Homemade Sweet Cherry Jam with pectin

Homemade Cherry Jam on scones with jars in the background, one of them with a spoon and fresh cherries.

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!

No ratings yet

Print Pin Save Recipe

Course: Snack

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 40

Servings: 15g

Calories: 38kcal

Author: Sarah James

15g

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.