Apple or Pear Jam
- Total Time
- About 1½ hours
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:About 4 to 6 cups (4 to 6 8-ounce jars)
- 5½pounds/2.5 kilograms apples or pears, peeled, cored and cut into ¾ inch pieces (about 4 pounds/1.8 kilograms cut fruit)
- Add-ins (optional, see note)
- 3cups/600 grams granulated sugar
- ¼cup/60 milliliters fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
Preparation
- Step 1
Place a small plate in the refrigerator to chill. (You’ll use this later.)
- Step 2
In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, cover fruit and any add-ins (see note) with 4 cups/960 milliliters of water. Bring to a strong simmer over medium–high heat. Cook until water is reduced by about ¾, and fruit is soft and tender (or even falling apart slightly), 20 to 30 minutes.
- Step 3
Add sugar and continue to cook, stirring occasionally at first and more frequently as the jam cooks and juices thicken until most of the liquid has evaporated and the fruit has really started to break down, another 30 to 40 minutes.
- Step 4
As the jam cooks, the liquid reduces, the sugars thicken and the natural pectins activate. You’ll notice the liquid go from a rapid, rolling boil with smaller bubbles to a slow, thick, tarlike boil with larger bubbles: This is the stage at which it’s most important to stir constantly along the bottom of the pot to prevent scorching and sticking. (Sugar is heavier than water and will concentrate there, increasing any chance of the fruit burning.) It’s also the stage at which splattering may occur, so take care in stirring.
- Step 5
When the jam reaches a slow, thick boil, add lemon juice and incorporate any of the add-ins and continue to cook, stirring constantly until the jam has returned to its previously thickened state, about another 5 minutes. At this stage, the jam should look like a coarse, shiny applesauce. But if you’d really like to be sure, spoon a bit of jam onto the chilled plate, return it to the refrigerator and chill for 2 minutes. Drag your finger through it: It should hold its shape on either side without appearing watery or runny. If it doesn't, cook it a few minutes more.
- Step 6
Using a spoon or other utensil, pick out any spices or vanilla beans. Divide between jars, leaving ¼ inch of space from the top of the jar, and seal immediately. Can the jams (see our How to Make Jam guide for more instruction), or store in the refrigerator, using them up within a couple of weeks.
Tip
- To enhance your apple or pear jam, consider these add-ins, cooked into the jam in Step 2: 3 cinnamon sticks; 4 star anise; 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped; 1 teaspoon ground cardamom; or 2 allspice berries.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Rhonda Weg
Here is add-in note: To enhance your apple or pear jam, consider these add-ins, cooked into the jam in Step 2: 3 cinnamon sticks; 4 star anise; 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped; 1 teaspoon ground cardamom; or 2 allspice berries.
Alice Kaiser
To me, this is so much better than apple butter, with more character and texture. Go subtle on the spices. It will taste like apple pie!
Leticia
I wanted plain apple jam, so I did not use any add ins. It is delicious. Just like my great-grandmother used to make!
June Davidson
I mad this as specified with 5 1/2 pounds of apples. The cut apples were too great a volume to do in a frying pan as in the video, so I used a large stockpot. The cooking process took nearly 2hours, and then produced 10 half pint jars. I will have to refrigerate some as I didn’t have enough lids. It is not a bad Bad thing to have more jam, just thinking about how I will keep the last 3 jars fresh until we can use them. May try freezing them using some used lids. Be forewarned! Have extra jars!
Hopsing
Made a small batch using Bartlett pears and reduced the sugar by more than half. Used some crushed cardamom pods. Very tasty… we ate it for dessert.
joyceann
I just finished this…it took longer for the fruit to “break down”…delicious none the less, but will do in smaller batches.
Joan Edwards
Wonderful, simple recipe! And so fragrant! I used apple juice from extra apples instead of the water or rather for 3/4 of the water and then spiced with vanilla bean, star anise, and cinnamon sticks. This is the solution for all of my extra apples! Thank you!
AGT
I used pears (fresh Texas picked) and the cooking time was at least double for me - then I used a potato masher to get the consistency shown in the photos… I also added some orange flavoring to the 3 cinnamon sticks and found that subtle orange flavor a great addition!
TFB
I found this a little too sweet. Reduce sugar by 1/2 to 1 cup. I think lemon zest would be amazing in it
Rachel
I made this without any alterations to the recipe. First off let me say this is an incredible jam recipe. The last attempt I made at pear jam ended with a sort of candied mess. The addition of water here seems counterintuitive - at least to me - it is not. I weighed all my ingredients - which is immensely helpful. I put three cinnamon sticks in at step 2, but I wish I'd put more. This is a very sweet jam - next time (because there will be a next time) I may cut back on the sugar a bit.
Sharyn
My pears were so juicy I used no water as in the recipe. I cooked them about 90 minutes to get the consistency right and added cardamom. Delicious but next time I might substitute honey as the sweetener to add extra flavor.
Mary Ann Grant
Pear jam is unique in how well it holds up to add ins like cardoman. I’ve often added fresh, sliced banana during the last sugar/fruit part. Absolutely wonderful.
Rachel
Made apple jam with some apples that were on the verge of becoming bad. Simple process although time-consuming and you don't have to be too precise with the recipe, at least from my experience. I used a little honey as well as some ground cinnamon as my add-ins. Tastes amazing and good "just because" gifts for friends!
Jennifer
Made half a recipe with several red pears I had that were getting too ripe. I peeled them (did not bother with blanching, as their ripeness made them easy to peel). For sugar, I used half raw cane and half granulated, and used just slightly less than what was called for. Added in a cinnamon stick. Delicious and easy. We ate it warm on ice cream and then enjoyed it on toast for a couple weeks. Kept well and was a great consistency.
Liza
Just made this. I had received two (!) boxes of pears as gifts this holiday. I highly recommend this recipe.
jessica
I added some things I wanted to use up and it came out so good. Added guava to the apples. And for add ins used the vanilla bean, lemongrass and ginger. Came out really good.
Sheila Mooney
Made pear jam with 4 gorgeous ripe juicy Poire Williams specimens, added 2 star anise and the seeds from half a vanilla pod. Pears give off a lot of liquid, so it took a bit of time to cook down, I watched it carefully. Something between a jam and a very sweet compote, a big spoonful is lovely as part of a dessert, say with madeleines or sponge cake.
josee
I just made this with pears. I had slightly less pears, around 4 pounds, so I adjusted sugar accordingly. I added all the add-ins. Yielded 2 16oz jars and 1 small 4 oz. the whole house smells incredible.
Michele
You added ALL of the add-ins? I bet it was really flavorful. I was tempted to add every single add-in, but thought maybe it would be a little too much. I will try them all next time. Thanks.
fig
So delicious! Added in anise because I absolutely love anise. I probably didn’t completely finish all the steps... I was short on time, but it turned out great anyway!
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