Easy Tomato Jam
Tomatoes cooked down until sticky sweet, this Easy Tomato Jam is simple to make. Tangy, sticky and perfect for entertaining. All you need is a little time, patience and some will-power….so you don’t eat the whole batch all by yourself.
It’s raining tomatoes. At least in my area it is. I found this amazing, secret farm stand just around the corner from my house about a month or two ago…..just in time for the end of summer.
And I’ve lived here for two years now, this is the first I ever stumbled upon it. I really need to open my eyes when I drive around, I’m missing out on all kinds of things…like a cheese shop that I keep driving by and everyone says is fabulous.
But I have yet to venture inside because I’m afraid I may never leave. I mean, it’s a cheese shop. The only thing better than a cheese shop would be a butter shop and I haven’t come across one of those yet.
Back to the farm stand….they sell a bazillion tomatoes and every time I show up they have bushels of them for $5. Yes, $5. FIVE DOLLARS! It’s crazy, so I’ve been whipping up sauce, all kinds of sauce…Bolognese Sauce, Stovetop Marinara, you name it.
I shipped some off to Penn State this weekend….it was a Vodka sauce and now that I think about it, I should have shot some photos and posted the recipe for you. I’ll add it to the ever-growing list of things I want to share with all of you…my lovely internet friends.
Because you ARE my friends….you keep coming back here to eat with me and listen (um….watch…read?) to me yammer on about crazy stuff that’s going on in my present, past and possible future. See….I’m off track again.
Since my freezer is adequately stocked for winter like we’re a family squirrels (except tomatoes instead of nuts…because we’re already nuts) I had to do something with the 30 bushels of tomatoes sitting around.
I whipped up a tomato and goat cheese crostata and paired it with a fresh bloody mary, then I imagined myself eating a crisp, buttery cracker topped with goat cheese and tomato jam. The problem, I didn’t have tomato jam so I played around with a recipe I had printed out a while ago with every intention of making it…canning it…and squirreling it away for winter. Let me tell you this….there’s no need to can it.
What is Tomato Jam? (Or tomato marmalade for that matter.)
Tomato jam is a sweet spread made with fresh tomatoes, sugar and a bit of spices. It’s cooked down to a jammy consistency and is perfect on top of that avocado toast everyone is posting on Instagram lately.
How do you make a Sweet Tomato Jam recipe?
Much different than a Savory Tomato Jam, which reminds me of a tomato sauce that’s overly thick, this sweet tomato jam is earthy and tangy and sticky and sweet.
You simply stir together the tomatoes, sugar and spices then cook down for a bit until it’s thick, sticky and….well, sweet. You can do this with regular tomatoes or make a cherry tomato jam recipe just the same way with those cute as a button cherry or grape tomatoes.
Why, you ask? Because it’s so good (and doesn’t make that much to begin with) you will eat all of this Easy Tomato Jam before it has a chance to go bad. And it’s so simple, with easy to find ingredients….it has a little kick to it from cayenne pepper and a beautiful spice from fresh ginger.
It goes swimmingly with the goat cheese I mentioned a little while ago and it would be amazing on some avocado toast for a quick, healthy breakfast. You really should make this very soon….really….go…go now.
If you’re not really in the tomato mood then you should DEF try this Easy Orange Marmalade recipe, it’s like the best ever with a little hint of vanilla OR whip up this super simple Strawberry jam, it’s so amazing and so incredibly easy. The the best ever refrigerator jam. And this FIG Jam is always a hit….great to save for the winter months as an epic freezer jam.
And I just used up the rest of the summer blueberries for this EASY Blueberry Jam that’s going in the freezer until winter. Cause I’m a planner like that….for now.
Get the Recipe: Easy Tomato Jam
Ingredients
- 2 pounds very good ripe tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped, ( I used roma tomatoes)
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated or minced ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients to a heavy bottom saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil stirring frequently to prevent the bottom from burning.
- Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened to the consistency of jam. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
348 Comments on “Easy Tomato Jam”
Can you can this jam and process it in a hot water bath?
Yes, you can definitely process in a hot water bath!
For how long
Do you mean the simmering time? It’s usually about 25-30 minutes but it can take a little longer depending on how juicy your tomatoes are.
I used two pounds plus of very ripe green zebra and one HUGE heirloom yellow tomato. I didn’t have fresh ginger so I used some crystallized ginger pieces. I cooked it for over an hour. Cooked way down. One full pint. Flavorful but not thick. Hopefully putting in the fridge will help. They might just have been too ripe. Will try again as the flavor is good.
I have found that if the tomatoes are a little more ripe than should be the jam is not as thick. Usually the fridge will tighten it up, hope it worked for you!
Can this awesome tomato jam be frozen
Yes, it can. Just double wrap it to prevent ice crystals from being formed on the top. So, I usually place plastic wrap directly on top of the jam with a bit of overhang and then place the lid on top.
Can this be canned for storage/shelf life? Or just made for fridge life of 10 days?
You can definitely can it for shelf life.
How long do you hot water bath it for?
I usually do at least 30 minutes but I’m not sure that’s best. I would consult a canning expert on that one.
This looked so great I had to try it. My husband (retired executive chef) was given a honey do list and included was the request to make this for me. He used home grown heirloom tomatoes a friend gave us. He followed the recipe exactly as written and WOW we love it! It’s sweet plus spicy and made the house smell wonderful when it was cooking.
Thank you so much! I’m so flattered and thrilled that you love it. It’s great in grilled cheese sandwiches….just a suggestion. 🙂
I’ll definitely try it in grilled cheese sandwiches, sounds great. I think I’ve been putting it on everything I’ve eaten this week!
Oh my gosh, I just pinned this and planned to make it very soon, but this idea! Now I reeeeally need to try this!
Thank you!
Do you think a dutch oven would work?
Yes, absolutely!!!
Yaaassss! Tomato Jam IS my jam! Yours looks absolutely fantastic Kelly!
Thanks, Colleen!
I have never made tomato jam. Should I remove the skins before chopping the tomatoes? I have vine ripe tomatoes.
Thank you!
Hi Ann! I don’t remove the skins, they kind of melt away or you can use an immersion blender.
Ive never tried tomato jam! This looks so good! I might have to make this paleo and try this!
So easy…report back with your Paleo-ized version if you can!
I miss having a garden so we can grow our own tomatoes. I’m determined to put in some raised beds next year. Love having more tomatoes than I can shake a fist at.
This recipe is amazing, my hubby would go nuts for this stuff. He’d be slathering it over everything in sight. Plus it’s just so pretty.
Thanks, Kim! I really would love a garden but so would the deer that hang out in my yard every night. It would be a losing battle. 🙁
There’s a local farmstand here by my place in NW Philly that has some of the best tomatoes. After seeing this recipe, I can see where I will be this weekend because tomato jam needs to be made!
You should definitely give it a shot! I forgot you were in the Philly area, not too far away!
Great taste! You might want to mention in the recipe that if you don’t use a meaty tomato, like Roma or San Marzano, the cook time will be a lot longer. My jam took about an hour to set up.
That is mentioned in the article to use Roma tomatoes and that some tomatoes may take longer but thank you for suggesting it here. A lot of readers scroll past that information and may find it here. Thank you for your comment!
Everybody needs a good tomato jam. Your recipe looks wonderful and I will be keeping it. I grow Italian tomatoes and they are the best!
$5?! Gosh. It’s good we don’t have that deal around here because my husband would be buying several bushels at a time. He does that kind of stuff. This jam looks like such a great use for them!
Don’t you just love when you find a special little farm stand or shop? It’s almost hard to share the secret because you want to keep it all to yourself. 🙂 This jam is a wonderful way to use up those end-of-season tomatoes!
I’ve never made or even tried tomato jam but it looks so stunning in your jar, I’ve got to give it a go and make a no sugar version.
YUM!! We make tomato jam every year with our garden tomatoes…so good!
This is delicious! Tangy, sweet, and a little spicy.
Curious how much a serving is? The nutrition information says amount per serving 0 grams? My guess is one serving is a tablespoon. Let me know.
About one tablespoon is a serving. I’m glad you loved it!
How long should this simmer before it ultimately thickens? It has cooked down, but is still very loose. Will it thicken in the refrigerator?
Hi Gina,
You can try the freezer test. Put a plate in the freezer for 15 minutes, then put a drop of jam on the plate to see if it sets up. It usually takes a minute or two. Sometimes it takes my tomatoes 30-40 minutes to cook down but it will definitely thicken up when it’s cold.
I have quite a bit of tomatoes at home and this seems like the perfect recipe to try out Can I use dry ginger instead of fresh ginger?
You can, but used just a bit less of it.
Dear Suburban soapbox;
I made Tomato jam lastyear. And it was incredible. I cooked down 50lbs and got three small jam jars. And two medium jam, jars….i was reall disappointed…As i thought i would have a least gotten double. But nope! Good thing it was so delicious …..And yes i will be making it again as my jam friends are requesting it….lol
Yeah, those tomatoes do fool you into thinking you’ll get much more jam than you do!