Easy spiced plum jam recipe without pectin, with the best spices to go with plums and jam-making tips. Great for breakfast, with cheese and ideal as Christmas food gifts.
Made this Spiced Jam for the first time, absolutely delicious. Will definitely make this recipe again, brilliant way to use up a glut of Victoria plums thank you. - C Christie
- Ratio of Sugar to Fruit in Jam-Making
- What Kind of Plums are Best for Jam?
- Do You Have to Pit Plums When Making Jam?
- What Spices Go Well With Plums?
- How to Add Spices to Jam
- Do I Need Pectin to Make Plum Jam?
- How to Make Spiced Plum Jam
- Should You Take the Scum Off Jam?
- How to Sterilise and Seal Jam Jars
- What Does Spiced Plum Jam Taste Like?
Ratio of Sugar to Fruit in Jam-Making
Traditionally, jam usually has equal quantities of fruit to sugar. For jam to be officially labelled as jam commercially, it must contain 55% sugar (45% fruit) for its long conservation.
In our quest to lower sugar, I've been reducing the sugar quantity as much as I dare - to 650g per kilo of fruit (approximately 40% sugar). As I'm not selling this commercially and consume each batch within two years maximum, I'm still calling this jam or confiture in French. Reducing jam much further is more like a compote.
For more detail on reducing sugar to the maximum for homemade jam,
see my recipe for Fig Jam which experiments further.
What Kind of Plums are Best for Jam?
Any of the European plums (Prunus domestica) are ideal for making jam.
For this jam with added spices, I prefer the darker purple varieties such as Quetches, Ente plums (known as Prune plum as used to make prunes), damson or the red-yellow Victoria plums. Outside of France, the Japanese or Chinese plum will also work deliciously well.
If you love greengages (Reine-Claude) or mirabelle plums, then replace the spices with vanilla.
For more, including what flavours go well with plums,
see the French market page on plums.
Do You Have to Pit Plums When Making Jam?
I'd suggest you remove all plum stones. Just cut each plum in half and remove the pits easily.
However, the good news is there's no need to skin or peel plums before making jam.
What Spices Go Well With Plums?
We love plums simply roasted with warming spices but, best of all, in this jam. Add cinnamon, cloves, cardamom seeds and some star anise.
If you don't have much time, the best is to add pain d'épices, which is used in France for classic French gingerbread. If you can't find them, the closest in pumpkin spice.
How to Add Spices to Jam
Leave the plums, sugar and spices covered for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Tip: For easy removal, put small whole spices such as cloves and cardamom pods into a tea infuser or small muslin spice bag. This is particularly useful with dark plum varieties, as the spices can be difficult to spot once the jam has cooked down.
Do I Need Pectin to Make Plum Jam?
Plums are naturally high in pectin, so there is no need to add any pectin.
- Use normal granulated sugar without the added pectin in special jam sugar.
- Add a touch of lemon juice, which is also high in pectin and acidity.
These two factors help the jam to thicken naturally without any help - as well as simmering to reduce at the end of cooking.
How to Make Spiced Plum Jam
Full printable recipe card below.
First wash the plums and prepare them by cutting in half to remove their stones. There's no need to peel them. Weigh the quantity of plums and weigh out ⅔rds of sugar to plums (650g sugar to 1 kilo plums).
If you prefer a smoother plum jam, particularly when using thicker-skinned prune or Ente plums, you can briefly blend it with a stick blender once the fruit has softened.
Cover the plums in the sugar, add the spices and leave covered to macerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
After at least 4 hours - or an overnight maceration - the sugar will have dissolved and the spices infused the fruit. Just smell that fragrance when you lift off that lid!
Give the whole lot a stir and leave on medium heat until it starts to bubble. Stir occasionally.
Should You Take the Scum Off Jam?
Foamy scum usually forms once the jam is heating. This is perfectly normal and harmless. However, it's best to remove it because it will affect the final look of your jam, causing many air bubbles and taking up necessary glossy, colourful jam real estate in each jar.
So discard most of the scum using a slotted spoon. Adding a knob of butter is a quick family tip we use to lessen the amount of scum but it's not difficult to remove it, as it tends to appear in convenient clumps, as shown.
Once the jam is clear, continue to bubble nicely until reduced and a little on a plate sets. Ladle into sterilised jars.
How to Sterilise and Seal Jam Jars
To sterilise jam jars and lids, immerse them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. Carefully remove them with tongs and leave to dry on a clean towel.
When the jam is ready, ladle it into the sterilised jars while still boiling hot, leaving only a small gap at the top. Immediately screw on the lids tightly and turn the jars upside down until cool.
This traditional method helps create a good seal and means your homemade jam will keep well in a cool, dry place.
Looking for more homemade preserves? Try my reduced-sugar French fig jam, rhubarb jam and apricot jam recipes.
What Does Spiced Plum Jam Taste Like?
As plums are both sweet and acidic, the added sugar makes a well balanced jam that's not too sweet. As sugar is kept to a minimum, the tartness of the plums shines through.
The added spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves and aniseed from the pain d'épices) make the taste warm and Christmassy. As a result, spiced plum jam is great given as holiday food gifts. It goes so well with:
- crêpes
- fluffy brioche
- Scotch pancakes
- on scones - and even cheese scones
- all kinds of bread, including a crusty fresh baguette - cut it horizontally and you have a French tartine, typical for French breakfast
- in jam tarts - and even this banana nut bread
- Above all, it accompanies strong French cheeses well and foie gras for holiday menus - so don't forget to add this to a cheeseboard. If you love jam with cheese or foie gras without the spice, then try this Corsican Fig Jam.
Spiced Plum Jam
Equipment
- Heavy bottomed jam pot (traditional copper optional)
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2¼lb) Victoria or Ente Plums (ripe but still quite firm) stones removed, skins on
- 650 g (1½lb) Granulated sugar
- 4 cardamoms
- 2 cloves
- 2 teaspoon Gingerbread (pain d'épices) or pumpkin spice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or juice of ½ lemon)
Instructions
- Wash and cut the plums in half, removing the stones (there's no need to peel the fruit). Weigh the fruits and add the sugar (I use 650g to each kilo), lemon juice and whole spices. For easy removal later, place the cloves and cardamom pods in a tea infuser or small muslin spice bag; leave the cinnamon stick loose. Cover and leave to macerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
- In a large high-sided jam pan, boil up the sugared spicy plums, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. After 5-10 minutes, skim off and discard any scum (white foam) that appears on the surface. Continue for about another 15 minutes, or until the fruit has softened and the jam reaches setting point. The exact cooking time will depend on the variety and ripeness of the plums, and the size of your batch.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and the tea infuser or spice bag and squeeze out the cardamom seeds into the jam before testing it for setting point.
- Ladle or spoon the hot jam into prepared hot jars, leaving a gap of about 1cm at the top (see NOTES). Seal immediately and leave upright to cool.
Notes
This recipe was first published on 20 September 2016 but is now completely updated.
Kim W
Great recipe, but I'm glad I made a test batch with my first 1kg of prunes before processing the remaining 8-9kg. I found that removing the spices after simmering the jam was impossible, the jam was so dark at that point that I would have had to let it cool all the way down and then sort through it by hand to find the whole cloves. A tea ball infuser may have worked, but I didn't have one handy, so I made the following adjustments:
- Whole spices (per kg of fruit): 4 cardamom, 4 cloves, 2 cinnamon sticks, one star anise (I don't use pumpkin pie spice as I have a friend who is allergic to nutmeg)
- Kept fruit to sugar ratio of 1kg to 650g, as described
- After letting the fruit macerate with the sugar, spices, and lemon juice overnight, I removed (and did NOT discard) the whole spices by hand. This was a little tedious, but I kept a careful count and was able to remove all the spices. I then removed a little of the sugary liquid and simmered it in a separate pot on the stove with the whole spices, to infuse even more of the spice flavor. I then added that spiced sugar liquid back to the fruit.
- After simmering the fruit to make the jam, I did use an immersion blender to puree it. The plum/prune skins are entirely edible, but makes the jam a little clunky to spread and to eat (sometimes you pull out a big clump of skin and it's just a little odd).
- After canning the entire 2nd batch, I realized that I had been paying way more attention to the spices, blender, etc, and didn't let the jam cook down enough! No big deal, I opened everything up (after leaving it for 24 hours in case it would magically set - it didn't), put it back in the pot, and cooked it to a proper jam thickness before re-canning it all.
My whole house has smelled like Christmas for 3 days straight as I tested, canned, and re-canned! I'm looking forward to sharing it with some friends and family, eating it on fresh sourdough biscuits for months to come, and trying out some fruit and oatmeal bars for potlucks. It's a wonderful recipe, thanks so much for sharing!
Jill Colonna
Kim, thank you so much for such a detailed review! I'm delighted you enjoyed the spiced plum jam — and I love the thought of your house smelling of Christmas for three days!
You make a very good point about retrieving the whole spices from a dark jam made with prune plums. Using a tea infuser or small muslin spice bag is a wonderfully simple solution, so I'm going to add that as a tip for other readers making this plum jam without pectin.
Blending the jam for a smoother texture is also a useful option, particularly with thicker-skinned plum varieties. And you're absolutely right that the final cooking time can vary — it's the setting point rather than the clock that's important.
It sounds as though you now have quite a magnificent supply! I hope your friends and family enjoy it just as much, and those fruit and oatmeal bars sound delicious. Thanks again for taking the time to share your experience. Jill x
Amy
Can I process the filled jars in a water bath?
Jill Colonna
Hi Amy, thanks for your question. For this recipe, I don't process the filled jars in a water bath. I sterilise the jars and lids first, fill them with the boiling hot jam, seal immediately and turn them upside down until cool. I've just added a note to the post to make this clearer, as I'd forgotten to add it in like my other jam recipes. Thanks for pointing it out!
Misty
can i made this with lot less sugar?
Jill Colonna
Of course you can, Misty. It won't be called jam, though, but more of a compote or sauce. If so, it won't last as long and I'd recommend storing it in the fridge.
Frances
Jam that contains 55% sugar contains 55% sugar 45% fruit. So in 100g of jam there is 55g sugar, 45g fruit. Your jam with 650g sugar and 1kg fruit is contains 650g/ 650+ 1000g x 100 = approximately 40%. Jam has traditionally been equal quantities of fruit to sugar. Some of the liquid boils off, making the sugar concentration higher.
P.S. Jam sounds good.
Jill Colonna
Thanks for explaining this further, Frances. I'll update my text to reflect this as you're dead right and I need to make this clearer. We used to make jam with equal quantities of fruit to sugar but over the years, we've aimed at reducing our sugar intake but still want to call it 'jam'! Just for the record, we're making more and more compotes which contain even less sugar. I really hope you try this recipe - it's one of our favourites and so good for making in advance for Christmas.
Evan Beckwith
I use all the jars that come from the shop and from family and friends and I buy a few lids occasionally. I make sure they are cleaned in the dishwasher and dried thoroughly and I put the lids on lightly for storage. When I need them to make jam I dust them off, take off the lid and put them both in the oven at 115 C for about 10 minutes. When the jam is ready I just remove from the oven and fill the jars. Will be using your recipe tonight . I have five different plum trees and about 30 fruit trees in all
Evan Christchurch New Zealand
Jill Colonna
All sounds like a delicious plan, Evan. How exciting to have your very own plum trees! Enjoy jam making - and keep a few back for Christmas. Thanks for sharing your sterilisation technique. Jx
C Christie
Made this Spiced Jam for the first time, absolutely delicious. Will definitely make this recipe again, brilliant way to use up a glut of Victoria plums thank you.
Jill Colonna
So happy you tried this - it's one of our favourites, especially a treat at Christmas time. Thanks for your kind words!
Thomasina
I love plums and spiced plums, even better. I want to make this jam and have it with crepes and cream. BUT I need to buy these scales so thank you for telling me about them. I don't do maths either.
Jill Colonna
Good idea with the crepes and cream Thomasina! Yes, I'm so impressed with these scales, anything to avoid maths...
Hester@AlchemyInTheKitchen
Yum, one of my favorite jams, Jill - and a neat and handy little scales too - saves having to do the maths!
Jill Colonna
Thanks Hester. Yes, they're neat all right and so flat they're easy to store too. Yippee to no more kitchen maths!
Christina | Christina's Cucina
What a genius set of scales, Jill! I am always trying to convince my own readers that scales are an absolute necessity in the kitchen, but Americans love their cups! Maybe this would convince them to switch over with the jam making feature! Love it!
Your plum jam does sound wonderful and it would be such perfect Christmas gifts! Lovely!!
Jill Colonna
They are genius, Christina.
I hear you about the cups! I agree totally with you: It's all right for many recipes but scales ensure that baking is much more precise - and the results are consistent with a recipe that uses weight, not volume.
Thanks on the plum jam x