A cherry jam recipe is a must in every kitchen and my low sugar no pectin cherry jam recipe is the way jam should be. High on flavor instead of bucket fulls of sugar. This jam comes together easily so you can enjoy the bright taste of cherries all year long
What type of cherries are best for jam
I prefer a sweet cherry jam recipe and my favorite sweet cherry is Bing. They provide that deep red color naturally.
But you can use any sweet cherry, I’ve used Rainier cherries too. Rainier cherries are a cross between a Van and a Bing cherry.
Can you use frozen cherries for jam
Yes, cherries freeze quite well and can be used to make both jam, jelly, and cherry pie filling. Make sure you thaw frozen cherries fully before proceeding with the recipe. I will often freeze cherries and berries to make jam later in the fall when I have more time (and a cooler kitchen).
Harvest Note: Whenever you pick cherries, be sure to leave the stem on, until just ready to use. Once you remove the stem, you allow oxygen into the cherry and it will turn brown and break down faster.
Supplies for making cherry jam
Classic Zester– this little beauty makes getting that pectin luscious lemon zest into your strawberry jam without the bitter pith so easy.
Stainless Steel Canner– (Safe for glass top stoves) this water bath canner won’t rust like the granite wear runs and will be your trusty sidekick in the kitchen for years to come.
Candy thermometer – most accurate way to ensure jam has reached the gelling point
Cherry Jam Recipe Without Pectin and Low Sugar
Ingredients
- 5 cups sweet cherries pitted and chopped
- 2 & 1/2 to 3 cups sugar depending on how sweet your cherries are and your preference
- 5 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Wash, remove stems, and pit cherries. A cherry pitter is highly advised
- Roughly chop up cherries. Place chopped cherries in a large stock pot. Add 1/2 cup water to cherries. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You'll see the cherries begin to break down and thicken.
- Stir in sugar and lemon juice, mixing well. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Sugar will scorch quickly if not kept moving. Boil, uncovered, till thick, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into hot sterilized jars.
- Note: It's set when it sticks to the back of a metal spoon. This is called sheeting. Look at the jam dripping off the edge of the spoon. It should look like a “sheet” of jam, not a bunch of individual drops. Cherry jam is not meant to be extremely thick. It's a thinner jam, excellent on pancakes, waffles, toast, etc.
- Wipe rims with a damp towel, put on lids and bands. Submerge in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes *increase processing time for high altitude (see note section). Take off of heat and let sit for 5 minutes before moving to a folded towel. Let sit for at least 12 hours before checking seals on jars. Then store in a cool dark place for up to a year. If any jars didn't set, store in fridge.
- Make 3 pints or 6 jelly jars.
Can you use honey in place of sugar?
You can try it, I personally haven’t used honey in it and many sources recommend only subbing half of the sugar with honey.
I got lot at wash rims and lids. Put on bands.Do they jars need to be mason jars?
if I go the freezer option, will it freeze like brick and need to be defrosted?
For canning they need to be canning jars to withstand the heat of canning and not breaking. It will freeze solid in the freezer and need to be thawed before use.
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Would it work if I doubled it? I picked about 20lbs of cherries yesterday…
You can try and double it, but I wouldn’t go above doubling. Let us know how ti goes.
Hi Melissa! Thanks for sharing this recipe and your tip about the cherry vinegar, I love little tricks to minimize wastage. What type of vinegar would you recommend, and how would you use the finished product?
I’d use apple cider vinegar (here’s how I make my own vinegar https://melissaknorris.com/how-to-make-apple-cider-vinegar-at-home/ ) and I use it as a salad dressing or in meat marinades
I could never get this to “sheet” so I added pectin. Hoping for the best.
I did not read the comments to this recipe. I wish i had. I multiplied it 5 times, since that was the quantity of cherries I bought. It took over an hour to set up. I never got the sheeting, even after it was very much thickened. As a side note: in the last week, I have made the following preserves: strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, peach, fig and now the cherry. I have filled my 3 gallon jelly pot almost to the top, multiplying the recipes that far. Every other fruit turned out just fine. I’m not sure what happened with this. Unfortunately the cherry had the longest prep time and was also the flavor I was looking forward to the most. Hopefully it will turn out okay enough to at least use it for pie filling. PS–the rating system will not let me change the number of stars. I did not give it 5.
I followed recipe to the “T”. It came out pretty runny. Why?
It may depend upon the type of cherry and if they were overripe. Under ripe fruit has more natural pectin so if at all possible, try to use some under ripe (about 1/4 of total fruit) if possible. And natural pectin jams aren’t quite as thick set as using store bought pectin, but it should definitely be thick enough to spread on sandwiches, biscuits, etc. Did you download the trouble shooting guide? There are a lot of tips in there.
thanks so much for the great low sugar recipes !!
The flavor was delicious but did not fill even 2 of my 16 Oz mason jars. Hoping it preserves ok with all the extra space. Otherwise it’s delicious.
Hi,
Is it possible to mix cherries? I have the dark cherries, Rainier cherries and then a tart cherry. Just not sure of the ratio.
Thanks!
You can mix, you’ll just have to play with the amount of sugar for taste.
Is it five cups of cherries before or after I chop them? Thanks!
After pitting and chopped 🙂
Was wondering if the cherries could be frozen or do they have to be fresh??
You can use frozen and then thawed!
I tried this recipe over the weekend and I don’t know what I did wrong, but it turned into burned caramel! Is 1/2-cup all the water that is supposed to be used? After 15 minutes in the first step, my cherries were almost bone dry. Any ideas where I went wrong? I’m very new at jam making, as you can tell. 🙂 Thanks!
It is only 1/2 cup of water but make sure you’re using a heavy bottom pot and if they were almost dry at 15 minutes it sounds like it was at too high of a boil, you just want it at a simmer to release the juices from the chopped at cherries.
Just finished making a double batch. So far delicious from my many taste tests. Instructions very clear and simple. Have you tried any other fruits or spices in the mix?
Thank you for fabulous recipe.
Melissa, I could just hug you right now!! I am an old Grandma and have been canning and preserving for MANY years. However, because of time constraints, and lack of confidence, I have always reached for the low sugar SureJell when putting up jams and jellies. Well, not any more, thanks to you!!! I tried your cherry jam recipe above and it was absolutely delicious. I will certainly be making jam this way from now on, and just can’t thank you enough for snapping me out of my complacency. Well done
Hello! I used your strawberry jam recipe and the apples worked wonderfully as pectin. Can I use apples in this recipe as well?
Yes, just use 1 extra Tablespoon of lemon juice per apple
I LOVE cherry jam, but I love a 50/50 jam made of cherry and plum. My grandmother’s sister had both trees in her yard, so each year my grandmother would make cherry jam, then plum jam and at some point would mix the two. That was my favourite. I loved to help. I asked her once why she didn’t just make it all 50/50 and she just laughed her sweet laugh and said “not everybody likes the same thing.”
Hello! Would it be possible to strain this through a jelly bag first? I’m not sure if I would like the texture of the cherry skins in the finished product. Thanks!
I haven’t tried it as jelly as I prefer jam with the pieces of fruit. Let me know how it goes if you do