💡 At a Glance
- •The Jam: A delightfully fruity spread made with fresh tart cherries, jam sugar (gelling sugar), and a splash of lemon juice.
- •Quick & Easy: Super fast and straightforward to whip up in your Thermomix®—100% beginner-friendly!
- •Pro Tip: A tiny splash of neutral vegetable oil in the mixing bowl keeps the jam from foaming up while it boils.
Homemade Cherry Jam: If you love the deep, sweet flavor of ripe cherries and are looking for the absolute best way to preserve that delicious summer fruit, you’ve come to the right place!
With fresh, juicy cherries, a little love, and just a few simple ingredients, you’ll have jars filled with pure fruity goodness in no time at all.
In this super easy step-by-step recipe, I’ll show you just how simple it is to whip up a batch of totally irresistible homemade jam in your Thermomix® with minimal effort!
Why You’ll Love Homemade Jam:
- It’s simply delicious.
- Budget-friendly and wholesome.
- A quick and easy recipe that’s completely beginner-friendly.
- A healthier option than store-bought, giving you full control over the ingredients and sweetness.
- Super versatile—use it as a spread for toast, a filling for cakes, or a delicious topping for desserts.
- A wonderful homemade gift idea that friends and family will adore.
My Top Tips for the Best Jam
Use ripe, high-quality fruit to get the absolute best flavor and texture.
Be sure to stem and pit your fruit completely for a smooth texture and to help your jam last longer.
Stick to the fruit-to-sugar ratio in the recipe—it’s key for getting just the right sweetness and set.
Thoroughly sterilize your canning jars and lids before filling to keep everything squeaky clean and extend shelf life.
Let the jam cool completely before storing to make sure it sets up properly.
Store your jam in a cool, dark place out of direct sunlight and heat to keep it fresh for as long as possible.
How Long Does Homemade Jam Last?
When properly canned and kept unopened, homemade jam will stay good for up to a year!
Store your unopened jars in a cool, dark place, ideally at room temperature.
A dry pantry or kitchen cabinet is perfect. Just be sure to keep them away from heat, humidity, and direct sunlight, as those can shorten its shelf life.
Once you pop a jar open, it needs to be stored in the refrigerator.
An opened jar will stay fresh and delicious for about 2 to 3 weeks.
Before digging in, always give it a quick check—take a look at the consistency, give it a sniff, and taste a bit to make sure it’s still good to eat.
Homemade Jam FAQs
What Ingredients Do You Need for Cherry Jam?
- 500 g (about 1.1 lbs) pitted sour cherries
- 250 g 2:1 gelling sugar (or jam sugar)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp neutral oil or fat (such as sunflower oil or coconut oil)
How to Make Cherry Jam
Prep Work:
First, sterilize 4 mason jars (about 8 oz / 200 ml each) in boiling water and set them aside.
Next, sort through your cherries.
Pro Tip: Make sure your cherries are fresh, bruise-free, and showing no signs of mold. You’ll want to get them processed pretty quickly once picked or bought!
Give the cherries a good rinse, pop off the stems, and pit them.
Don’t have a cherry pitter? No problem at all! You can easily pit them using the bottle trick (check out the photo!).
For this easy hack, all you need is a clean glass bottle and a sturdy straw to push the pits out.
To pit the cherries, just balance one cherry at a time on the neck of the bottle, hold it steady, and poke the straw straight down through the center toward the bottom of the bottle.
The pit will pop right out and drop into the bottle—super slick!
You’re left with a beautiful, whole pitted cherry with just a tiny hole through it.
If you don’t have a straw handy, a chopstick or wooden skewer works like a charm too.
Instructions:
Add the pitted cherries to the mixing bowl and purée for 10 sec/Speed 10. Use the spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the jam sugar and lemon juice, then mix for 10 sec/Speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once more.
Next, add 1 teaspoon of sunflower oil.
Pro Tip: You can skip the oil if you prefer! However, the fat breaks down the foam’s protein structure, meaning you won’t have to worry about the jam foaming up too much and boiling over the top of your mixing bowl.
Now, cook everything for 18 min/212°F (100°C)/Speed 2.
Next, perform a gel test: drop 1 to 2 teaspoons of the hot jam onto a small plate.
Pro Tip: Pop the plate in the fridge beforehand to speed up the test!
If the jam thickens or sets after 1 to 2 minutes, you know it will set up nicely as it cools.
If it’s still too runny, simply cook the jam for a couple more minutes and repeat the gel test.
Ladle the hot jam straight into clean, sterilized jars, seal immediately, and let them cool completely.
Do not turn the jars upside down!
Pro Tip: Fill the jars right up to the rim to ensure an airtight seal. Using a canning funnel keeps things nice and mess-free!
Enjoy!
Now, go have fun making your jam, and enjoy every bite!
If you loved this quick jam recipe, you might also like my recipe for amazing Chocolate Crinkle Cookies!
Enjoy,
Christoph
PS: Don’t want to miss a recipe? Be sure to follow me on Pinterest or Instagram ❣
Did you try this recipe?
If you loved it, please leave me a comment below and rate it 5 stars! 🙂
Sour Cherry or Strawberry Jam
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Zutaten
- 500 g Sour cherries pitted
- 250 g 2:1 gelling sugar
- 2 tbsp Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp Neutral vegetable oil or fat Sunflower oil or coconut oil
Zubereitung
Prep Work:
- First, sterilize 4 canning jars (200 ml / ~7 oz each) in boiling water and set them aside.
- Sort through the cherries to remove any damaged ones.
- Next, wash, stem, and pit the cherries.
- If you don’t own a cherry pitter, you can easily pit them using the bottle method! All you need is a clean glass bottle and a sturdy drinking straw (or chopstick/skewer). Place each cherry on top of the bottle opening, hold it securely, and push the straw straight through the top toward the bottom of the bottle. The pit pops right out into the bottle, leaving you with a perfectly pitted whole cherry!
Instructions:
- Place the pitted cherries into the mixing bowl and purée for 10 sec/speed 10. Use the spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the 2:1 gelling sugar and lemon juice, then mix for 10 sec/speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again with your spatula.
- Add 1 tsp of sunflower oil. Pro Tip: You can leave the oil out if you prefer, but a tiny bit of fat breaks up the foam structure so your jam won’t boil over in the mixing bowl!
- Now bring everything to a boil for 18 min/100°C/speed 2.
- Next, perform a set test (wrinkle test). Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of hot jam onto a small plate. Tip: Pop the plate in the fridge ahead of time to speed up the test! If the jam thickens up after 1-2 minutes, it will set perfectly as it cools. If it still feels too runny, boil for another minute or two and test again.
- Ladle the hot jam immediately into your clean, sterilized jars, seal tightly right away, and let cool completely. No need to turn the jars upside down!
Notes
- You can totally make this recipe with other types of fruit, too!
- I also love making this jam with fresh-picked strawberries straight from the patch.
- Just wash and hull the strawberries, pat them dry, and discard any bruised ones. Otherwise, the prep and cooking method stay exactly the same!
Sour Cherry or Strawberry Jam
Click stars to rate now
Zutaten
- 500 g Sour cherries pitted
- 250 g 2:1 gelling sugar
- 2 tbsp Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tsp Neutral vegetable oil or fat Sunflower oil or coconut oil
Zubereitung
Prep Work:
- First, sterilize 4 canning jars (200 ml / ~7 oz each) in boiling water and set them aside.
- Sort through the cherries to remove any damaged ones.
- Next, wash, stem, and pit the cherries.
- If you don't own a cherry pitter, you can easily pit them using the bottle method! All you need is a clean glass bottle and a sturdy drinking straw (or chopstick/skewer). Place each cherry on top of the bottle opening, hold it securely, and push the straw straight through the top toward the bottom of the bottle. The pit pops right out into the bottle, leaving you with a perfectly pitted whole cherry!
Instructions:
- Place the pitted cherries into the mixing bowl and purée for 10 sec/speed 10. Use the spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the 2:1 gelling sugar and lemon juice, then mix for 10 sec/speed 4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl again with your spatula.
- Add 1 tsp of sunflower oil. Pro Tip: You can leave the oil out if you prefer, but a tiny bit of fat breaks up the foam structure so your jam won't boil over in the mixing bowl!
- Now bring everything to a boil for 18 min/100°C/speed 2.
- Next, perform a set test (wrinkle test). Spoon 1-2 teaspoons of hot jam onto a small plate. Tip: Pop the plate in the fridge ahead of time to speed up the test! If the jam thickens up after 1-2 minutes, it will set perfectly as it cools. If it still feels too runny, boil for another minute or two and test again.
- Ladle the hot jam immediately into your clean, sterilized jars, seal tightly right away, and let cool completely. No need to turn the jars upside down!
Notes
- You can totally make this recipe with other types of fruit, too!
- I also love making this jam with fresh-picked strawberries straight from the patch.
- Just wash and hull the strawberries, pat them dry, and discard any bruised ones. Otherwise, the prep and cooking method stay exactly the same!
