This small batch plum quick jam is for when you’re craving jam and want it done really fast. My easy plum jam is made with a small amount of ripe plums, that cook quickly, and is stored in the refrigerator, skipping a tedious canning process.
Making jam in late summer and early fall is as much a ritual as eating ice cream on a hot day or drinking cocoa when the snow falls. It’s tradition and I love it so much.
And homemade jam is easier to make than it looks. Even properly canned jam. But one thing I’ve noticed over time is that I like different flavors of jam to go with different things. Something like plum jam I can eat by the spoonful and I love it on toast. Strawberry jam is great in yogurt, oatmeal and on pancakes. Blueberry jam is wonderful spooned over ice cream.
All of this has led me to making small batches of jam that I can eat fairly quickly. And with this recipe for small batch plum jam, you can now make it too.
About the recipe
As the name suggests this is a quick plum jam. There’s no water bath required, no pectin, no boiling of the jars, no cooking the jam for hours.
Therefore this jam recipe has a short cooking process. You cook the fruit with some sugar just long enough that it falls apart. This depends on how ripe the fruit is too. But you don’t need the jam to fully gel like a standard jam does.
This small batch jam is then stored in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. This is also why some people refer to it as refrigerator plum jam, because it has to be kept in the cold.
Another great thing about making a quick jam is that you control the amount of sugar used.
In a traditional jam, the ratio of fruit to sugar is usually 1:1, unless the fruit is very sweet and ripe. This is because sugar is also a preservative and along with a proper canning process, it keeps the jam fresh for years.
But with so called refrigerator jam, you don’t have to use as much sugar. Instead, you can adjust it according to the ripeness of your fruit and your personal preference for sweetness.
Recipe variations
- Fruit
I am using ripe Italian plums in this plum jam recipe, because they are really delicious and in abundance every August and early September. You can however use any other fruit, even a different variety of plums.
Know that jam with stone fruit, such as peaches, apricots or cherries, takes a bit longer to cook in comparison to jam with blueberries or strawberries as these are much softer and fall apart quicker.
- Spices
It’s very easy to turn this into a spiced plum jam, like plum jam with cinnamon. The flavors complement each other beautifully. You can add either ground cinnamon or preferably a cinnamon stick to the jam as you cook it. Or, if you forget, just add a cinnamon stick to the hot jam as it’s done and the residual heat will soak up the aroma.
You can also add cloves, star anise or cardamom. If you just want a hint of something sweet, vanilla is a perfect choice for plums.
More plum recipes to explore
- Plum streusel coffee cake (This coffee cake is packed with plums, more than your average cake. It’s soft and juicy, perfect as a weekend cake.)
- Blueberry coconut crisp with plums (This crisp is light on the topping and heavy on the fruit. It’s gorgeous, aromatic and so flavorful. I love it with ice cream.)
Recipe
Small batch plum quick jam
Ingredients
- 1.2 pounds Italian plums stoned and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Put plums and water in saucepan and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes, until plums are tender and their color has changed from blue-purple to a deeper red. Whisk in the sugar and let it dissolve without boiling. Keep cooking on medium for 5 minutes and stir occasionally.
- Increase the heat to medium-high, bring mixture to a boil and add the lemon. Keep cooking until the plums start falling apart, about 10 minutes and as they do, mash them with a potato (fruit) masher.
- Keep cooking until the jam coats the back of your spoon. It’ll still be runny, but will thicken some more once it cools.
- Remove jam from heat and pour into clean jars. Cover with lid and let cool completely before transferring to the refrigerator. Store for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
Oh man I must get my hands on some more plums…that toast looks amazing!
Definitely try to! If you get a good deal, you could even freeze some. 🙂
And thanks!
I made this recipe added a little clove and cinnamon.Smells great,and tart but good can’t wait to try in the morning
Thank you so much! I eat low-carb, so I made it with xylitol and added a sprinkle of xanthan gum (instead of corn starch) to solidify it. It’s delicious!
Hi Denise, thank you for sharing your substitutions with us, in case anyone wants to do that as well! 🙂
I’m happy you enjoyed the jam.
xo
I moved into my new house with a plum tree full of curly leaf and half dead. I have nurtured it back to a beautiful fruit producing Santa rosa plum tree. Now, I have so much fruit and after all the work I put into it, I don’t want a single plum going to waste. Sooo time to try my hand at Jam. Now, I grew I watching my grandma, mom, and aunts spending days in the kitchen making jelly and canning, I just dont have that kind of time!
This recipe looks perfect, for my delima… hehe
Cant wait to try it! I will keep you posted, making jam tomorrow!
Oooh so happy to hear you were able to save your plum tree, Connie! That’s really cool 🙂
Happy jam making!
I will use this easy recipe again, for sure! Every bit as good as my grandmas plum Jelly with half the work. I used Santa rosa plums which have a lot more water than Italian plumbs so I omitted the water and used 2tbls ofstarch. Turned out perfect.
This totally made my day, Connie!! So happy to read the jam was a success 🙂
thank you for sharing!
Thank you for sharing!
By the way, my mom swears it’s BETTER than grandma’s.
I had to pop back on to share that..hehe
Can’t wait to explore more of your recieps. Thank ?
Oh wow, that is such a compliment!! Thank you, Connie & mom! <3
Did you use the same amount of xylitol as sugar?
My son and I are trying out this recipe – no idea which plums we have but no One will eat them.
Learn8ng a new skill during RSAs lockdown
Any plums work, Beth! 🙂 Just cook them long enough, until they’re falling apart. Ripeness and variety can affect cooking time, but other than that you’re good to go 🙂
When would I add the cornstarch to thicken it?
Hi Chelsea,
once the fruit has fallen apart and you’re still cooking the jam.
Mix 1-2 tablespoons (two will give thicker results) of cornstarch with equal amounts of cold water. Once this mixture is smooth with no lumps, stir it into the jam. Bring to a boil and keep cooking and stirring for a few minutes, until the jam is thicker and you can’t taste the starch anymore.
Remove from heat and pour into jars.
Do you take the peels off?
Hey Tj, no need to take the peels off, they cook nicely.
Used your recipe exactly and did add a 1/2 bag of pectin as the friend who gave me the plums had frozen them so they had plenty of juice. They came out wonderful, 3 jelly/jam jars worth.
So happy to hear this, Melissa! And what a wonderful friend you have 🙂
Turned out great!! I added the 2Tbsp. Cornnstarch.
So happy to hear that! 🙂
Does this have to be refrigerated? Or once it’s in the jar can it be put in the cupboard?
Hi Kourey,
yes, you should refrigerate it! Because this is a quick jam, made differently and way quicker than a regular jam, I wouldn’t feel 100% comfortable with storage at room temperature. If you do make any extra quick jam and want to keep it for later, you can freeze it.
Regular jam-making is more elaborate to make the shelf-life longer, but even with that, an opened jam is best kept in the refrigerator.
Hope this helps!
Very, very good! The only changes I made were (1) less sugar and (2) I grated a peeled Granny Smith apple and added to mixture as a substitute for pectin. Worked great! I will make this recipe again, for sure.
Thank you, Louise!
Love how you used a Granny Smith apple!!
Have you ever tried to can this recipe?
Hi Paula, not this one. I do make my own “classic” plum jam, with bigger quantities of ingredients and a longer cooking time, but I don’t see why the recipe I posted wouldn’t work.
I use the water bath canning method, leave the jars in the water for about 15 minutes, then let them cool on the kitchen counter overnight, wrapped in a kitchen towel.
I do have some plums at home at the moment and am actually planning on making this quick jam in the following days. I’ll share the process on my Instagram. I’ll also can a jar or two to test this out for you and update this post with extra notes. Although I might be too late, in case you need the results ASAP in which case I’m sorry.
Hope this was of any help!
I only had about 7 small plums, but made this anyway because I didn’t want the fruit to go to waste. I adjusted recipe using smaller proportions. I used some sugar and some Stevie. It’s delicious!
So happy you like the recipe, Carolyn! 🙂
if you are using santa rosa plums, how much water should be used? I saw on one of the comments that these types of plums are juicier than other types? I saw where a person said they substituted cornstarch, but was not sure about the exact amount. thank you.
Hi Nicole, I did some reading and it appears that Santa Rosa plums are indeed juicier.
Some of the juice can get reduced just by cooking them. You only want to add cornstarch once the plums have fallen apart.
You can add 1 tablespoon for a pretty good consistency (keep in mind the jelly will thicken more as it cools) or 2 tablespoons for a thick jam.
How to add cornstarch: Mix 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with equal amounts of cold water. Once this mixture is smooth with no lumps, stir it into the jam. Bring to a boil and keep cooking and stirring for a few minutes, lowering the heat if needed so it’s not spluttering around, until the jam is thicker and you can’t taste the starch anymore.
hope this helps!
What about the skins? A friend gave me some plums from her tree, they are small but skins remind me of Santa Rosa type.
Hi Debi,
the skins will soften with cooking. You first chop the plums, so the pieces will be smaller. And then they break down with cooking.
If you’re not a fan of the bits of skins, you can puree the mixture with a hand blender (instead of using a potato/fruit masher) and then continue with the cooking. This will give you a smoother jam.
Hope this helps!
I only used 1 c sugar for 1.5 lb plums. that is plenty. 2 c would be waaaay too much. Is anyone else finding that? Still used 1/4 c water and 3 tsp lemon + 1/2 pouch pectin and came out great.
Could a person use this same recipe to make fresh cherry jam? Do you have a recipe for small batch cherry jam? I made this plum jam last year, it was delicious. Thanks
Hi Nicole,
I don’t have a separate cherry jam recipe, but you can definitely use this one! The timing could be different, since cherries are smaller and you might have to adjust the sugar, depending on the cherries. But otherwise this recipe should work with any fruit, but especially cherries, since they’re not all that different from plums 🙂
I know this is a few years old but I googled something to quick save some plums that were starting to turn before we could get through them… We sweetened with honey instead of sugar and I attempted water-bath canning a couple 4 oz jars for a treat this winter… If I can keep the family out of them long enough! Thank you so much for the recipe! So far it’s a huge hit!
Thank you for sharing, Erica! 🙂
Mom always made DELICIOUS jams & jellies but all that boiling and sterilizing, etc? Nope. A neighbor gave me some plums and I tried this recipe This would make my mom weep with jealousy and pride! I was a little Leary of the black pepper but followed your lead exactly. So good, so easy. I gave some to the neighbor who provided the plums and I don’t mind saying, mow that it’s all gone, I regret sharing. So Very Good! Thank you, you are a marvel!
Aww thank you so much, Linda! I’m so very happy you enjoyed it 🙂
I made this tonight as I only had a few plums to use up, and it was fantastic. I personally did half white sugar and half brown sugar and then also added a sprinkle of cinnamon and ground clove. It tastes amazing, didn’t take very long, was easy, and goes great with cheese and crackers. It also made more than I expected from my six plums, which was awesome. I’ll definitely make this again.
That makes me so happy, Lolly! And brown sugar, cinnamon and cloves sounds absolutely amazing.
Someone dropped a bag of red plums on our porch. I made this jam, but added cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom with a bit of cornstarch for thickening. It came out so good. A beautiful bright red color, sweet, and a hint of tart from the peels. Who said making fresh jam is difficult? This recipe is super easy.
Oooh, love all the spices! Thank you for sharing, Eri 🙂