Very seldom do I get a special request to make something, but last week Bobby came home with 2 pounds of fresh cherries and asked “Will you make me a cherry jam?”. How could I refuse? The 2 pounds gave us enough cherries for a pint of jam, plus a few to snack on.
The recipe below is one of my quick & easy jams made with fruit and no pectin. It makes one jar of cherry jam that is intended to be refrigerated and eaten, not sealed and stored for the winter. There are three ingredients – cherries, sugar and lemon juice. The process requires no large pots of boiling jars and lids, and only about 20 minutes of stirring. The most time consuming part is pitting the cherries. The result of about 45 minutes of work? … a pint of cherry heaven!
Small Batch Cherry Jam with No Pectin
This is a refrigerator jam and not intended to be sealed and stored in the pantry. All you need is a very clean jar. Once the jam is cooked to consistency, pour into jar, let cool and refrigerate. This jam keeps for several months in the refrigerator.
“*” See Kitchen Notes for more information or links to special ingredients.
- 16 – 20 ounces of pitted chopped cherries (~1 ¼ – 1 ½ pounds of fresh cherries*)
- 8 – 10 ounces sugar
- Juice or zest from 1 large lemon*
- Cherries to sugar ratio should be 2:1 by weight
- If you aren’t planning on using temperature to know when the jam is ready to pour, then place a small saucer in the freezer.
Wash and rinse a clean pint jar (do not dry). Add about an inch of water to the jar and place in microwave for 1.5 minutes. Using jar grips, pour out the hot water and place jar on a clean towel until ready to pour.
- Wash and pit the cherries. Coarsely chop and transfer to sauce pan.
- *(Optional) Using an immersion blender, pulse about 4 to 5 times. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer chopped cherries to a regular blender and pulse 3 to 4 times. Do NOT pureé the cherries.
Add the sugar and lemon to the cherries and heat over medium heat. Stir until the sugar has melted.
- Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a full boil*, stirring constantly. A full boil is a boil that can not be stirred down.
- Adjust the heat so that the cherry mixture continues at a steady, rolling boil while stirring. Cook and stir for 15 to 17 minutes. At 15 minutes, test the jam.
- To test the jam, dip a metal spoon into the jam and then raise it up out of the pot. Turn the spoon sideways. If the droplets flow together into one drop, the the jam is very close to being done. Pull the small saucer from the freezer and place a dollop or two of jam onto the saucer. If it spreads out, the jam’s not done. Return the saucer to the freezer, continue to stir the boiling jam, and try again in 2 minutes. The jam is done when a dollop does not spread out but retains its shape. It usually takes about 15 to 17 minutes for this amount of jam to be ready. If you have a candy thermometer, you could use temperature to know when you jam is done.*
When the jam is ready, remove from the heat and pour into the jar. Put the lid on it, let cool, and refrigerate. This jam keeps in the refrigerator until you finish it off, which won’t take long.
Type of cherries – Sweet cherries yield a very sweet jam that makes one mean peanut butter and jam sandwich! Sour cherries or wild cherries (which are rather tart), yield a delicious sweet and tart jam. Great in toast and bagels. Therefore, it really doesn’t matter the type of cherries you use. Just use your favorite cherries and enjoy!
Amount of cherries – It’s hard to estimate non-pitted weight vs. pitted weight because cherry sizes and cherry pit sizes differ. Therefore, regardless of how much pitted cherries you ended up with, just be sure that the ratio of fruit to sugar is 2:1 (by weight). Also, 16 to 20 ounces of pitted cherries gets you closer to a full pint of jam.
Lemon Juice/Zest – Cherries are a relatively low pectin fruit; therefore, lemon zest is recommended to give the jam a little pectin boost. (The zest has more pectin than the juice.) The lemon flavor is subtle and does tone down the sweetness a bit.
Using an immersion blender– If you like a chunky cherry jam or if your cherries are small (like wild cherries), then omit the blender all together.
Time & Temperature – Since this is a low pectin jam, time and temperature are important to help the jam set. Cooking it at a full boil cooks off a lot of the liquid in a short amount of time and raises the temperature quicker. Just be sure to stir constantly. I have found from making many, many single jars of jam, that this process usually takes between 15 to 20 minutes for most fruits, but can take longer. Using temperature is actually more consistent than using time.
Temperature – Using a candy thermometer yields pretty consistent results and is a good tool for quick jam recipes. The standard maximum cooking temperature for jams is a temperature of 220° F (104° C) at sea level; however, as you go up in elevation, this temperature decreases. The rule of thumb is to subtract 1ºF for every 500 ft. increase in elevation. Since I live right at a mile high (5280 ft), 210ºF is a the temperature I use for cherry jam.
If you let the temperature get too high or allow too much liquid to evaporate, you get a “stiff” or “stringy” jam that is hard to spread. If this ever happens, don’t throw the jam out. Add it a quick bread or knead it into a yeast bread.
Full, rolling boil – You want a full, rolling boil that is well under control with a gentle stir. If you feel like you’re whipping egg whites to keep it under control, then the heat is way too high. Be sure to stir constantly once the jam comes to a rolling boil. Infrequent stirring can cause the jam to burn and create a messy stovetop due to splattering or even a boil over.
If you like this quick & easy cherry jam and the concept of small batch jams, take a look at this collection of Quick & Easy Jams as well as my Jams & Jellies category. For more instructional information about quick & easy jams, click this link for more Kitchen Notes/Tips on How to Make Quick & Easy Jams.
This recipe sounds awesome and everyone else has made it so I know that it’s great and it works but when I made mine it hardened as soon as I put it in the jar. I cooked it to 220 degrees and did everything else as it was said to do but I used blueberries instead of cherries. I think this has something to do with it. Do you know why it would harden so much and so soon. Thanks!
Hey Kristen! I’m sorry that your jam hardened as quick as it did. Usually, that does mean that it was cooked too long at too high of a temperature. I don’t know what your elevation is, but 220F is usually what works at sea level and then as the elevation increases, you drop the temperature. I’m above 5000ft, so I quit cooking between 205 and 210F. Blueberries are a low pectin fruit compared to cherries, so that probably did not cause the instant hardening. To me, it’s a time and temperature issue.
Just in case you haven’t seen this, here are my tips for making jams and jellies. AND, just an item from personal experience, once the jam reaches the near ready stage, it will start making a type of sizzling or sticky sound as you stir around the sides of the pan. That tells me it’s pretty much done and, even if the temperature hasn’t been reached yet, I take it off the heat.
I hope this doesn’t discourage you to try again. Making these quick & easy jams can take a few batches to get the hang of it because it’s not a pure science like the pectin added jam. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never stop making them. 🙂 I hope this helps.
Thank you so much. That makes me feel a lot better about the jam since it was my first one :). I really appreciate the advice as well as the recipe. Thanks so much! 🙂
You are most welcome! Please let me know if you have other questions. Also, can’t wait to hear about your successful jar of jam. 🙂
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I’ve made this jam so many times! Always with a different fruit. I’ve used cherries, apples, pineapples, raspberries and blackberries. Didn’t really have to adjust the sugar much, the blackberries didn’t need the whole 15minutes.
Thank you for letting me know Teresa!!! It’s a pretty awesome recipe isn’t? Like you, I love that you can get variety instead of having to store 24 jars of the same jam. 🙂 I’ve never tried pineapple. Will be giving that a try for sure. Did you sure fresh pineapple?
Can I freeze this jam. Also can make this using strawberries. It’s just me in the house but I’ve been given a lot of both and love both cherry and strawberry jam or preserves.
Thanks for your question Angie! I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze it. Just try to get as much air out as possible. You could also “can” it by sterilizing your jar in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Pour the jam into the hot, sterilized jar and seal with a new canning lid. Store it in the pantry for a year or more as long as your pantry doesn’t get too warm. Hope this helps.
Well I live in texas so we only know heat. But I’ll try your easy canning method. Wow if I’d known it was that easy to can would have tried it sooner.
Can strawberries be made the same way with the ingredients or do I need to tweak it.
Click on this link – Strawberry Jam. It’s basically this same recipe.
I made the strawberry jam before seeing your reply about using the he same basic recipe ad cherry. It came out wonderful l! Gave a taste of to my neighbors and you could see in their faces how much liked it. I also tried your method you suggested about canning it and it came out perfect. So glad I found your website. Thanks agsin
Can I substitute frozen cherries for the fresh cherries? Would I need to make an adjustment in the recipe?
I’ve have never had any luck using frozen fruit for jam. It usually turns out too watery and thin for my taste. But you could try. You might need to cook it a little longer so that it will set. Let me know how it turns out if you try it.
Thank you for this great recipe. Cherries are my favorite fruit. It’s great to have another recipe to add to my stash.
You are most welcome Kathi! Thanks for the comments!
You reminded me a request from the little man of my home, my son. He asked for jam too! These berries are very expensive here but I can make one with summer fruits. Yours looks so vibrant and delicious!
Boys and their love of jam. 🙂 Cherries are usually pretty expensive here but it’s been a bumper year so I’m loving the affordable prices. I probably would have just save them all to eat otherwise. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by Katerina.
I have made cherry jam yesterday as well. Quite simillar to yours,but I used apple peel instead of lemon juice to get it to bind. 🙂
It’s great stuff isn’t it? 🙂 I’ve heard of using apple for the extra pectin but have never tried it myself. I should give it a try. Thanks for stopping by!
Cherries are something I miss terribly, they aren’t grown here. 🙁 Your jam sounds amazing MJ. If I ever have two extra pounds of cherries I’ll give your recipe a try.
Sorry so for the temptation Nancy. 🙂 I can’t imagine a spring with cherries. However, you know you have access to some chiles that I would love to try! 🙂
This recipe sounds awesome, need to try it as soon as it’s not that hot anymore 🙂
Thanks Lisa! The nice thing about this recipe is that is is doable in hot weather. There is only about 20 of standing in front of a hot stove and that’s it. Beats the all day canning rituals. 🙂
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What a delicious way to enjoy my favorite fruit of all time — cherries! I’ve never canned jam, so this refrigerator version is right up my alley! Thanks MJ!
Oh Roz … this jam recipe is so easy, so for someone that has never canned jam before, it’s a great place to start.
I just bought two pounds of bing cherries! Serendipitous!
🙂
45 minutes for a pint of delicious cherry jam? Yes it is worth it and I’m sure you’ll do it over and over again because that’s what we do for the biggest fans in our lives. I love the beautiful and minimal look of your photo. Wishing you and Bobby a wonderful weekend. 🙂
You’ve got that right Ray. We do take care of our loves one. 🙂 Hope you and your family have had a wonderful weekend!
Oh, boy, does this look wonderful, MJ. And refrigerator jam is more my style–such an easy recipe!!!
Thanks so much Liz!
Cherries never last long enough in my house to have enough for jam lol but if I did this would be the recipe to use! And I like the size in the end…not to big. And easy to make!
Thanks Evelyne! Yep…cherries are hard to keep around, but this year they seem to be quite plentiful. We’re loving it!
I love this, MJ. The jam looks perfect in every way!
Thanks so much Viviane!
I have to make this for my husband. He’s crazy for cherries and anything else made out of it. This jam is great to spread on toast, pair with pork chops, and as a topping for cheesecakes and other treats.
Thanks so much Denise! My husband loves it as well and when he brings the cherries home, it’s hard to resist. 🙂
Homemade jam is such a special thing to have around and cherry sounds delicious!
Thanks Amy!
I love cherry jam and how lovely that cherries are in abundance in your part of the world right now. I haven’t made cherry jam but I have made cherry chutney. Cherries are in season around Christmas time here in Oz and so I make the cherry chutney to go with turkey and ham xx
Cherry chutney…cherry jam…it is ALL SO GOOD! I would low to try your chutney. Thanks for the comments!
Jam making is one of my favorite kitchen projects in the summer. Due to the drought our cherry season was sweet and short this year. Which has be coveting the lush cherry jam!
There is nothing finer than homemade jam!
Thanks Deb! So sorry about the drought. We’ve been in one for years, but this spring/summer we’ve had more than normal rainfall so the cherries were plentiful this year. Wish I could send you some. 🙂
I don’t remember the exact term you used, but once again we are riding on the same wave. Here we go again. Last week I bought 2 pounds of cherries but they weren’t sweet enough to eat alone so I used your quick and easy jam recipe and made a pint of cherry jam. Therefore, I can attest that it is delicious!! I got mine borderline too thick but it still works great on a pbj or toast. Mine wasn’t as pretty as yours either, but still tastes great. This is an extremely versatile recipe. Everyone should have it page marked as a go-to for all their “been in the fridge too long” or imperfect fruit to make something wonderful out of it. I looked in the crisper to see the status of fruit on hand and I think it’s going to be quick and easy peach jam next.
We’re definitely in sync, mentally connected, living in the same plane. 🙂 I actually love a tart cherry jam but haven’t seen any this year, so had to use the sweet cherries. I bet your tart jam is delicious! You are so right that it’s the perfect recipe/process for all of that uneatable fruit (for whatever the reason). Oh…peach jam…that sounds SO good. Need to find some peaches! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!! XOXOXOX
Beautiful cherry jam, MJ! I have never made sweet cheery jam, only tart cherry (in Poland only tart cherries are considered “jammable” 😉 because of their tartness which on one side makes them difficult to eat in big amounts while raw and secondly gives jams this nice tangy kick. I must try making with sweet cherries, especially since here I cannot get tart cherries 🙁 and I stopped making cherry jams… My husband would like it much more than the tart one.
Thanks so much Sissi! I love making this recipe with tart cherries, but even here they are hard to find. Sometimes I’ll find wild cherries at the growers’ market, but if you aren’t there the week they show up, you’ll miss them. This jam with sweet cherries is really sweet, but as long as you use it on a PB&J or on a nice multigrain toast, the sweetness isn’t a problem because the deliciousness of the jam is overpowering. 🙂 Hope you’re having a great week!
I’ve never been to your blog that I know of but I saw Angie tweeted this and had to check it out! I just looove cherries and they are so pricey I don’t know that I could sacrifice them to jam, but it does look and sound heavenly! I also make my jam like you without pectin and finished some strawberry jam just now! You just can’t beat homemade jam, once you make it, it’s hard to buy it in the store, it just doesn’t compare! Well done, the photos are gorgeous, too.
Veronica, thank you so much for dropping by and leaving a comment! I’m with you in that one can’t beat homemade jam. For years I did the canning thing producing multiple jars of one type of jam in a day. When the availability of free fresh fruit started to dwindle, those jars of jam soon disappeared. After one jar of store-bought, I was back making jam, but one jar at a time. It’s a great process! Hope to see you again!
I love jam without pectin and it looks perfect to me too.
Thanks Angie!
Love cherry jam! And I really like the refrigerator recipes — just can’t seem to get into actual canning. This is definitely my speed — thanks!
I am so glad you posted this. Cherry jam is my favorite and I’m not the best jam maker, but this seems perfectly doable!
Thanks Abbe! This is a jam that anyone can make so go for it girl! Have fun and enjoy!
MMM. This sounds soo delicious and easy to make. I’m going to give this one a try. YUM
Thanks so much Juni!! Hope you enjoy it!
I don’t eat jam often so the small recipe would be perfect for me. And, I love cherry jam.
Thanks Ann! Not only is it easy, makes a small jar, but it keeps well in the fridge for several months.
MJ,
I’m so happy to find a jam recipe that has chopped fruit, not pureed. And a small quantity jam so there isn’t a lot left over 3 years from now!
Love cherry jam. Thanks for the recipe. And love the jar. I have two of those. Haven’t seen them any place else in years.
Thanks so much Wendy for your comments! Hope you give this a try. I found that jar at a garage sale and loved it. Haven’t seen another one like it either.
Thank you for a great recipe, that make a small amount. I love to can, but sometimes my recipe are a little overwhelming.
You are most welcome Corinne and thanks so much for your comment! I know what you mean about some canning recipes being overwhelming. Well, this one definitely is not. 🙂 Hope you give it a try.