This 3-ingredient cherry jam is super simple, not overly sweet, and full of delicious cherry flavor. The lovely, juicy, soft-set homemade jam recipe is a great way to preserve cherries, or rather, any seasonal fruit!
Nice, fresh, and quick to make, this is the best cherry jam you’ll ever have! Most cherry jam recipes use a 1:1 ratio of fruit and sugar. My recipe uses less sugar, which brings attention to the fruit and really helps it shine instead of being cloyingly sweet.
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Why You'll Enjoy This Recipe
Bursting with the sweet, juicy taste of fresh cherries
Homemade goodness with less sugar and purer ingredients
Versatile cherry jam recipe that spreads on toast, mixes in yogurts, and tops on desserts!
Recipe Ingredients
Cherries: Use whatever variety of sweet cherries is locally and readily available. Bing cherries are my favorite for making jam. But you can also make this a black cherry jam recipe or a sour cherry jam. Adjust the amount of sugar if you're using sour cherries. Fresh cherries are definitely the best. That said, you can make homemade cherry jam using frozen cherries too.
Lemon juice: Since this cherry jam is without pectin, you need citric acid to help the jam set properly. It also adds a little zing to the homemade jam, balancing the sweetness of the cherries and preserving the jam for longer.
Sugar: I used regular, white granulated sugar. Cane or raw sugar works just as well.
Please see the recipe card for full information about ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Cherry Jam
Step 1: Remove stems and pits from the cherries.
Step 2: Place the cherries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan and stir well.
Step 3: Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continuously.
Step 4: Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture cook for 25-30 minutes until the cherries have softened and the juices thickened. You will need to stir frequently.
Step 5: Transfer to a clean, sterilized jar, close the jar, and let the jam cool at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator.
How To Store Cherry Jam
I don’t use a canning technique when I make jams for my family. I simply pour the no-pectin cherry jam into a sterilized glass jar (which is still warm and not completely cooled). It keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 weeks.
Canning cherry jam
To store the sweet cherry jam for longer, follow a proper canning method like this one. Once you open the jar, keep the cherry jam refrigerated and always use a clean spoon or knife to prevent spoilage.
Recipe FAQs
It's tedious to pit cherries, and the easiest way is to use a cherry pitter. If you don't have one, no worries! A metal straw or chopsticks work great for removing the seeds.
This recipe is for a soft-set cherry jam that doesn't require pectin. If you prefer a firmer texture, feel free to add pectin to suit your taste.
How To Use Cherry Jam
There are a ton of ways to use this recipe for cherry jam:
- With fresh homemade bread like my no-knead bread, easy sandwich bread, or my everyday bread!
- On ice creams or frozen yogurts like this mango cherry frozen yogurt
- Add this jam on top of frozen yogurt bark before freezing it
- Swirled in cheesecakes like this strawberry swirl cheesecake or cake batter, as in this orange marmalade cake.
- Serve with crepes or on top of these fluffy cinnamon pancakes
📖 Recipe
Cherry Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cherries, pitted
- 3/4 cup Sugar
- 3 tbsp Lemon juice
Instructions
- Place the cherries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium-sized saucepan.Stir well.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring continuously.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture cook for 25-30 minutes until the cherries have softened and the juices thickened. You will need to stir frequently.
- You can mash the cherries if you like, using a potato masher. I skipped this step as I prefer a chunky cherry jam.
- Transfer to a clean, sterilized jar, close the jar, and let the jam cool at room temperature. Store in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
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