This simple, soft set Cherry Jam is made with just 3 ingredients and no added pectin. It tastes out of this world good, no wonder it’s so popular!
The Evolution of this Simple Cherry Jam Recipe
Ever since I made my first jar of jam a few years ago I became hooked on jam making and have gone on to win a couple of 1st prizes at our local parish show.
Hence, every summer I look forward to gluts of fruit that seem to come my way. Sometimes it’s from family and other times it’s a bargain find in the supermarket!
So the other day I came across trays of cherries for £4 whilst out shopping which I’ve never seen before. They’re usually £2 for a tiny punnet full. I snapped up a tray and knew that they were destined to be Cherry Jam (oh and we had a few for dessert)!
I’ve only ever had one attempt at cherry jam before which ended in disaster! I mixed cherries with apple and due to the high pectin level of the apple, the jam was ready a lot sooner than I’d allowed for so I ended up with concrete jam.
It was meant to be my entry into the local Parish Show as I thought something a bit different would stand more of a chance of winning. So I ended up entering a spare jar of my One Punnet Strawberry Jam which went on to win 1st prize so it all ended well!
Well back to the Cherry Jam, I don’t believe in using jam sugar as I find it’s too easy to end up with a really stiff jam and I do like a soft set so I always use lemon juice (plus the rind sometimes) when extra pectin is needed.
I’m pleased to say my Cherry Jam turned out perfectly, not too stiff and not too runny, just a really good soft set with lots of delicious chunks of cherry.
My family all agreed and hubby was very pleased as Cherry Jam is his absolute favourite.
I think I’ll have to see if there are any more trays of these cheap cherries as I can see this batch won’t last long!
Can you use frozen cherries?
As with any jam recipe you could make this cherry conserve with frozen cherries. Just heat them with the sugar to slowly thaw. Fresh cherries will give the best result but using pitted cherries from the freezer is often more practical.
I do hope you give this quick and easy Cherry Jam a go if you find yourself with a glut of cherries!
Why are there no cup measurements in this recipe?
You cannot accurately convert a weight to a volume, especially for things like fruit that come in differing sizes.
Hence I won’t give out inaccurate information that could lead to failure. The best option is to buy an inexpensive set of digital scales which were around $6 on Amazon when I last looked.
Can you can (water bath) this Cherry Jam?
It’s not something we do to jam in the UK as botulism is not an issue here. You can by all means can (water bath) this jam but you would need to refer to your jar manufacturer’s instructions as it’s an area I know nothing about.
How long will this jam keep for?
This cherry jam is at its best in the first 12 months but will keep safely for many years as the sugar acts as a preservative. Just store it in a cool, dark, dry place.
I keep mine in a cupboard in my garage.
More Summer Jam Recipes
Once you’ve made my Cherry Jam you should also try these summer jam recipes!
- Quick & Easy Raspberry Jam
- Easy Seedless Blackberry Jam
- Watermelon Jam – 2 ways
- Simple Blueberry Jam
- Rhubarb & Strawberry Jam
- Rhubarb & Gin Jam
- One Punnet Strawberry Jam
- Easy Grape Jam
- Peach & Apricot Jam
- Summer Fruits Jam
- Spiced Blackberry Jam
- Morello Cherry & Raspberry Jam
I’m sure you’ll love my Cherry Jam so do leave a comment and rating when you make it. I love reading your comments.
You can also share a snap by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram!
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Cherry Jam
Equipment
- 1 Digital scale
- 1 preserving pan or similar deep sided pan
- 1 cherry pitter
- 1 Lemon squeezer
- 1 jam funnel
- 1 ladle
- 2 jam jars
Ingredients
- 750 g cherries
- 500 g granulated sugar
- juice of 1 lemon mine produced a little over 3 tbsp
Instructions
- Wash and pit all the cherries and cut three quarters of them in half, leaving the other quarter whole.
- Put in a preserving pan (or large deep pan) along with the lemon juice and set over a low heat.
- Use a potato masher to lightly crush the cherries and simmer gently until cooked (about 7 minutes).
- Add the sugar and heat through on very low until all the sugar has dissolved (running a wooden spoon around the pan will help you know as the sugar will scratch if still solid).
- Bring to a rolling boil and time for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and drizzle a few drops of jam onto a chilled saucer.
- Place saucer into fridge for a minute and then run your finger through the jam, it's ready if it forms a crinkle and is tacky.
- If not quite ready boil for another couple of minutes at a time and re-test.
- Once ready ladle into hot jars and place lids on immediately.
- Allow to cool, then store in a cool dark place (will keep for years but best eaten in first year). Store in fridge once open.
- Makes 1.5 standard jars (600 mls).
Notes
Sterilise 1 x 500 ml and 1 x 250 ml jars or 3 x 250 ml jar by washing in hot soapy water or take straight from dishwasher, filling with boiling water, emptying and then placing in oven for 20 minutes at 140°C then leave in oven until jam is ready. Washed lids should be sterilised with boiling water and then left to drain.
Ailsa
Can you use less sugar? We find with the sweet cherries we have right now that it is terribly sweet. We haven’t had much luck with our cherry jam first lot set like cement second lot we burnt to the bottom of the pan. Tip don’t make jam late at night!
Camilla
The only time I had cherry jam set like concrete was when I added apples which have a huge amount of pectin in them. This recipe wouldn’t set like concrete unless you didn’t follow the instructions and boiled it for too long? Yes I’ve burned jam and never did it again, the trick is to keep stirring with a long wooden spoon, you can’t over stir! You could try putting a little less sugar in but it might affect the setting and as I haven’t tried this I couldn’t vouch for the result.
Stewart Thorp
You make no mention of water in the recipe. Surely you need water?
Camilla
Many jams don’t need water and this is one of them. As the fruit cooks it releases it’s juices which are enough for an incredible jam:-)
Suzie
I won first prize with this Jam at my local Agricultural show at the beginning of this month. I must admit I used jam sugar as I didn’t have any granulated. Judges comments “Soft set but excellent flavour” it scored 18 out of 20. ’I’m happy with that and will definitely make it again
Camilla
So pleased for you Suzie although I am surprised that the jam sugar gave you a soft set as the one and only time I used it my jam was quite stiff so it put me off ever using again.
John Bulmer
Great simple recipe. We used a prairie cherry that was developed by the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon Canada.
Absolutely wonderful. Thanks for the great recipe.
Camilla
How lovely, so glad you like the recipe:-)
Gulten
I made this a few days ago, it’s absolutely yummy, turned out perfect! Thank you Camilla
Camilla
Thank you Gulten, so pleased you like it, it is one of my favourites:-)
Theresa
Like Hae, I too found this jam extremely runny. I wouldn’t call mine a soft set, I’d call it a no set! I followed your instructions carefully, weighed and measured the ingredients properly etc. I ended up boiling the jam for over an hour and it still wasn’t set, so I dug out my sugar thermometer, stuck it in and boiled until it reached the ‘jam’ level. Still not set. So I’ve been out and bought some pectin and I shall reboil it all today with some of that thrown in.
Camilla
Hi Theresa, if it was the consistency of a compote ie watery and runny then that is not correct but if it was like it is in the pictures and could hold itself together on a scone etc without running off then that is how it should be. It does not set like jelly, it’s more like a French Bon Mamman jam, soft in consistency, perhaps set is the wrong word and therefore your expectation is different from what this recipe produces. Difficult to know without seeing it but it definitely shouldn’t need boiling for an hour.
Theresa
Compote is the perfect way to describe my results – when I reboiled it with pectin, it literally poured from the jars into the pan like a liquid, lol! It’s perfect now with the pectin added, what I call a perfect set, not too sticky..
Camilla
Difficult trying to solve this without being there with you but perhaps more lemon juice would have done the trick. I note a reader on pinterest said she added more for a firmer set. Others have not reported any issues and were happy with this jam. It is my most popular jam. Glad you got is sorted now.
Lauren
How do you store your jam and what is the shelf life?
Camilla
Hi, unopened jars should be stored in a cool dark place (I keep mine in a cupboard in my garage) and it’s usually best to eat within a year but jam can last years. Once opened they should be kept in the fridge where they will keep for a few months.
John Ashplant
We make a lot of jam, chutney and marmalade with lots of fruit from our garden and from the local market, here in Spain. My cherry jam often won’t set so will try this recipe. I have a tip. Warm the sugar in the oven in a suitable dish. Mine comes out quite hot and dussolves almost instantly!
Camilla
I hope you find better success with my recipe. I think I tried the sugar in the oven tip many years ago but the net gain didn’t seem worth the extra effort so it’s not something I repeated. Perhaps I’m just lazy LOL!
Polly
Hi, bit confused about how much this recipe makes. Instructions say 600mls but then in the recipe notes it suggests 750mls? Thanks
Camilla
Hi Polly, the confusion is that the jam jars that we buy are labelled with the maximum volume that they could fit but in reality we leave about 2 cm or more of head space so they fit less volume, hence I also give the number of mls that the jam actually makes and the size of jars that you could use. It’s always best to sterilise more jars than you think you need and of various sizes, but I try to be as precise as possible.
Susie
Sorry to be dim but is the 750g of cherries the weight pre-pitted, or is it 750g worth after they’ve been pitted please?
Camilla
Hi Susie, pre pitting or I’d say 750g pitted cherries:-) But in the scheme of things it wouldn’t really matter if you happened to do it the other way:-)
Susie
Oh cool – thanks – will give it a go!