Spiced Plum Jam Recipe

I’m personally not a fan of savory type plum sauces as I don’t eat the plum sauce with meat or Thai food. But a spiced plum jam? Oh lovely!

Plum jam or Plum sauce, you choose!

I often omit the pectin in my jam recipes and just make a ‘sauce’. I use our home-canned sauces more for baking sweetbreads or in crepes (plus it reduces the cost of the pectin).

But if you want a jam definitely keep the pectin in there.

spiced plum jam

Plums for a Spiced Plum Jam

I’ve only made this with purple plums (Italian plums), I’m not sure how it would turn out with yellow plums.

I also often double or triple the batch, and use 250ml jars (1/2 pint) instead of the 500ml (1 pint) as I find it’s better for gift giving.

If you’re new to canning I highly recommend you read up on the home canning safety processes before using this recipe. Here’s a list of resources for you:

Spiced Plum Jam Canning Recipe

Plum Jam Canning Recipe for Spiced Plum Jam

(makes 4 x 1 pint/500ml jars)

Print Recipe
Spiced Plum Jam
Servings
Ingredients
  • 8 cups purple plums pitted & finely chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups granulated sugar 700g
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 (3oz) packets liquid pectin I use Pomona’s pectin
Servings
Ingredients
  • 8 cups purple plums pitted & finely chopped
  • 3 1/2 cups granulated sugar 700g
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 (3oz) packets liquid pectin I use Pomona’s pectin
Instructions
  1. Prepare water bath canner and get the jars & lids ready. Need a water bath canner? We bought this set and it’s perfect for beginners!
  2. Combine the plums & sugar in a large pot. Cook on medium heat allowing plum juices to release. Slowly bring to a boil and add lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
  3. Let the sauce cook over med-high heat for 15-20 mins stirring frequently until it looks syrupy.
  4. Add the pectin and bring to a strong boil for 5 mins until it’s thick and shiny. (be sure to read your pectin instructions as they differ in method).
  5. Remove the pot from the heat & ladle the jam into the prepared jars. Wipe the rims, apply the lids & rings and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 mins (adjust the time with altitude).
Recipe Notes

I often use a hand blender to chop up the plums after they’ve boiled down for a few mins and gotten soft (after removing the stem & pit).

Often omit the pectin entirely to make a ‘spicy plum sauce’ instead of a jam as I find it has more uses (like in baked sweet breads, on top of pancakes or inside crepes). I prefer canning them in 250ml jars (1/2pint) sizes instead of 500ml (1 pint) as they’re better for gift giving.

I hope you enjoyed this spiced plum jam recipe! I also made a plum jam with vanilla, using about 3-4 tbsp of single bourbon vanilla instead of the spice mix listed above.

Happy home-preserving everyone!

spiced plum jam recipe

17 thoughts on “Spiced Plum Jam Recipe”

  1. Made this today! I had a bunch of small red plums from a neighbor, and I added some peaches because I didn’t have quite enough plums. It turned out delicious! But pitting the small plums took forever, next time I’ll use a cherry pitter.

    Reply
    • I had a bunch of small red plums too, and I cooked the whole berry down, and strained out the juice, and made Jelly… Then I picked out the seeds of what was left and made fruit leather… The kids loved it… the only thing that was thrown out was the pits…

      Reply
  2. Before I attempt this, as an experienced canner, I need to ask- why TWO packs of pectin? Generally, a batch of jam (even with a low pectin fruit) will take one. Doesn’t two make this extremely firm and not jam-like? Would one be sufficient? Thanks in advance! 🙂

    Reply
    • Hi Janet,

      I totally agree, the recipe is from the book ‘Food in Jars’ where it says 2 packets. I actually don’t like really firm jams and only use 1. I have omitted the pectin completely to make a sauce too, it depends on how thick you like your jams. 🙂

      Reply
      • Thank you – that was my question as well. You mention liquid pectin. I have SureJell at the moment and it is a powder. Also don’t like a firm jam. Is there a difference between liquid pectin and powdered pectin?

        Reply
        • Both will thicken up a jam or jelly and will often come with instructions for the amount needed. I’ve made this recipe as a sauce many many times as we love it in crepes or for making sweet plum bread. 🙂

          Reply
    • Hi Jodi, this recipes makes 4 x 1 pint/500ml jars. I’ve just edited it to add that info, thanks for letting me know I missed it 🙂

      Reply
  3. How long does this keep? Once I can it, can I just store in cool/dry place, or should it be refrigerated? If I want it to keep for a few months, should I freeze it?

    Reply
    • Hi Ashley! It helps to know the basics of canning for this information. We store in a cool dry place for up to two years. Some people say canned goods can last longer, but I find it’s better to use within a year or so after canning. Freezer jam is sometimes different than canning jam, but most freezer fruit should be consumed in 6 months otherwise it will taste freezer burnt. After we open up a jar we usually use it within a month in the fridge.

      Reply
  4. I omitted the pectin as I wanted butter not jam and it turned out amazing. Easy recipe to use, I had a mix of purple, golden and rose plums but the flavor was wonderful…

    Reply

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