This easy tomato jam recipe bottles up the all the delicious flavor of ripe summer tomatoes so you can enjoy it year-round. It a versatile condiment that’s delicious on a cracker with cheese, slathered onto a burger, or by the spoonful!
What you’ll love about this recipe:
- Year-Round Flavor: Extend the joy of summer by preserving the intense tomato goodness for any season.
- Versatile Condiment: Elevate your meals with a jam that pairs perfectly with everything from burgers to grilled cheese.
- A Great Homemade Gift: Making this tomato jam is a fun way to create something special for loved ones.
Do you remember the recipe that made you fall in love with cooking? When my friend Colleen asked me that question, it took me about two seconds to answer. This tomato jam recipe, from The Little House Cookbook, is the first truly spectacular thing I ever made.
I still remember the day my mom and I made it.
It was the summer before I started fourth grade and it was probably right around this time of year, when our garden was giving us more tomatoes than we could eat. We picked some tomatoes that were still green and fried them, then we preserved some of the ripest ones by making the best tomato jam.
I gave a jar of it to my teacher for Christmas that winter. When we came back from break, she told the entire class how amazing it was and how she had already finished the whole jar. Being the super shy kid that I was, I was humiliated.
When she pointed out that my face was turning the same color as the jam I wanted to crawl under my desk and disappear.
I won’t lie – I might have cried.
But secretly, I loved that she loved it.
I already loved to cook, but that was the moment when I fell in love with cooking for other people. Making something that would make them smile. Or something that would remind them of summer in the middle of a very, very long New York winter.
Ingredient’s You’ll Need
- Ripe Tomatoes: For the best results, use 2 pounds of ripe plum tomatoes, with the cores removed. if you’re lucky enough to find them, it’s also delicious made with green tomatoes!
- Light Brown Sugar: Brown sugar gives the jam a richer flavor than using regular sugar. If you only have dark brown sugar, you can combine it in equal parts with white sugar.
- Lemon Juice: Lemon juice to balances the sweetness and ensure the acid levels are high enough. It’s important to use bottled lemon juice in this recipe, since the acidity is more consistent than fresh juice.
- Lemon Zest: For an a burst of citrus flavor.
- Freshly Grated Ginger: Use 1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger for a hint of spice, or 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger if you prefer.
- Half-Pint Canning Jars: If you choose to can the jam for long-term storage, you’ll need sterilized 2 half-pint jars. When canning, follow proper canning procedures and guidelines for safety.
Recipe Tips
- If you prefer a smoother consistency, you can strain out the skin and seeds before adding the jam to the jars. Don’t do this before cooking though, since they contain the natural pectin needed to help the jam set.
What does tomato jam taste like?
Tomatoes probably aren’t the first thing that come to mind when you think about jam, but they work beautifully. It’s sticky and sweet, with a super concentrated tomato flavor. And no, it doesn’t taste a thing like ketchup. It has all of the bright summer tomato flavor that tomatoes you can buy in the winter lack.
How to use tomato jam
Once you taste it, you’ll find a million ways to use this savory jam. I love it on crackers (with or without a little creamy goat cheese or cream cheese), spread on a grilled cheese sandwich (try it mozzarella and pesto for a wintertime caprese), or on burgers. You can also combine it with balsamic vinegar to make a lovely marinade for steak or mix it with cumin for a fantastic chutney-like accompaniment to chicken breast or fish.
What are the best tomatoes for jam?
Plum tomatoes are perfect for jam because they’re nice and meaty, with a bright tomato flavor. You can use any tomatoes you happen to have though. Green tomatoes are also fantastic! Just be sure to use the ripest summer tomatoes that you can get your hands on for the best flavor.
How long does tomato jam keep in the fridge?
Sealed tightly, this tomato jam will keep well in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks or in the freezer for about 6 months. You can also can the jam for longer storage. If you’re interested in tomato jam canning, you can seal the jars in a hot water bath. If your choose to can your jam, be sure to use bottled lemon juice rather than fresh, since it’s has a more consistent pH level.
Can I double or triple the recipe?
Yes, but it will take much longer to reduce to the right consistency.
Looking for more tomato recipes to make this summer? We love Creamy Tomato Basil Soup, Steak with Smokey Tomato Relish, and Smoked Tomato and Bacon Vinaigrette.
More DIY condiment recipes you’ll love:
- Easy Homemade Ketchup
- Easy Homemade Miso Sauce
- 5-Minute Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- Homemade Beer-Caraway Mustard
- Tzatziki Sauce (Gyro Sauce)
- Habanero Hot Sauce
Summer Tomato Jam
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ripe tomatoes cores removed
- 1 ½ cups light brown sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 half-pint jars sterilized (optional), for canning)
Instructions
- Add the tomatoes to a blender or food processor. Pulse several times to crush the tomatoes.
- Transfer the tomato puree to a medium skillet set over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick and jammy – this will take about an hour. (To test, dip a cool metal spoon into the jam. It should slide of the spoon in a thick sheet – not in watery droplets.)
- Ladle hot jam into the jars. Store in the refrigerator or freeze.
- Alternately, wipe the rims of the sterilized jars, cover with the lids, and screw the bands on until they're just barely tight. Seal in a hot water bath for 20 minutes. Carefully remove the jars from the pot and let them rest on the counter for at least 6 hours. You should hear the jars make a "ping" sound when they seal. The homemade jam is delicious right away, but tastes even better after a few weeks.
My first batch is in the water bath, delicious, probably cooked it down too much (only made 2 250ml jars). Will try adding ground chilies to it next time et voila, homemade hot and sweet chili jam, just like from Trader Joe’s!!
I made this a couple of days ago with tomatoes from my garden. I followed the recipe pretty closely other than I added some crushed red pepper flakes. It turned out delicious and I’m glad I came across this recipe as another way to make use of our really large tomato crop! So glad I chose this recipe of those available. It was easy with just a few steps and ingredients, which resulted in a really nice texture and depth of flavor.
I took part of another tomato jam recipe and added 1/4 cinnamon, 1/8tsp cloves, 2-3 tlbsp if raw honey, and 1/2tsp ginger….awesome.
I only got 2 jars too. I’m not sure how I could have gotten 4 without it being runny. I roasted a jalapeño and added to half of the jam
My mom and i just made this! Tastes delicious! Love making any and all jams with my mom – glad to add this recipe to our book! What is the best cracker to eat it with goat cheese on?
This jam tastes amazing on virtually any cracker with a smear of goat cheese or a cheese of your choice
What can you use instead of ginger. Allergic to it
you can just leave it out
It’s winter and I have a craving for tomatoes jam do you think I could use canned stewed tomatoes
Unfortunately, I don’t think that would work well. Your best bet this time of year would probably be to use hothouse tomatoes.
How long for the water bath?
Has anyone’s tried this with added fresh basil?
Just finished making it and putting it into my jars! I am going to can it in my steam canner though.. I hope I didn’t cook it to long, I tripled the recipe so my thickening time was about 3 hrs!! It looks and tastes great though. I can’t wait to try some after it’s been sitting for awile!!! Thank you so much for sharing.
I STERILIZE ALL THE TOOLS BEFORE FILLING JAR–FUNNEL, LIDS AND WIPE TOP OF JAR WITH HOT PAPER TOWEL TO REMOVE ANY PIECES FROM TOP OF JAR BEFORE PUTTING THE HOT LIDS ON THEY WILL SEAL AND YOU WON’T HAVE TO KEEP YOUR TOMATO JAM IN THE REFRIGERATOR. NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS WITH THIS METHOD. .BEEN CANNING FOR YEARS . LET THE JARS COOL AND WASH JARS BEFORE STORING IN PANTRY OR BACK IN THE JAR BOXES. WILL TRY THIS RECIPE THANKS FOR SHARING.
Tomatoes should alway be processed in a hot water bath before storing on the shelf; especially since tomatoes today do not have the acid they used to. The jam should be ok since it contains lemon juice. You may have been doing it for years, but the next jar you open could give someone food poisoning too. It’s just not safe, and you should not advise others to use unsafe practices.
I made this jam using 2 lbs. tomatoes out of the garden and it cooked down to less than a pint. Not sure what I did wrong. Any suggestions, or should I use maybe 4 lbs. next time? Thanks
Never heard of tomato jam before, until I had it with grilled pork chops at a restaurant! It was fantastic! Been waiting for summer tomato season to make it. Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thank you, I will let ya know how it turns out!
I’m tripling the recipe right now and with all of the tomatoes and sugar and lemon juice, I’m getting the idea I might be standing over the cook top for a while. I missed a chunk of tomato while blending and I fished it out and ate it. Mind you, I have just barely started cooking the jam. It was amazing! Between the tomatoes and the fresh taste of the lemons and the bit of ginger, I’m super excited for the final product. If I can get through the cooking stage! 😉
It too a good 2-2.5 hours of cooking but it finally thickened. I wasn’t sure about the canning part. I heated my jars before filling them and sealing. (Basically the same thing I did with my zucchini relish). Is this all that’s needed or do they require a hot bath? I didn’t have to do this with the zucchini relish. I’m just verifying my assumption is correct. 😉 I tasted the jam after the thickness test and it’s amazing! I’m so glad I did this. Thanks. 🙂
Friends, if you don’t freeze it or use it up after a week or so, but decide to store in jars, simply putting lids on hot jars while it’s hot is not safe.
To avoid botulism you must process the finished jam in the hot water bath. It is not worth the risk to save a few minutes of time if it has the potential to kill your family. You may never have had problems before, but it only takes once. Food poisoning is more common but you don’t want that to happen either. Water bath canning is simple!!!
To learn more about canning and botulism, go to this website. https://www.cdc.gov/features/homecanning/index.html You can find a link there to learn more about safe canning procedures.
I can’t wait to try this recipe! And you can be sure I’ll use safe canning procedures! Thanks for posting it! And thanks for advising to use safe preservation methods!
You can cut the cooking time by using a box of pectin. Made some today from frozen tomatoes out of the garden. 4 cup tomatoes, zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 box pectin, 6 cups sugar.
This works so well. Beats standing at the stove for three hours. Thanks.
I started canning a few years ago when I was laid up due to a surgery. It was the best way to pass some time without over doing it while healing. I wanted to can for the main purpose of making a tomato jam for my mother. She was reminiscing one day about her childhood and how they used everything they grew – not wasting. And, not having a lot in the way of money, sweets were what they could make of what they grew. Tomato jam was my mother’s favorite sweet treat the she lovingly remembered making with her mother. As she shared her stories with me, she had this look on her face of dreaminess and sadness at the same time – fond memories past from long, long ago. The second jam I made was tomato jam – the first was my practice go at it with strawberry. When I showed up for a visit with her carrying few jars of tomato jam she was so happy! When we had some of that jam on a fresh biscuit, she smiled, told me it is exactly as she remembered and her eyes teared over. …… I don’t know why I got into this long explanation and almost forgot what I intended to write. : ) I made my jam with white sugar. I will definitely try the brown sugar recipe that you have listed. I didn’t use ginger in mine – used a tad of lemon juice and one batch I added some crushed red peppers with the lemon juice. Both were delicious however, I want to give this one a try for sure. ‘Tis tomato season so that will be my weekend project. Thank you! ….. funny how writing this made my eyes tear over, too.
i love this story!