would adding more sugar be a solution ?
Thanks !
It sounds like it just needs more cooking. You really need to cook it to the point where it’s just under a boil. It should be 205-210 degrees. Little bubbles, stirring frequently, to cook the water out.
Sara, it also thickens a bit upon cooling. I had the same concern!