Little is more enticing during cherry season than sweet, luscious, homemade cherry jam slathered over warm croissants or morning toast. And the best part? It's super easy! My cherry jam recipe features only fresh, sweet red cherries, organic cane sugar, a squeeze of lemon, and a kiss of natural almond extract for deeper cherry flavor, simmered up in under 30 minutes!
Just the Jam for Cherry Season
One of the reasons I adore the summer season as much as I do is because of the abundance of sweet, fresh, juicy fruit that becomes available. And for a self-professed “fruit bat”, that's always pure joy!
I love all the fruit of this time of year, from all the jewel-colored berries, to fragrant peaches, apricots and nectarines, to tangy pineapple and sweet mangos.
But the fruit that I tend to stock up on during the months of June and July in particular is cherries, and I buy them by the cello bag-fulls.
While I love the golden-red Rainier cherries as a fruity snack, I tend to favor traditional dark, sweet red cherries for my cherry turnovers and my cherry cobbler with cream biscuits, as well as one of my absolute favorite summertime goodies: homemade cherry jam!
Yes, cherry jam is a staple in our kitchen during the peak of cherry season, when fresh cherries are at their sweetest and juiciest, and what I love about it is how quick and easy it it to make.
Cherry jam really only requires about 2 to 3 ingredients: cherries, sugar and a kiss of lemon (if you like it brighter like I do). So it's a short list of things to put together and simmer up, ready in about 30 minutes.
We just love keeping a big mason jar of this cherry jam on hand in our fridge this time of year. Because nothing tastes quite like it slathered over a warm croissant or a piece of toast, perhaps swirled into morning oatmeal or overnight oats, or even as part of a yummy PB and J sammy!
My Recipe for Cherry Jam
Because there are only a handful of ingredient in a homemade cherry jam recipe, I like to use organic whenever possible, to make for the highest quality and best flavor.
I opt for organic, dark, sweet red cherries, and I use my cherry pitter to pit them in order to have them ready for the recipe. It's quicker and easier than pitting each cherry one at a time, but it is important to double check to make sure there aren't any missed pits.
I also use organic cane sugar, which is just a granulated sugar made only from sugar cane rather than sugar beets, though any granulated sugar will work just fine.
To add a little pop of “brightness” to this cherry jam recipe, and balance some of the sweetness, I add just a little lemon juice—it just wakes things up a little bit, really nicely.
And my “secret” ingredient?
A teeny splash of pure almond extract, which is such a terrific partner with cherries, tends to bring out a deeper cherry flavor in this jam—totally optional, but I do miss that aroma if it's not added in.
Here's a glance at my cherry jam recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)
- To get started, I add my pitted, sweet red cherries to a medium pot (roughly 3 to 4 quart) along with the sugar and lemon juice, and stir to combine.
- I bring the mixture to a boil or vigorous simmer, then allow the cherry jam to fairly vigorously simmer, uncovered, for about 28 minutes, stirring fairly frequently to prevent any scorching on the bottom.
- Then, I pour the cherry jam into a glass bowl, add the almond extract, and allow the jam to cool a bit before spooning into a mason jar (or jars) with a lid.
- I store the jam in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 weeks... if it even lasts that long!
Recipe
Cherry Jam
by Ingrid Beer
Fresh, luscious and juicy, this cherry jam is a sweet and delicious homemade staple to stash in the fridge during cherry season!
Category: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Yield: 2 cups
Nutrition Info: 66 calories (per 2 tablespoons)
Prep Time: 10 minutes (does not include pitting cherries)
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds fresh dark, sweet cherries, pitted (organic, preferably)
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon organic, granulated cane sugar
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- Begin by gathering and prepping all of your ingredients according to the ingredient list above to have ready and organized for use.
- Place the pitted cherries into a large pot with the sugar and the lemon juice, and stir. Bring to the boil (at about medium-high heat), and allow the mixture to gently boil/vigorously simmer for about 28 to 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent scorching/burning, until the fruit breaks down and the mixture becomes slightly thickened and glossy. (You can reduce the heat to medium or medium-low during the final 10 minutes.)
- Carefully pour the hot cherry jam into a clean bowl, stir in the almond extract (if using), and allow the jam to completely cool and thicken up (I allow it to cool at room temp for 30 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to expedite the chilling).
- To store, spoon into a glass mason jar(s) or another clean glass container, and keep the cherry jam in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 weeks.
Tips & Tidbits for my Cherry Jam recipe:
- Fresh, organic, sweet red cherries for best quality: If you can, opt for organic, sweet red cherries here for best quality and flavor. You can use the golden-red Rainier cherries as a substitute, but the color will not be the beautiful ruby-red cherry color as it is with the dark red cherries.
- Cane sugar, or traditional granulated sugar: These days, I tend to just use organic cane sugar, because it's readily available in the markets, and I like the flavor. But feel free to use traditional granulated white sugar, if that's what you have on hand.
- A squeeze of lemon for a pop of brightness: I love a bit of tanginess in my jams, which helps brighten the fruit and balance out some of the sweetness. Just 2 to 3 tablespoons does the trick.
- Pure almond extract for deeper cherry flavor: Almond extract naturally has that cherry flavor and it adds a delicious note to this jam that actually intensifies the natural flavor of the cherries. Just a teeny splash is enough, because it can be strong if too much is used, but ½ teaspoon seems to just round out the cherry flavor. You can leave it out, but I think it makes a really tasty difference.
Craving more sweet, seasonal treats? Check out my recipe for Apricot Jam, Strawberry Jam, Cherry Turnovers, Strawberry Oatmeal Bars, Blueberry Bars, Nectarine Crumb Tart, Peach Galette, or my recipe for Lemon Cheesecake Bars!
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