As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Tomato Jam? Yes, it’s real and it’s spectacular! Slight sweet and perfectly spiced, with that signature tomato acidity for bright flavor, this easy recipe is an excellent way to use up your summer tomato harvest.
![a glass jar of tomato jam with a spoon with a wooden handle.](https://www.sustainablecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Tomato-Jam-3.jpg)
If your tomato vines are especially prolific this year or your local CSA gives you box after box of tomatoes, you’ve probably experienced tomato fatigue.
The answer, to “what to make next”, my friend, is tomato jam.
Tomato jam is a bit like if relish and chutney had a delicious garden-fresh baby. I love smearing it on a bagel or crusty baguette, but it’s also excellent mixed with cream cheese to make a dip or served with salmon cakes or cast iron potatoes to jazz them up.
Ingredient Notes
![tomatoes, a lemon, and bowls of ingredients on a marbled board.](https://www.sustainablecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Tomato-Jam-INGREDIENTS.jpg)
- Tomatoes – Any variety you’re growing will work here, aside from cherry or grape tomatoes. Save those for cherry tomato sauce.
- Spices – Allspice, ground cinnamon, smoked paprika, and cloves.
- Lemon – You’ll need both the juice and the rind.
- Balsamic vinegar – Always an excellent ingredient for bringing out the best in tomatoes.
- Sugar – You’ll need both brown sugar and white sugar.
- Salt and baking soda – You know what the salt does, and the baking soda helps tame some of the acidity from the tomatoes without using more sugar. We want enough acid for brightness, not enough to give you heartburn for the next week.
How to Make Tomato Jam
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Prepare the tomatoes by rinsing them and coring them with a paring knife. You want to cut out all those hard white parts in the middle, leaving the tender fruit behind.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and fill a large bowl with ice water. (This post on how to blanch and peel tomatoes has more in-depth details about this process.)
Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and cook for a minute or two, or until the skins begin to curl back and peel away.
Remove the tomatoes from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and drop them (carefully!) into the ice water.
Once the tomatoes are cool enough to work with, peel off the skins (they should slip right off!), then cut them in half.
Remove the seeds as best as you can; discard the seeds and chop the flesh.
![6 photos showing the process of blanching and deseeding tomatoes.](https://www.sustainablecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/tomato-jam-process-1-1.jpg)
Place the tomatoes in a heavy-bottomed saucepan set over medium heat. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often.
Mash the tomatoes a bit until they reach your desired texture (Pro tip: use a pastry cutter or a potato masher if you’d like to expedite this process), then stir in the remaining ingredients. Increase the heat to medium-high and stir constantly for 2 minutes once the mixture comes to a boil.
Remove from heat and skim off any foam. Cool, then serve or store.
![3 photos showing tomatoes being cooked down.](https://www.sustainablecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/tomato-jam-process-2-1.jpg)
Storage
Refrigerate: You can divide the tomato jam into jars or other airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Freeze: Store the tomato jam in jars or airtight containers with at least an inch of headspace or in freezer bags. Freeze for up to 3 months; thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can use canned whole tomatoes or stewed tomatoes for this recipe if you have them on hand. As long as you start with 3 cups of chopped and cooked tomatoes, it doesn’t matter what their source is.
- If your tomatoes are extra juicy (yum!) the process of cooking them down (steps 9-11 in the printable recipe card below) may take slightly longer.
- Because this recipe isn’t being canned, you can play around with the proportions a bit—add more sugar for a sweeter jam, for example, or put in extra balsamic vinegar if you’re a fan.
- Speaking of the balsamic vinegar! I recommend using a syrupy aged vinegar, which adds the most depth and sweetness to this tomato jam recipe. My favorite is Nonna Pias (I can get it at Costco), but use what works best for you.
- I recommend placing a kitchen towel—one you don’t care about staining—under the cutting board as you chop the tomatoes. They will release a lot of liquid and this will help keep that liquid from slowly migrating off your countertop to drip down your cabinets and form puddles on your floor. (Ask me how I know this.)
More Tasty Tomato recipes
![a spoon of tomato chutney hovering over a glass jar.](https://www.sustainablecooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Tomato-Jam-5.jpg)
Prevent your screen from going dark
-
Rinse your tomatoes. Using a paring knife, remove the stem/core from the tomatoes. Place in a large bowl.
2 lbs tomatoes
-
Fill a large saucepan with water and bring it to a boil.
-
Prepare a large bowl with ice water. Set aside.
-
Add the tomatoes to a pot of boiling water and parboil them until you see the skins start to come off the tomatoes (about 1-2 minutes).
-
Use a slotted spoon and remove the tomatoes and place in the ice water.
-
Working with the tomatoes one at a time, remove any skin that hasn’t already slipped off.
-
Cut tomatoes in half, removing as many seeds as you can.
-
Roughly chop tomatoes.
-
Heat the chopped tomatoes in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat for 10-15 min. Stir often to prevent them from burning.
-
Depending on your desired texture, use a potato masher or pastry cutter for a smoother consistency.
-
Add the other ingredients, and increase the heat to medium-high. Stir constantly at a rolling boil for 2 minutes.
1/4 tsp allspice, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, 1/8 tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 tsp lemon rind, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/8 tsp baking soda
-
Remove the pan from heat. Skim any foam.
-
Allow to cool and serve.
- Makes ~1.5 cups
- Because this recipe isn’t being canned, you can play around with the proportions a bit—add more sugar for a sweeter jam, for example, or put in extra balsamic vinegar if you’re a fan.
- If your tomatoes are extra juicy (yum!) the process of cooking them down (steps 9-11 above) may take slightly longer.
Serving: 2tbspCalories: 22kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 1gFat: 0.2gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 113mgPotassium: 184mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 651IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.