Cherries! Even the saying makes you feel like smiling, blushing with redness. Ok enough of romanticism we won’t discuss shades of cherries and that they all make you feel like different moods of love. I choose black cherries for this jam, which is sweet. I’ve kept this recipe in small batches as the pitting is tedious. For this quick jam recipe, you could be done pitting in 20 minutes. Something, I prefer doing while watching my favorite show. If you like making jams, then summer jams that are not to be missed are plum jam, apple jam, and strawberry jam. Fresh cherries have the following benefits just in case you need more reasons to preserve them.
These little berries are packed with minerals, vitamins, and anti-oxidants. This makes amazing fruit to boost exercise recovery. These may improve symptoms of arthritis, heart health, and gout. These can also improve sleep quality. Find more cherry benefits at Nutrition Stripped.
Ingredients
We need just three ingredients to make this homemade cherry jam without pectin.
Cherries
I used sweet cherries that were available to me. But if you could mix sweeter varieties like bing or black cherries with sour varieties like Marello or Montmorency cherries you’ll have a delicious sweet and sour jam. Remember the amount of sugar and lemon juice needs to be adjusted according to the taste of the cherries. You can find more about cherry varieties here at Taste of Home.
Low-Sugar
You can’t omit sugar completely in a no-pectin jam as sugar helps it gel and also helps preservation. But you can reduce it certainly. This is a very small batch recipe but this can easily be adapted to preserve kilos of cherries. Homegrown cherries are often very sweet as they are vine-riped so consider starting with less sugar in the beginning and adding more after tasting. The same goes with frozen cherries which are also vine-riped.
Lemon
Acidity in the lemon juice helps activate some of the natural fruit pectins in cherries and also helps preserve the fruit. These cherries are very sweet and not tart at all. So I added more lemon juice so the jam tastes more flavorful. But you can adjust the lemon juice if using tart or sour cherries.
How to make it?
Find a pictorial step-by-step of how to make easy cherry jam without pectin below with pro tips.
How to store?
This recipe will make 1 regular cherry jam jar (300 ml) that will stay in the fridge for 2 months. If doubling this recipe, you may freeze the extra jars. If canning the preserve, follow the sterilization process of jars and lids before filling the jars. Screw the lid without over-tightening, wipe the rim, and tap the jars to remove air bubbles. Then process the jars in the water bath for 10 minutes. Use a clean spoon to serve the jam and do not linger your finger inside or around the rim of the jar. With a little care and your jam will be good for months.
Expert Tips
Pitting is time-consuming, you can prep a night ahead. Combine all ingredients in a pot and store them in the fridge. Then plan to cook the next day when you do some work in the kitchen to reduce active cooking time. If you consider making a 2x or 3x batch of the recipe, the cooking time will increase. Cook on lower heat to be safe and avoid caramelizing sugar.
How to use it?
Cherry jam without pectin is nothing but cherry preserve. Here are a few ways to use the preserve.
You may have some roasted almonds to make a cherry conserve. Adding chia seeds can make cherry chia jam and the can be stored in the fridge for a week. If you like aromatic preserve vanilla beans or almond essence can add that depth of flavor.
Spread it on toast or on the biscuit. Make a cherry sauce to drizzle on ice cream or desserts. Make a cherry drink. You may use it to make cherry oatmeal bars, cherry cookies, or cherry muffins.
Hungry for goodies? Check these! If you try the Cherry Jam recipe without pectin, I’d LOVE to hear your feedback in the comments. Your 5-ratings motivate me to do my best. Stay connected for more recipes and videos on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Youtube.
📖 Recipe
