Over ripe plums? No problem! A sweet & delicious plum jam that is so easy to make you'll wonder why you never made it before now.
This is one of the easiest recipes for plum jam you'll ever see! Read on & tell me if you agree!
Are you a Costco shopper? Well if you are you will probably relate. I love fruit, it's probably what I would choose if they said you could have only one category of food ever again. I know, you're saying are you crazy! What about desserts, hamburgers or juicy steaks - nope just fruit! Well, in any case, I usually pick up Costco's giant containers of blueberries, strawberries, kiwi, mangos, raspberries and yes, plums. And sometimes, even with the help of Strawberry Smoothies, Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa and Chocolate Raspberry Roll, I just can't seem to finish it before it starts to shrivel and rot. (Anybody else have that problem?)
So what's a girl to do? I do freeze my berries and mangos which works out well for my smoothies and any baking I do but, when it came to the really really overripe plums, I just didn't know what to do. But wait, I used to make my own jams and jellies back in my days in PA so why not just adapt one of those recipes. The only thing I googled was exactly what spices to add and cardamon and cinnamon seemed to be the odds on favorites.
So how did it turn out? Well, let me tell you, this was one of the easiest and most delicious jams I've ever made! I found that most recipes seemed to drag out the cooking time and have a much longer list of ingredients but you don't need to do all that to get great tasting jam. Mine turned out so sweet and flavorful that I'm sure you'll love it and want to make it again and again.
Now I'm off to get some more fruit! Enjoy!
EASY PLUM JAM
Ingredients
- 3 ½ lbs. very ripe or over ripe plums
- 1 cup water
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Cut plums in half, remove pit and chop into 8ths then cut those in half.
- Place in a heavy-duty saucepan with water and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook until fruit is soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Place in blender and carefully puree. IMPORTANT: The heat from the jam can build up pressure inside the blender and spew out. Let the mixture cool slightly then just pulse in short spurts until mixture is smooth.
- Clean out saucepan and place pureed mixture back into pan. Add spices and cook over low heat for 2-3 hours or until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Stir often to prevent burning.
- Place in glass jars such as a mason jar and let cool. Place lid on top and store in refrigerator. Will keep about 1 month. If frozen, will keep about 6 months.
Nutrition
gena says
MAKING THIS TOMORROW, NO CARDAMON WHAT IS BEST IN ITS PLACE?
Linda Warren says
Hi Gena - You can substitute allspice since it has a similar flavor profile. Hope you enjoy it.
Liza says
I like the slightly lumpy consistency of jam more than the smooth consistency of jelly, so I skipped the whole blender part and my jam came out great. I let everything simmer on low for about 2 hours and the plums, skin and all, cooked down beautifully. The fruit and skin all smoothed out more than expected, and my jam had a great flavor.
Linda Warren says
So glad you enjoyed it. This is one of my favorite jams, and your chunkier style sound yummy. Right now I'm wishing I lived next door to you for a little taste. lol
Lizzie says
Silly question, but what size jar/jars did you use. I may have missed it in the article. I see it says 16 servings, but I'm not sure what serving size would be. I want to make this and have the plums I just want to make sure I have the right jar. (And I want to make some to give to a friend so want to see if I needed to double the recipe)
Thanks
Linda Warren says
Hi Lizzie - No question is too silly and you can use any size jar you have on hand. The recipe makes about 2 cups, and I used 2 Tablespoons as a serving size. Of course, it all depends on the size of your plums and how juicy they are. I would suggest doubling if you want to give some to a friend (you are one good friend:-)).
Laurie B cooks says
What an inspiration to save my almost full bag of plums from Costco, lol. My mother used to do this all the time when we were kids with all kinds of fruit. She drizzled it over our pancakes, biscuits, pork, chicken, cottage cheese, toast, oatmeal and ice cream; you name it. I happened to be making brewed iced tea while this was on the stove and I used it to sweeten my iced tea, delish. Ladies, you’re missing out if you don’t use the cardamom here. Next level flavor! Thanks so much for the memory lane and yummy jammy sauce
Linda Warren says
Ah, I love that this reminded you of your mom. And thanks for your ideas on topping pancakes and sweetening iced tea with the jam. So glad you enjoyed it.(now I want to make some more lol)
Barb says
I’m right in the middle of trying out this recipe… just wondering what you do about the skins- do they puree down to nothing or do I pick them out? 😊
Thanks,
Barb
Linda Warren says
I am so jealous Barb that you get to eat this delicious jam. In answer to your question, you just leave the skins in and they will puree beautifully. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Barb says
Thanks for your quick reply… I have it simmering for the last step now… I don’t have cardamom though so I just left it out. Merry Christmas to you too!
Deb says
Do I have to use a mason jar, can't I use a sealed freezer container if I wanted to freeze it or an air tight container if I wanted to leave in the fridge? I am not a canner and I'd be afraid I would do something wrong. I'm a container person 😉
Linda Warren says
No, you don't have to use a jar and there is no canning involved so no worries. The jar is mentioned as a clean container that won't stain and is easy to serve in. You can use whatever container you like. I hope you enjoy!
Amanda says
I had to eyeball and adjust since I only had 5 plums. They were overripe since my kids were over their obsession with them! I used about 1/2c water and 1/2c sugar and added some blueberries that were softer than my kids like to eat lol. It’s currently on the stove reducing still but I can already see it thickening great and I tasted it and it’s fantastic. Thinking about making some homemade buttermilk biscuits tomorrow morning to go with it! So excited, thank you!
Linda Warren says
Great way to adapt! And I love this jam on biscuits - now I'm drooling! lol
Linda says
Can you can the easy plum jam?
Linda Warren says
I don't see why not. If you follow your regular canning method it should work just fine.
Chris Nicholson says
Thanks to this recipe, I made jam for the first time! It came out beautifully, and if I could post a picture, I would. I was given about 6 lbs of overripe plums and found this recipe in a Google search. I didn't have cardamom, so I used allspice with the cinnamon. It went great on our ham sandwiches as well a peanut butter sandwich and toast with butter! It was also pretty easy. After the blender step, we stirred regularly, and toward the end, we stirred almost constantly to make sure it didn't burn on the bottom until it was a spreadable texture. That was a perfect direction! Thank you, Linda!
Linda Warren says
I am happy to hear it was enjoyed so much. It is one of my favorite recipes and wish I had a friend give me 6 pounds of plums. lol
Deb says
Maybe my plums were extra juicy but this definitely doesn't need 1 cup of water. I cooked mine for 4 hours and it never got thick. I checked other plum jam recipes and none of them called for that much water. I would start with 1/2 a cup at the most and add more if needed.
Linda Warren says
Some plums are juicier than others so if yours were particularly juicy starting with less water would work. I had no trouble with mine thickening but the juiciness and size of the plums can definitely make a difference.
Johanna says
Thank you thank you!!
My brother just dropped off a box of plums like her was doing me a favor!
I followed this recipe exactly and I added an envelope of pectin right at the end . It congealed beautifully as it cooled in the jars. Absolutely delicious. I’m printing this off for next year! And I’ll check out your other recipes!
Linda Warren says
I'm so jealous! All those delicious plums! It sounds like it came out super delicious. So happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by.
Sandra land says
Do I have to refrigrate mine broken
Linda Warren says
I'm not sure what you mean but this jam has to be kept refrigerated or frozen. It can not be left out unless you use a canning method.
Laura says
Great recipe! I had to cook for 4+ hours to get jam instead of sauce but it turned out great! Thank you for the recipe!
Linda Warren says
You must have had some deliciously juicy plums there. Jealous! So happy you liked it!
Denise says
I found your recipe to deal with this nutty plum tree in my friend’s yard, from which I shook about 300 plums yesterday. I pitted 108 plums today (3.5 lbs) and followed the recipe, although mostly I pureed the skins. Long story short, I made a batch of super-tasty plum sauce. I wanted to pass along my experience for the greater good. Thank you for a tasty and yes, super easy recipe for jam! I would never have thought such a thing possible.
Linda Warren says
Wow, you really worked hard for that plum sauce but it's oh so worth it. Glad you enjoyed it.
Leah says
I did the same thing (used 3.5 pounds of PITTED plums instead of weighing with the pits in) and also ended up with a plum sauce instead of jam. It tastes great but I'm wondering what all I could use it for or how to preserve some of it. I thought about freezing it in icecubes to use small portions later but not sure for what.
Is there a way for me to take out a cup or so and thicken it to a jam?
Linda Warren says
Plum sauce freezes very well and can be kept for up to 6 months. If you want to use that delicious plum sauce try it on my Chicken Stir Fry with Plum Sauce. If you want to thicken it, heat 1 Tablespoon of water and 1-1/2 teaspoon pectin for every 1 cup of jam over low heat and stir until dissolved then add it to the fruit mixture, stir well and let set.
Wendy says
Will be trying out this recipe for sure! Can this be done in the crock pot?
Linda Warren says
I haven't made it in a crock pot but I'm sure it would work. Maybe try 3 hours on high then uncovered for 1-2 hours, to thicken, stirring occasionally. Don't hold me to this as I haven't tested this method.
julie says
Has anyone canned this recipe for shelf storage?
Linda Warren says
I haven't heard of anyone canning this jam but it should work just fine as long as it is placed in a boiling water bath for the recommended amount of time.
Nicole says
Can you use plums that have been frozen?
Linda Warren says
Yes, absolutely! Put the frozen plums in the saucepan before they fully thaw so that the juices they release will provide you with a thicker tastier jam.
Nicole says
Thank you! I’m excited to make this!
Esti says
Can we omit the sugar if the plums are already sweet? Will it still thicken into a jam?
Linda Warren says
A jam recipe depends on the sugar to thicken as well as helping to stop microorganisms from growing. Plums are usually sweet so I would recommend following the recipe. I don't think you'll find it overly sweet.
Susan says
I had 4 very ripe plums and a bowl of cut up strawberries mixed with sugar in fridge from 2 days before (was supposed to be for strawberry shortcake). The strawberries had formed lots of juice and I dumped the whole bowl in a pot with the cut up plums and softened 20 mins on low heat. No need to add sugar because of strawberries. Blended when cool and cooked on low heat for 2 hours. Added pinch of salt and a couple teaspoons of added sugar during end of cooking time. Stored in small Mason jars in fridge. Fabulous jam for morning toast or muffin! My one year old granddaughter has it every morning with me now! Thanks for the inspiration since no one was eating the strawberries or plums and now I have to hide the jam in the back of the fridge! 🙂
Linda Warren says
Oh, that sounds fabulous! I love the idea of adding more fruit to the mix. I'm going to have to give it a try.
Diane says
Do you need to peel the plums? Thank you
Linda Warren says
There is no need to peel the plums. It makes this recipe even easier. Hope you love it as much as my family does.
Sally says
This recipe was so easy and tastes delicious. I didn’t have cardamom but used the cinnamon. I had about 10 very ripe plums- both black and honey varieties and blended them with my immersion blender once it boiled. To cut down on the sugar, I added 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup Splenda and 1/2 tsp of salt. The salt gave the sweet jam some needed depth. So good and a very hands-off jam recipe. I think I stirred it every time I passed the stove and it was simmering on low the whole time. My house smells like the fall now. Thanks!
Linda Warren says
Thanks and so glad you liked it! I love the way you chose to cut down on the sugar and I'll have to try adding a touch of salt to mine in the future. And, I have to agree, the aromas definitely make my house feel like fall is here.
Mrs. M. says
I used...
9 plums (cut in half as noted etc)
1 cup & 1 teaspoon of white sugar
2 hours of stove time after the blender transfer
And I chose not to add the spices because I wanted full plum flavor
It tasted really good, a little bit on the sweet side however I'm delighted to use this on top of pancakes or grilled pork or in salad dressings in the future.
Linda Warren says
That sounds like a great change-up and I love the idea of topping pancakes with it.
Heather says
I had 6 plums that were way overripe. I thought this would be a good use for them. I couldn't slice them. I had to mash them to get the pits out. I also had some blueberries that were looking less than appealing to eat as they were. So I halved the recipe for water, sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. I also didn't bother to wash the pot, I just used my handheld blender right in it. I am astounded at how delicious this is! SO simple. Makes me want to get more overripe plums!
Linda Warren says
I'm so glad you liked it! And I love the idea of throwing in the blueberries too! Now I want to run out to the store so I can make some again. 🙂
Lori Stegner says
Well,I have a lovely friend who allowed me pick some plums from her tree,I mixed these as directed and added some figs I had picked from another friend's tree a week earlier...The mixture is cooling now.. smells define! My sister is coming to visit next week, gonna slather this jam on to some homemade pop overs!
Linda Warren says
That sounds absolutely wonderful! And on homemade popovers! I'm coming to your house! 🙂
grace says
i have NEVER seen plum jam, but what a treat! if only i could get someone to pit a bunch of plums for me. 🙂
Linda Warren says
I'm sure your husband would do it for you, right? lol Actually they are very easy to remove, just divide in half and the pit comes out very easily. I think you would definitely think the effort was worth it.
Erin @ Thanks for Cookin'! says
Wow this does look really simple. My grandmother used to make jelly and it was such a production with the cheese clothes and the boiling jars and on and on so I've never attempted it myself. But some jam on the stove? I could work that out for sure! 🙂
Linda Warren says
I thought the same thing - jams are time consuming and too much work! But this one surprised me at how simple it is. Hope you give it a try.