Mirabelle Plum Jam (or Yellow Cherry Plum Jam) has a beautiful delicate flavour that’s similar to apricot jam. This 2 ingredient, pectin-free homemade jam is the perfect breakfast or tea time preserve.
Back Story
Back in the summer of 2014 my father delivered a huge bag of mixed windfall plums to my door.
They’d come from a new neighbour who wanted to rid his garden of some of the plums that their 5 plum trees had shed.
So, I set about picking out the Mirabelles (which there were most of) and developed a Mirabelle Plum Jam.
Roll on several years and despite my best efforts on local Facebook groups I just couldn’t source anymore Mirabelles. I really wanted to make this jam again and update the photos.
This year however (2023) was my lucky year as it turned out I’d been walking past a couple of local Mirabelle trees for the past 17 years!
Tucked behind a grass verge and nestled in amongst other trees I finally spotted one and then another a few weeks later.
While the Mirabelle plums were still green I took photos and got their identity confirmed in a Facebook foraging group. I even came across Red Cherry Plums!
Mirabelles or Yellow Cherry Plums?
Mirabelles and yellow cherry plums (of which there are many varieties) look very similar.
Until I can go back next spring and look at the blossom formation I can’t be 100% certain that what I found were Mirabelles.
Mirabelle plum trees blossom with leaves present and yellow cherry plums blossom without the presence of leaves.
But either way both plums are suitable for this jam. A reader in the US recently shared here yellow cherry plum jam photos with me on Instagram using this recipe.
Table of contents
- Back Story
- Mirabelles or Yellow Cherry Plums?
- Has this updated Recipe changed?
- What does Mirabelle Jam taste like?
- Where do Mirabelles grow?
- When are Mirabelle Plums in Season?
- Are Mirabelles high in Pectin?
- Ingredients
- How to make Mirabelle Jam
- What’s the best way to harvest Mirabelle Plums?
- How ripe should Mirabelles be for Jam making?
- How long will Mirabelle Plum Jam keep?
- How should you store Mirabelle Jam?
- More Plum and Stone Fruit Jam Recipes
- More Breakfast Preserves
Has this updated Recipe changed?
I’ve kept the ingredient quantities exactly as they were but added an extra step.
On removing the Mirabelle plum stones this time around, I noticed how much plum juice/flesh was being wasted.
Hence, I decided to use a sieve to strain it back into the jam pot.
What does Mirabelle Jam taste like?
Mirabelle Plum Jam reminds me of apricot jam but with a more delicate flavour. It has that whole continental breakfast vibe about it so perfect on your morning toast or croissant!
Where do Mirabelles grow?
Mirabelle Plum trees are most common in France but can be found throughout much of Europe (including the UK), where they are either cultivated or growing wild.
These trees were also once popular in the United States but less so today.
When are Mirabelle Plums in Season?
Mirabelles are usually ready to harvest any time between July and September.
Are Mirabelles high in Pectin?
Yes, Mirabelles are high in pectin so hence there’s no need for lemon juice in this recipe.
Ingredients
There are just 2 ingredients in Mirabelle Jam:
- Mirabelle Plums – washed and any stalks removed.
- Granulated sugar – I prefer it to jam sugar as gives a softer set, plus it gives a more intense flavour as you boil away more liquid to get to setting point.
How to make Mirabelle Jam
Here’s a brief run through of how to make Mirabelle Jam, full instructions and ingredient quantities are at the bottom of the page.
- Place Mirabelles and water into a preserving pan and simmer until cooked
- Agitate plums with a sieve to loosen stones.
- Then remove with a wooden spoon.
- Place stones in sieve to remove any remaining flesh/juice.
- Add granulated sugar to the pot..
- Then stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar.
- Bring pan to a rolling boil and time for 20 minutes.
- Test a few drops of jam on a chilled saucer by running your finger through it. If it crinkles/waves it’s ready.
- If not re-boil for another minute and retest (continue until setting point reached).
- Pot up into hot sterilized jars using a ladle and jam funnel.
- Place lids on immediately.
What’s the best way to harvest Mirabelle Plums?
Shaking the branches of a Mirabelle tree will send ripe plums cascading to the ground.
Ideally you would put down a sheet or net to catch them but failing that just pick them off the ground.
Wearing eye protection eg sunglasses is advisable as I managed to let go of a branch after shaking it and it lashed against my eye with force. I’m fine now after some antibiotic drops!
How ripe should Mirabelles be for Jam making?
You want to use just ripe Mirabelles ideally, the riper they get the less pectin they will have.
Never use overripe Mirabelles that you wouldn’t eat as making jam with them will not improve their flavour.
Plus, don’t be tempted to use any green Mirabelles as they will taint the flavour of your jam with a bitter after taste.
How long will Mirabelle Plum Jam keep?
Mirabelle Jam is best eaten within the first 12 months but will be shelf stable for many years.
How should you store Mirabelle Jam?
Keep it in a cool, dry, dark place. I keep mine in a cupboard in my garage.
Once opened, store in the fridge where it will last for months provided you use a clean spoon to serve it each time.
More Plum and Stone Fruit Jam Recipes
Here are some more really good jam recipes you should try:
- Plum & Apple Jam – Fab Food 4 All
- Damson Jam – Fab Food 4 All
- Greengage Jam (and what to do when your jam is too runny) – Fab Food 4 All
- Peach & Apricot Jam (1st prize winning) – Fab Food 4 All
- Sloe & Apple Jam – Fab Food 4 All
- Spiced Plum Jam – Mad About Macarons
- Easy Plum Jam – Farmersgirl Kitchen
- Plum Jelly – Kavey Eats
More Breakfast Preserves
- Peach & Apricot Jam (1st prize winning) – Fab Food 4 All
- Simple Shredless Orange Marmalade.- Fab Food 4 All
- Pumpkin & Ginger Jam – Fab Food 4 All
Whether you buy, forage for or pick Mirabelles (or Yellow Cherry Plums) from your own garden I’m certain you’ll love this unique and delicious plum jam!
As it makes so many jars it’s also perfect for gifting to friends and family!
Do leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe as I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
Pin Mirabelle Plum Jam for later!
NB: Previously published 5 August 2014.
Mirabelle Plum Jam
Equipment
- Preserving pan or similar sized pan
- long wooden spoon
- Long metal spoon
- sieve
- jam funnel
- ladle
- 9 324 ml Jam jars and lids (or your choice of sizes)
Ingredients
- 2 Kg Mirabelle plums or yellow cherry plums
- 2 Kg granulated sugar
- 200 ml water
Instructions
- Before you start, place 2 saucers in the freezer and sterilise jars (see notes).
- Place Mirabelles and 200 ml of water in a preserving pan and bring to a simmer until cooked (around 12 minutes).
- Agitate Mirabelles with a whisk and remove the stones with a long wooden spoon (patience required here)!
- Place collected stones in a sieve (over pan) and squeeze out any remaining flesh/juice.
- Add granulated sugar and stir over a low heat until dissolved (do not simmer). Listen out for any crunching sounds, once they've gone you're ready for the next step.
- Bring to a rolling boil and time for 20 minutes stirring frequently (I found my digital thermometer unhelpful for this recipe as at 15 minutes it reached 105C but was not anywhere near passing the drip or chilled plate test).
- Next test for set. Take off the heat and put a few drops on a chilled plate and place in fridge for 30 seconds.
- Run your finger through the jam and if it forms crinkles/waves then it is ready, if not boil for another minute or two until it passes the set test.
- If there is scum on the surface, push to one side and skim off with a large metal spoon.
- Ladle into jars with the aid of jam funnel and screw on lids immediately or if using wax discs, place cellophane on once cool.
- Makes just under 3 Litres of jam or just over 9 x 324 ml jars.
Helga Eyers
I made this jam for the first time,only had a small batch so adjusted the sugar accordingly. I used a potato masher to agitate the fruit and also scooped the stones out with it. Worked a treat. Finished jam looks lovely and I’m looking forward to eating it.
Camilla
Awesome Helga, so glad you enjoyed making the jam! Just wish I could find some more Mirabelles.
Joseph Mullan
I followed this recipe last year and it was absolutely super. I make lots of jams from my own grown fruit from my garden plenty of Mirabelles this year I have 4 different plums Jubilee, Mirabelle, Damson and Victoria 14 fruit trees so I’m kept pretty busy at this time.. I just love doing your recipes again your recipes never fail
Camilla
Aaw, thank you so much Joseph that’s so lovely to hear. Quite envious of all your plum trees! My parents have a Damson tree and had a Victoria plum tree when I was a kid but it died of old age but the fruit tasted amazing. I’ve got some supermarket Victoria plums and they’re quite bland sadly.
Karen
Hello I’ve just made your jam recipe, it did the crinkle test fine but I wondered will it thicken up now that it’s in the jars. It tastes good so I figured that it could go on vanilla ice cream as a treat if it doesn’t, thicken or on oatmeal!
Oh I also processed it for 8min. So hears hoping. Thanks
Karen from Vancouver Island, BC. Canada
Camilla
Hi Karen, yes jam gets firmer as it cools. I have no clue about processing I’m afraid as it’s not something we need to do in the UK. But if you got a crinkle then all should be fine:-)
Rosa
This was the first recipe I came across and found it very easy to follow. I halved the quantities of everything as I didn’t have enough fruit to make a large batch. The jam is the best I’ve tasted! I will definitely be making more!
Thank you
Camilla
Awesome Rosa, so glad you like it. I’m sure you’ll love my other jam recipes too:-)
Jooles
Had three Kilo of mirabelle plumbs and increased the water and sugar accordingly . Easy to make but was very time consuming removing all the plum stones . Jam looks a gorgeous golden colour. Setting as I write and I am sure it will taste as good as it looks . Many thanks for the recipe ….
Camilla
So glad you like the recipe Jooles, yes plum stones are a tease for sure!
Rosey
Hi Camilla,
There’s a huge mirabelle plumb tree & an elder tree in my works garden in Christchurch (Bournemouth, Dorset Coast). I’ve never been sure what the mirabelles were until recently so I took full advantage & used your recipe to make a big batch of jam. Very easy to follow for a first time jammer. I haven’t tasted it yet but im sure it’ll be delicious, I also used jam sugar (with added pectin) instead, not sure if it’ll make much difference. I only had 1.5kg of plumbs so reduced water & sugar to 1.5kg too & it made a LOT of jam still.
Thank you xx
Camilla
Excellent Rosey, glad you made use of your mirabelles and made my jam. I only ever used jam sugar once and didn’t like the stiffness it gave jam so have used lemon juice to aid the set ever since. So your jam may be stiffer than mine.
Matilda
Hi Camilla,
My son and I recently found some Mirabelle plums in our village so we wanted to give making your jam a go. I just have a couple of questions.
1 – do you need to remove the skins? If not, what happens to them?
2 – Why can’t we just chop the plums and remove the stones that way?
Thank you so much!
Camilla
Hi Matilda, if you look at the photos you can see the skins showing on the buttered roll. Most of the pectin is just under the skin. None of my readers or myself have had any issue with the skins but if you do you could always use a stick blender after the first step to blend them in so they wouldn’t be noticeable. Regarding pitting, I went for the most time efficient route as pitting that many plums takes an awful long time and often some of the fruit gets stuck to the stone so you’re wasting fruit. Taking the stones out may have an effect on the setting time as I’ve not made it that way, just something to be aware of. At the end of the day there is no right and wrong, everything is personal preference:-) I have taken 2 hours to pit sloes before now and it’s character building:-)
Helen AGNERAY
Hello Camilla
I laughed when I saw your daughter’s comment. This summer I decided to make jams to give away as gifts at Christmas. And quite frankly this develoed into a passion. And my daughter nick-named me The Crazy Jam Mom! I must say I went over board with making jams, always trying to achieve a better taste/result. I made over 150 jars, hence the nick-name! I live in southern France so we’re rather spoiled with fruit.harvest. Last night my friend gave me 2kg of mirabelles from her garden and of course I am going to turn them into jam. But I would like to pour some eau-de-vie/kirsch into my jam and was wondering how much should I pour in and when to do it? At the end perhaps? I’ll make a couple of jars with and without the kirsch.If you have any advice on the matter it would be most welcome. Thanks!
Camilla
Excellent Helen, glad I’m not the only Crazy Jam person. With regard to the amount of alcohol etc try looking at my Rhubarb & Gin Jam which you could use as a guide. https://www.fabfood4all.co.uk/simple-rhubarb-gin-jam/
Connie
My daughter has so many I washed a 5 gallon bucket full and put in the freezer.
I’m thinking I can make into jam later.
Can I use pectin ?
Camilla
Hi Connie, you can use pectin to make jams but I have never used it as I haven’t found it necessary so can’t give you any advice on it’s use. Making the jam my way makes for a more intense flavour.
Janice Pattie
I love plum jam, but I’ve never found any Mirabelle Plums up here. I’ll look out for them because I really want to make this jam.
Camilla
Thank you Janice, I really want to remake this jam but I think I’d have to do a shout out on a local Facebook group in order to get hold or more:-)
Jon
How long does it last
Camilla
Hi, Jon, my jams will last for years in a cool dark place but best eaten in the first year. Once open keep in the fridge where it will last a few months.
Charlene
My gf gave me a bag full of plums and I came across your blog after searching for a recipe. You had the most 5 stars! I”m having difficulty with the conversions.
Are these correct?
2 Kg Mirabelle plums = 4.409lbs
2 Kg Granulated sugar – 8.4535 cups
200 ml Water – ?? not sure
I would love to make your recipe!
Thank you,
From San Jose, CA, USA
Camilla
Hi Charlene, I’ve just googled for some info and your plum calculation seems correct but I got 2 kg or sugar as = to 10 cups and 200 millilitres of water = 0.85 of a cup. I don’t know if you have fluid ounces, it’s just over 7 fl oz. I would really, really recommend that you buy a set of scales though as far more precise.