Tomato jam gets its depth from a slow simmer, not a long ingredient list: ripe tomatoes, brown sugar, cider vinegar, and warm spices cook down together until the color deepens to a rusty red and the texture turns thick and spreadable. No pectin, no canning gear, just a pot and patience.
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 the cider vinegar and fresh lemon juice, two acids instead of one, keep it from tipping into pure sweetness.
I've tweaked this recipe twice since it first went up, and both changes are worth knowing if you've made it before. There's less sugar in it now, so the tomato and vinegar carry more of the flavor instead of sugar doing all the work. And I bump the heat in the last half hour, which is what actually gets 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. No canning equipment needed: once it's thick, it goes straight into a jar in 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: Any type works except grape or cherry tomatoes. Their flesh-to-seed ratio is too low, so they won't cook down into a thick jam the way a Roma, vine-on, beefsteak, or heirloom tomato 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 edge 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: The warm spice backbone. This is what separates the jam from a basic sweetened tomato sauce.
- 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
- 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 until just starting to thicken, about 2½ hours, stirring occasionally. 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.
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Nutrition
Nutrition info not guaranteed to be accurate.
Gwen says
Recipe is delicious and easy to make. Can hardly wait to try on my homemade English muffins with cream cheese. I also canned it in a water bath.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Gwen! Thanks for stopping back to let us and others know how it worked for you.
Debby says
The only coriander I have is ground..will that work..?
Yes!
DoLee says
Would it be possible to make this in the crockpot? I am definitely going to try it one way or another.
Hi DoLee, I've never made it in a crock pot so I can't be sure. It might work but I'm concerned about it thickening up enough in a slow cooker environment. If you give it a go, please stop back and let us know how it goes!
Rosemary says
I’m addicted to this wonderful jam! Top a toasted bagel with cream cheese and this jam, YUM! Great with pork too! Easy recipe, I did have to cook 4 hours, then processed in cannner. Made this twice, once with peeled tomatoes, once with skin on. Both turned out great. Thank you for sharing
Michelle says
This is an awesome recipe. I omitted the onions and used a teaspoon of minced garlic instead, and threw in a couple star anise while it simmered, for a perfect sweet and savory blend.
It's one of our favorites, too. Thanks for stopping back to let us know you tried it!