Tomato Jam Recipe – Sustainable Cooks

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.

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 – 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.

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.