Homemade Sweet Cherry Jam with pectin made using just 3 simple ingredients.
Sink your spoon into softly set jam bursting with vibrant cherries and full of the intense flavour of summer.
All you need are fresh and juicy sweet cherries, lemon juice and a bag of jam sugar. Making Cherry Jam couldn’t be easier!
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In around 40 minutes, you can have 4 jars of delicious Homemade Sweet Cherry Jam done and dusted. This includes fruit preparation, weighing out ingredients and potting up. It’s even quicker if you use defrosted frozen cherries which come without their stones.
Cherry season is very short. So if you’re able to pick from a tree or grab a bargain at a Farmer’s market, you can preserve them for year long enjoyment. Every year at the Kitchen Shed in France, we always looked forward to cherry season, although we had to race the birds to the fruit! One year they stripped the tree clean in a day. Ever since, we netted the tree to save some for jam and the occasional cherry frangipane tart.
My first attempt at cherry jam was a chewy mess – so I’ve refined this recipe over the years. Pectin is the game-changer as it sets the jam quickly, so the cherries stay soft and juicy.
Jam and chutney making form a large part of what happens here at The Kitchen Shed. It generally starts with strawberry jam and before I know it, we’re into the summer glut of raspberries. Out comes the preserving pan and on goes a batch of raspberry jam. In between all that is the brief season of dark sweet cherries.
I hope you enjoy Sweet Cherry Jam as much as our family and friends do.
Equipment You’ll Need
- A cherry pitter – not essential but if you have a lot of cherries to pit it’s a real time saver. Alternatively use a straw or chop stick to push the stones through the cherries.
- Preserving pan – nice and wide so liquid can evaporate and your jam can set. If you make a lot of jams and chutneys it’s worth investing in a good solid preserving pan. I use an 8.5 litre Penguin Home Professional pan.
- Two chilled saucers – for the wrinkle test.
- A jam funnel – definitely something I wouldn’t be without as it saves a lot of mess and waste.
- Sterilised jam jars – at least 4 x 350g jars with lids.
- Jam thermometer – a quick and easy way to check the setting point of jam, it should be around 104C / 220F.
How to Sterilise Jam Jars
Sterilise your jars shortly before they are to be used. This minimises the time in which the jars might pick up new bacteria and ruin your cherry jam. Make sure your jars are dry when you come to fill them.
I like to sterilise jam jars in the microwave. Simply clean your jars as normal and rinse but whilst they are wet, pop them in the microwave for two minutes on full power.
Remember the jars will be very hot, so remove with care.
Alternatively, wash jars in the dishwasher on a hot cycle.
What Ingredients do I Need ?
- Cherries – I used a kilo of sweet dark cherries which once pitted weighed 950g. Make sure the cherries are at their best and unblemished, it’s a myth that any old fruit will do. The best fruit makes the best jam. Frozen cherries can be used to make sweet cherry jam – simply defrost and drain away most of the juice before following the recipe. Too much liquid will inhibit the jam setting.
- Lemon – besides aiding the jam’s set, lemon brings out the full intense cherry flavour and balances out the sweetness. You won’t taste the lemon at all.
- Jam sugar – granulated sugar with added pectin. Not to be confused with preserving sugar which is larger granules of sugar which melt more evenly.
How To Make Homemade Sweet Cherry Jam with pectin
- Wash, pit and cut half of the cherries into chunks. We like some whole pieces of fruit in the jam but feel free to chop all of the fruit if you prefer a less chunky jam.
- Soften your fruit in a little water for 10 to 20 minutes.
- Add the sugar and stir.
- Check the sugar has completely dissolved, the syrup should be free of any sugar granules.
- Add lemon juice – lemon juice is added after the sugar to avoid damaging the pectin formation.
- Bring to a gentle rolling boil and cook until setting point. The surface of the jam should be covered with tiny bubbles.
- Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up too high as your jam might catch and burn on the bottom. Setting point is reached when the jam thermometer reaches 104℃ or 220F. I also like use the wrinkle test to check for a good set.
- Remove your pan from the heat and drop a little jam onto a cold saucer. Return the saucer to the fridge for about a minute to cool the jam. Now gently push through the jam with your fingertip – if the jam crinkles, setting point has been reached. Because it is a soft set jam, you may not get a crinkle. But you’ll be able to see the jam doesn’t close the gap made by your fingertip.
- Leave to settle for about 10 minutes before potting. This delay will help to more evenly distribute the cherries throughout your jam.
- Ladle into warm sterilised jars – pack down with the back of a spoon to remove any air pockets.
- Seal tightly with a lid.
Canning and Preserving Notes
Here in the UK, we don’t generally use the water bath method to make jams and jellies.
Jars and lids are sterilised before filling and once sealed the lids on jars of hot jam form a vacuum seal during cooling. Within the airtight jar, the sugar and acid content is high enough to preserve the jam or jelly.
If you do wish to water bath Cherry Jam, follow your jar manufacturer’s instructions for canning.
Tips for Perfect Cherry Jam
- This recipe makes 4 x 350g jars of homemade cherry jam. Although it is very tempting to double the recipe, jam in large quantities is more difficult to set properly. It will reach setting point in minutes in small quantities and the faster the jam is made the fresher it will taste.
Ideally you should use a preserving pan for jam making. Alternatively, choose a wide pan with sides at least 22 cm (9inch) deep. This will enable the jam mixture to come to a rolling boil much quicker and for the liquid to evaporate quicker giving a fresh tasting jam. - Sugar acts as a preservative in jams, so it is important to use the correct amount. Too little and the jam will ferment and go mouldy.
- Cherries must be thoroughly softened before the sugar is added. Sugar has a hardening effect on fruits and there’s nothing worse than chewy fruit in a jam.
- Sugar must be completely dissolved before the jam comes to the boil otherwise it will crystallise.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve with a buttered homemade scone.
- Perfect in a Victoria Sponge.
- On toast, waffles or pancakes.
- Or simply on a slice of homemade bread and butter.
- Because it’s like a cherry conserve with whole cherries in it works really well spooned over ice cream or yogurt.
More Jam and Curd Recipes
- Plum Jam
- Pear Jam
- Seedless Strawberry Jam
- Courgette & Ginger Jam
- Pumpkin Jam
- Elderberry Jelly
- Lemon Curd
- Peach Jam
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Homemade Sweet Cherry Jam with pectin
Equipment
- Preserving pan – I use an 8.5 litre Penguin Home Professional pan.
- 2 saucers or tea plates – chilled in the fridge before you start making the jam.
- jam funnel – definitely something I wouldn’t be without as it saves a lot of mess and waste.
- 4 x 350g Sterilised jam jars and lids
- jam thermometer
Ingredients
- 1 kg dark sweet cherries – about 950 g after pitting
- 750 g jam sugar
- 3 tbs water
- 4 tbs lemon juice – juice from 2 lemons or bottled
Instructions
- Prepare the cherries – wash, pit and chop half of them. Leaving the other half as whole cherries gives a chunkier texture but chop them all for a smoother textured jam.
- Soften the fruit – add cherries to your preserving pan along with 3 tbs water and cover with a lid. Cook on a gentle heat for 10 to 20 minutes. Shake the pan a couple of times to prevent fruit sticking to the pan. Remove lid and cook on a gentle heat for 5 minutes.
- Add sugar – stir in jam sugar and keep stirring until fully dissolved – no visible grains should remain. Increase the heat to medium.
- Add lemon – stirring in lemon juice once sugar is dissolved avoids interfering with pectin setting.
- Boil to setting point – bring the mixture to a gentle rolling boil and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until it reaches 104°C / 220°F.
- Check the set – remove your pan from the heat. Test for setting point by dropping a teaspoon full on a chilled saucer. Return to the fridge for 1 minute. Push the jam gently with your fingertip – if it crinkles, it’s ready. If not, reboil for a couple of minutes and repeat until setting point is reached.
- Pot the jam – let the jam rest for 10 minutes (to prevent fruit from floating), then ladle into warm, sterilised jars. Fill to within 6mm of the top, remove air bubbles, and seal tightly.
- Store in a cool, dry place out of the sunlight and use within 12 months.
Notes
- You can use frozen cherries to make sweet cherry jam – defrost first and drain away most of the water. Do not add water to cook.
- The recipe makes approximately enough to fill 4 x 350g jars.
- Serving size is based on one tablespoon – approximately 15g.
- Keep to one kilo of fruit or less for each batch of cherry jam. It will reach setting point in a few minutes and taste much fresher than if you boiled a large batch for a long time. Too long a boil produces chewy and tough cherries.
- Your Homemade Cherry Jam will keep for up to a year. Store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
- Once opened, refrigerate and use within 4 weeks.
- Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.