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”
This was incredible! I cut the ingredients in half because I didn’t need that much, but it was perfect in 1.5 hours. I lightly toasted some crusty sliced baguette, then topped with avocado, crumbled bacon and this tomato jam and everyone raved! I served with a side of butternut squash bisque. This is restaurant quality!
I’m so glad you liked it!
You site has way too many ads. Trying to read the tomato jam recipe is too difficult with all the ads. Trying to close the ads is even worse
Sorry Virginia, the other option is to charge a subscription, the ads allow me to provide the recipe for free.
Loved it!
Thank you so much!
Can this recipe be canned in a water bath?
someone just posted their method in the comments, I’m not a canning expert but you can try their tips!
First time I made tomato jam. Love it. Added a little cumin-great. I probably cooked it 2 hours for most of the moisture to cook out.
I’m so glad you liked it and thank you for adding the time it took to cook down. I think others will appreciate it!
It’s a great recipe, had to boil it for over 3 hours for it to have a thick jam consistency. I chose to seal mine while still hot in jars and give them a water bath for 10 minutes. It should last a few months instead of 10 days.
Great tips! Thank you so much for sharing and trying our recipe.
This was really good! I wasn’t sure what to expect with the cloves, but they complimented the rest very well. I did cut back on the sugar, it was still a bit sweet.
Thank you so much! I’m happy you liked it!
One of the best recipes that I have tried in a long time! So tasty and easy to make with basic kitchen ingredients.
Thank you so much! I’m so happy you liked it!
This is a delicious recipe! After making salsa, i had additional roma tomatoes to use up. I found your recipe while searching for tomato recipes. It is so easy.
My only changes were that I used 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger because I didn’t have fresh and I left out the cayenne pepper. A real keeper in my household. Thank you for your recipe!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thank you for sharing your modifications, as well. Have a great day!
I followed your recipe to the letter. It did not firm up anywhere near jam consistency.
Hi Lady, Sometimes the variety of tomato that is used needs to be cooked much longer until the consistency is achieved. I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you.
I just followed recipe and it took a few hours buts it’s a jjam.
I’m so glad it worked out for you. Tomato varieties can definitely affect the cooking time.
Can this be frozen.
Yes, this freezes very well!