Tomato jam gets its flavor from time, not a long ingredient list: tomatoes, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and warm spices simmer down until the color deepens to a rusty red and the texture turns thick and spreadable. No pectin, no canning gear, just a pot and a few unhurried hours.
The Short Version:
This jam balances sweet and tangy in a way most tomato condiments don't manage. The brown sugar caramelizes as it cooks down, and two acids, cider vinegar and fresh lemon juice, keep it from tipping into the cloying sweetness I don't like in most tomato jams.
I've tweaked this twice since it first went up. There's less sugar in it now, so the tomato and vinegar carry more of the flavor, and I bump the heat in the last half hour to get it to set instead of staying loose.
Give yourself about 25 minutes to chop everything, then let it simmer, mostly hands-off, for about three hours. This one actually is easy: no special equipment, no food-safety math, just a pot and a couple jars for the fridge.
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What I Learned Making This Recipe
Here's the thing about this jam: the clock isn't actually your best signal that it's ready. Around the two-and-a-half-hour mark, take a look at what's happening in the pot. Still glossy and loose rather than matte and thick? That's your cue to raise the heat a bit and stir more often instead of waiting it out at the same low simmer.
Once it's close, you'll see it start to hold its shape on a spoon instead of pooling out, and the color deepens to a darker, brick red as the last of the liquid cooks off. Trust that over the timer.
It'll also keep thickening after it comes off the heat, so don't look for a stovetop texture that matches a fruit jam made with pectin. Even fully cooled, this one stays spoonable rather than sliceable. I actually prefer it that way. It's what makes it work as a condiment instead of a spread.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Tomatoes: I usually reach for Roma or plum tomatoes since they start with less water, but I've made this with beefsteak and vine-on too, and both work fine. Grape and cherry are the only ones I'd actually skip: their flesh-to-seed ratio is too low, so they won't cook down into a thick jam the way the others will.
- Onion: Adds a savory base that keeps the jam from reading as pure fruit preserve. Go with yellow or white onion here. Red onion works fine flavor-wise, but it turns a dull, grayish color once it's cooked down that long, and it dulls the jam's color along with it.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: Brown sugar is what gives the jam its caramelized flavor as it reduces. In-season tomatoes are naturally sweeter, so taste as you go and add less sugar if yours are especially ripe.
- Salt, coriander, cumin: Coriander and cumin aren't the first spices most people reach for in a tomato jam, but they're what keep this from tasting like a sweetened marinara.
- Cider vinegar and fresh lemon juice: Two acids doing two different jobs: the vinegar brings sharper tang, the lemon juice brightens it. Together they're what keeps the sugar from taking over.
A note on untested additions: a few readers have mentioned adding a splash of balsamic vinegar at the end for extra depth. I haven't tested that swap myself, so treat it as a suggestion, not a recommendation. Same with substituting honey for the sugar. It's come up in the comments, but I haven't tried it, so I can't say how it affects the set or the flavor balance.
How to Make It
Combine
Add all of your ingredients to a large pot or dutch oven and stir to combine.
Cook
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.
Finish and Cool
Raise the heat slightly in the last 30 minutes to help the jam set. Allow to fully cool then transfer to a jar or other container and refrigerate.
Before You Make This
- Cherry and grape tomatoes won't work here. They have a lot of skin and seeds but not enough flesh, so no matter how long you cook them, the jam won't reduce the way it should.
- Your chop size is really just a texture preference. Rough chop gives you a chunkier jam with visible pieces of tomato. Fine dice cooks down into something closer to a smooth spread. Both work, so go with whichever you'd rather scoop onto a cracker.
- Don't worry about peeling or getting every seed out. I don't peel mine (the skins cook down fine), and I only get to most of the seeds, not all of them. It doesn't need to be perfect.
- The last thirty minutes are when this actually sets. Leave it on a low simmer the whole time and it will stay looser than you'd like, even after three hours. Raising the heat a bit and stirring more often in that final stretch is what gets it to hold its shape on a spoon.
- Resist the urge to cook it longer for a stiffer set. This jam will never get as firm as a strawberry jam, and pushing it just risks scorching. Go by the cues instead: it holds its shape on a spoon, the color deepens to a brick red, and it firms up more once it's chilled.
Serving Suggestions
This is a condiment jam, not a spread-it-on-toast jam. My favorite way to use it is on a meat and cheese tray, spooned next to a soft cheese, or smeared on a baguette slice with goat cheese. It also holds up well against something rich: try it alongside a grilled pork tenderloin, or swap it in for ketchup on a burger.
FAQs
Neither, really. I skip peeling entirely because the skins cook down fine, and I don't stress about getting every last seed out either. A few stray seeds won't make a difference in this recipe.
I don't can this recipe myself, so I can't vouch for it as a safe, shelf-stable option. It hasn't been tested for the acid levels, headspace, and processing time that real canning safety depends on. If you want a version you can process and store on the shelf, look for a recipe that's actually been developed and tested for canning. This one's meant to live in your fridge (or freezer).
Off, always. I've never had an issue leaving it uncovered, and that's actually what lets the liquid evaporate so the jam thickens instead of staying watery.
Make Ahead, freezing and Storage
This jam keeps in the fridge for up to three weeks, and it freezes well too, up to 3 months. Just defrost it in the fridge and give it a stir before using.
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Recipe
Sweet and Tangy Tomato Jam
Ingredients
- 3½ pounds tomatoes, cored, chopped & most seeds removed (I prefer Roma or plum tomatoes)
- 1 medium white or yellow onion, diced
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
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Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a dutch oven. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium low. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until just starting to thicken, about 2½ hours. Leaving the lid off lets the liquid reduce, which helps thicken the jam.3½ pounds tomatoes, , 1 medium white or yellow onion, , ½ cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon coriander, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ¼ cup cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- During the last 30 minutes, increase the heat slightly and stir more often to help the jam finish thickening. It's ready when a spoonful holds its shape rather than pooling out.
- Let cool, then transfer to a jar and store in the fridge.
Notes
- You can use any type of tomato you like in this recipe. I prefer Roma or Plum tomatoes, but Beefsteak and vine-on tomatoes work well, too. I'd avoid grape of cherry tomatoes as they don't have as much tomato flesh.
- Core and remove most of the seeds from your tomatoes but peeling them is optional.
- You can either finely dice or roughly chop your tomatoes depending on if you want a more refined or more rustic jam. Both are delicious!
- Stir your jam occasionally over the course of its cooking time.
- Your jam will keep in the fridge for up to three weeks or in the freezer for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
- This is a fridge jam, not a tested shelf-stable canning recipe.
VIDEO
Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
Angela says
Would it be possible to make this recipe in the pressure cooker? Sounds delish!
Hi Angela, I've never used the pressure cooker for this recipe but I do hope you try to make it. It's one of our favorites!
Jay says
I think that the pressure cooker will not allow for evaporation. It will keep all in.
Marie Morrison says
Oh my TOMATOEY GOODNESS!!! I’ve just made this for the first time but have been dreaming of this recipe since I first saw it. I did add a hit of balsamic reduction while it was simmering along. At exactly the three hour mark I removed it from the heat and had a glorious lick-the-spoon moment. It was nice and thick and smelled divine, too! I canned the almost two pints and can’t wait to make more.
gerald zastrow says
Hi,
When simmering in the dutch oven, do you leave the cover on or off?
Hi Gerald, I leave the cover off to help the liquid reduce. Enjoy!
Rhonda says
I’m just now finding this recipe and actually have it cooking now!! It already taste good enough for me..
Susan says
Just made a batch of this fabulous concoction!! Did not have lemon so used orange and lime juice and added allepo peppers (can use chili pepper flakes) for some heat and a spash of balsamic vinegar.
Yummy!!!!
Love your modifications, Susan!