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    You are Here: Masala Herb Β» Recipes Β» Jams

    Cherry Jam Recipe

    Published: Aug 12, 2019 Β· Modified: Sep 30, 2022 by Helene Dsouza

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    Helene Dsouza
    Our french cherry jam will set perfectly if you follow my instructions. The lemon halves contain natural pectin and help in setting your cherry jam.
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    100 Teaspoon
    4.69 from 19 votes
    Jump to Recipe
    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe

    The best homemade cherry jam recipe prepared with fresh cherries, completely without artificial pectin sugar.

    Your jam will be perfectly set, just like my cherry jam in the picture.

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe
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    with Spices and Herbs

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    This is a french cherry jam prepared the way my mother and grandmother showed me.

    That means we follow the traditional way of making jam, which by the way is 100% safe for consumption if you follow all my tips further below and work in a clean environment.

    Jump to:
    • πŸ’ Choice of cherries
    • How to make it?
    • πŸ’­ FAQ
    • πŸ‘οΈ More fruit jams
    • πŸ“– Recipe
    • πŸ’¬ Comments

    πŸ’ Choice of cherries

    To make your cherry jam use only fresh ripe cherries.

    You can pick sweet cherries or sour cherries.

    Some varieties or cherries are more suitable than others to make jam.

    In the sweet cherry section, you will often while find the Bing variety to be a suitable choice to make jam.

    Sour cherries like Morello make a great choice too if you want to prepare a tart cherry jam.

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe

    I personally love sour cherry jam because the tart flavors of the deep red fruits work really well with the sugar in the jam.

    We also have a sour cherry tree at home and our cherries ripen in July always, so we are bound to use up all the cherries to prepare a homemade jam.

    You can make this into a sweet cherry jam recipe or a sour cherry jam recipe, the choice is yours.

    How to make it?

    To prepare cherry jam is beyond easy!

    You just need patience, you need to watch your jam and you need to work clean.

    Follow my steps to prepare this gorgeous bright jam from scratch

    Step 1

    Bring pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice and lemon halves to a rolling boil.

    Bring pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice and lemon halves to a rolling boil

    Step 2

    Keep over medium heat, stir occasionally. Reduce and cook till setting point.

    Keep over medium heat, stir occasionally. Reduce and cook till setting point.

    Step 3

    Pour set jam into clean jars and seal lid.

    Pour set jam into clean jars and seal lid.

    πŸ’­ FAQ

    Here are some commonly asked questions that you might have when making jam.

    These are often while questions I get from my readers on some of my previous jam recipes.

    What's the cherry jam setting temperature?

    Your Cherry jam sets at 220 Fahrenheit/ 105 Celsius.

    The jam will appear translucent and thick and should not be liquid.

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe

    Why won't my cherry jam set?

    Your cherry jam won't set if you didn't cook it long enough overheat.

    Cherry fruits are notoriously low in natural pectins and compared to citrus fruits or green apples, for example, the cherry jam won't set as easily and will need some help.

    This is why people will add store-bought pectin enriched sugar instead of regular sugar to help the setting process.

    Yet, artificial pectin changes the flavor of your jam a bit and pectin sugar is not always everywhere available.

    I add lemon juice to my jam and cook the jam with two untreated lemon half rinds to help the setting process and this will help your jam to set too.

    If your jam is not set, leave it to cook further and test if the jam is set and repeat if necessary.

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe

    What is pectin and why do I need it?

    Pectin is a setting agent found naturally in the skin of fruits.

    Pectin mainly appears in sour fruits such as lemons, red currants, and green apples.

    That means pectin helps in preserving your fruit jam over a longer period of time without it turning bad.

    Sweet and sour cherries contain low to medium-low quantities of natural pectin.

    However, sour cherries are a tad richer in natural pectins, yet both cherry varieties need the addition of pectin, either by adding pectin sugar or natural pectin to the cooking process.

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe

    Why is my jam stone hard?

    If your jam is stone-hard, it means that you have over-cooked it.

    This can happen when you are preparing jam for the first time and you are unsure if your jam has set or not.

    In that case, it makes sense to use a thermometer or else you will miss the point when your jam is set.

    You have a large enough window, so if you test your jam if it has set or not, you should be fine.

    Keep in mind that jam will appear liquid when cooking hot and that the jam will get thicker the moment it cools down.

    Fixing an over-cooked jam is more difficult than fixing an undercooked running jam.

    You can always cook a running jam further until it's set, but a stone-hard jam will have to be used differently.

    The solution for your hard overcooked jam is to turn it into fruit leather, to cook it again a bit with the addition of water so that you can use the jam within days or to turn it into candy.

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe

    Jam making cleanliness precautions

    Make sure that you wash your hands frequently when preparing this easy cherry jam recipe.

    Sterilize your glass jars and lids to kill all germs by boiling them in water or by keeping them on a tray in the oven.

    I drop some vodka or other alcohol into the lids to kill further germs, as this helps in prolonging the shelf life of the cherry jam.

    Do not use damaged lids which are corroded.

    The jars need to be filled up to the rim because the jars will be turned upside down after they are closed with a lid to create a vacuum.

    French jams are prepared this exact way and we don't sterilize the jam-filled jars further in a water bath because it's not necessary if you have followed all the cleanliness precautions mentioned.

    Yet, you are free to take the filled jars through a water bath canning, that will help your jam to preserve longer.

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe

    How long will my cherry jam last?

    Follow all the cleanliness points and your homemade jam with no pectin will last you about 10 months unopened, stored in a dry and dark place.

    Store your jam in the fridge once opened and used and use within a couple of weeks.

    Do not eat from the spoon and dip the spoon back into the jam as this will contaminate the jam.

    πŸ‘οΈ More fruit jams

    • Fig jam
    • Strawberry Jam
    • Plum Jam

    Dear Reader, how are you going to enjoy your cherry jam and what cherries did you use?

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe
    Recipes from around the world E-Book

    Global Food Recipes

    with Spices and Herbs

    Free E-Book available for a limited time. Grab yours now and get instantly inspired!

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    πŸ“– Recipe

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe

    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe without Pectin

    Our french cherry jam will set perfectly if you follow my instructions. The lemon halves contain natural pectin and help in setting your cherry jam.
    4.69 from 19 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: French
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 1 hour hour
    Total Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 100 Teaspoon
    Calories: 33kcal
    Recipe by: Helene Dsouza

    Ingredients

    • 2.2 pounds Cherries without seed core
    • 1.5 pound Sugar
    • 1 Lemon organic
    US - Metric

    Instructions

    • Rinse your cherries and discard the stems. Pit the cherries to collect the cherry pulp ad discard the seed core.
    • Place the cherries into a large jam cooking pot.
    • Pour all the sugar over the cherries.
    • Cut your lemon into two, squeeze out the juice and pour juice over cherries and sugar. Drop the lemon halves into the pot.
    • Mix the fruits and sugar and keep on the heat.
    • Stir everything well and bring your cherry jam to a rolling boil.
    • Reduce the heat and leave your jam to cook so that the jam can form and gets reduced. This can take 30-60 minutes, depending on your heat setting and pot. Stir occasionally and don't let anything burn on.
    • You can choose to blend the jam smoothly. This is optional.
    • Test if your jam is set by dropping some of the liquid hot jam on an ice-cold plate (which you kept in your freezer). Then turn the plate around to see if the jam is running or set. If the jam is running continue to cook further and repeat the test later again. Or/And test by checking the temperature of your jam. The jam setting temperature should be 210Β° Fahrenheit/ 105Β° Celsius.
    • Grab clean sterilized jars and lids. Pour 2-3 drops of rum or vodka into the lids to disinfect further.
    • Pout the jam into your jars up to the rim. Close the jars with the lids and quickly turn the jar upside down to create a vacuum.
    • Turn the jar back, later on, label with name and date and store in a cool and dry place. Store in the fridge once the jar has been opened.

    Notes

    1. Use only organic untreated lemon halves in your jam because you don't want pesticides in your jam!
    2. 1 Teaspoon = one serving, 100 Teaspoons is about 3 jars (roughly). Recommended use is 1 Teaspoon serving on a slice of bread.
    3. Can be sotred for up to 10 months in a dry and cool place away from sun light. Keep in the fridge after opening the jam and use up within weeks.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    BEST Cherry Jam Recipe without Pectin
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 33 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 1g5%
    Sodium 1mg0%
    Potassium 24mg1%
    Carbohydrates 9g3%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 8g9%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 6IU0%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 2mg0%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Comments

    1. Davia says

      June 10, 2023 at 1:12 am

      5 stars
      Great! I used my immersion blender at the end to break up the cherries and thicken the jam.

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        June 19, 2023 at 2:03 pm

        Awesome! Thanks for sharing Davia.

        Reply
    2. Chantelle Higgins says

      August 26, 2021 at 10:57 pm

      Since this isn't using a water bath canning process, could I reuse jars/lids that have been previously sealed (with proper sterilization)? I know reusing lids is a no-no with traditional water canning but I have some fantastic Bonne Maman Strawberry jam jars I've been saving & replacement lids are exorbitantly costly so I've been looking for a recipe that I wouldn't need new lids for!

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        August 26, 2021 at 11:59 pm

        You can reuse your lids if they are not corroded or somehow marked by some old stains. You can sterilize your lids as you would do with the jars in boiling water or there is also an oven technique, where you place them in the oven and the heat gets rid of the germs. We always reuse our lids if they are not damaged and never had an issue with that. As long as they are clean. All the best Chantelle!

        Reply
    3. Jane says

      July 15, 2021 at 12:33 pm

      Made this jam today and it’s lovely we always make jam this way in the uk and we have never got sick from it your recipies are greatJane

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        July 16, 2021 at 9:13 pm

        Thank you Jane <3

        Reply
    4. Naccy Slattery says

      July 06, 2021 at 11:49 pm

      Using sweet cherries and currents wxo additional pectin for freezer jam. Figure to cook Cherri’s to soft mashed stage and then add current juice pulp which has gone thru a sieve. Should sugar go in then or w cherries first?

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        July 07, 2021 at 12:01 pm

        Sugar always goes in first with fruits. That said you change the recipe by adding additional pectin, so can't comment on that since I don't do artificial pectin.

        Reply
    5. Bonnie jones says

      July 01, 2021 at 7:46 pm

      Can you use sugar substitute..

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        July 02, 2021 at 2:48 pm

        No for a proper jam that keeps well for a longer period of time, such as a few months, you require sugar. If you use a sugar substitute it will be good for a few weeks only which beats the whole point of a preserve. You can try it with a sugar substitute but consume it within 2 weeks and always store in the fridge or freezer.

        Reply
    6. Angela Bethers says

      June 27, 2021 at 1:55 am

      5 stars
      Delicious πŸ˜‹ and easy!! I'm not a huge cherry fan, but we brought home from Washington more than we could eat. I came across this recipe on Pinterest and decided to try it because it has no commercial pectin in it and it's not water bath canned. I must say that this may be my new favorite jam!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        June 27, 2021 at 3:06 pm

        You are welcome Angela! It makes me happy to read that you guys found this recipe useful. πŸ™‚

        Reply
    7. FSethman says

      June 16, 2021 at 3:40 pm

      This sounds great! How much cherries would I need for 7 pint jars? Can I just use lemon juice?

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        June 16, 2021 at 4:31 pm

        You mean 7 jars with a volume of 1 pint each, right? 1 pint = 16 ounces = about 470 milliliters or about 1/2 liter
        That sounds like a whole lot of jam! This recipe with 2.2 pounds of fruits makes about 35 ounces on average. So, that means about 2 pints.
        I always recommend working with 2.2 pounds fruits because the more fruits and sugar the trickier it gets to get the setting point right. So maybe you can work in batches? Or simply try it with the recommended quantity first and then take it from there. That way you will get a hang for it and jam making experience is always a plus.

        Reply
    8. Kim Moroney says

      February 07, 2021 at 4:40 pm

      HI there, I have a freezer full of frozen sour cherries, can I use your recipe to make my jam?

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        February 08, 2021 at 7:32 am

        Yes you can! Sour Cherries are the best choice when making jam because they contain more natural pectins and the flavor balance turns out better with the sugar. We use sour cherries mainly for our jam.

        Reply
    9. Carol Serie says

      August 29, 2020 at 8:33 pm

      Can you translate the pounds to cups, etc?

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        August 29, 2020 at 9:07 pm

        Hi Carol, for this recipe you will need to weigh the fruits and sugar to get it right. Cups are by volume and the ratio will be off because cups are not accurate.

        Reply
        • Laura Lubeck says

          June 30, 2021 at 2:25 pm

          You cannot safely can cherry jam without safely water bathing it. Turning over jam jars is not safely canning it.

          Reply
          • Helene Dsouza says

            June 30, 2021 at 3:52 pm

            It's a french recipe and the way french make their jams. It's a safe method and not something to be scared of if you followed my instructions to the T. Now, of course, you are free to still water bath can your jars, after all, that process if you want.

            Reply
            • C says

              June 30, 2021 at 5:12 pm

              No. It is not a safe canning method. You need to water bath it. It doesn't matter who does it, it is still not a safe method. And you will be liable if anyone gets sick.

              Reply
              • Helene Dsouza says

                July 02, 2021 at 2:54 pm

                Listen, this is just not for you. Please don't tell people how to do things who have done it like this for centuries. Nobody has ever gotten sick with this method and if I tell this someone in France they will laugh at this comment. You can follow your country's FDA regulations, which I highly assume is the USA, just don't think this is a law everywhere in this world. We have just been doing fine as is. Work in a clean environment and you will be fine. Thank you!

                Reply
    10. Becky Lemanowicz says

      July 07, 2020 at 4:53 am

      5 stars
      Delicious, thank you!

      Reply
    11. BE says

      June 22, 2020 at 11:00 am

      5 stars
      Made this today. Added a teaspoon of almond extract and about 4 tablespoons of water. Cooked about an hour. Perfect at 220Β°. Tastes great! Everyone loved it. This batch made 2 pints.

      Reply
      • Helene Dsouza says

        July 02, 2020 at 3:01 pm

        Nice idea to add almond extract! Will try that next time too. πŸ™‚

        Reply

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