Tomato Jam

I grew up helping my mom can and freeze an array of sweet jams and fruit spreads to make the most of homegrown raspberries and loganberries, peaches from local orchards and cherries plucked from our own trees, as juices ran stickily down my arms. While I loved many of the canned recipes we made, eventually my love of tangy foods increased and my interest in sugar bombs decreased—soon I discovered a passion for savory varieties like tomato jam, as opposed to more traditional fruit jellies.

Our recipe for tomato jam still has the thick, shiny texture that defines fruit jams but also has a distinctive earthy tomato taste. These characteristics make it incredibly versatile: I use it to play up the sweet angle in some meals and the savory one in others. It’s more than a grown-up ketchup or sweet chutney—this refrigerated spread gives everything from a slice of toast to glazed shrimp a flavor all its own.

The sugar in this tomato jam recipe not only counters the often-harsh natural acidity of tomatoes and vinegar but also interacts with the natural pectin in the tomato skins, seeds and flesh so that the jam gels and sets up into a spoonable spread. With less sugar, the mixture would have the taste and mouthfeel of an overly sweet sauce or chunky tomato ketchup. That jammy texture also distinguishes this recipe from tomato apple chutney, which has a larger hit of vinegar and chunks of vegetables and fruit.

Ingredients for Tomato Jam

• Tomatoes: Plum tomatoes, also called roma or paste tomatoes, have a dense and meaty texture and are readily available year-round. Choose firm, just-ripe tomatoes for this tomato jam recipe. These have more pectin than fully ripe, juicy tomatoes and a better chance of setting up into jam.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar transforms cooked tomatoes from a savory sauce to a glossy spread without altering their flavor, making it the best type of sugar for jam. I also tested this recipe with brown sugar but found that its molasses distracts from the fresh tomato taste.
• Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar has a slight sweetness that complements the sugar and tomatoes. Use a bottle that lists “apple cider vinegar” as the ingredient. This type of vinegar has more color and flavoring than harsher distilled white vinegar.
• Spices: This recipe for tomato jam has a warm, slightly smoky taste, thanks to a trio of spices. Cumin provides woody notes, cinnamon provides earthy ones and smoked paprika adds a hint of heat.
• Salt: Finely ground pickling salt dissolves quickly and evenly as you heat the tomato mixture and doesn’t include anticaking agents that might affect the jam’s texture. Use the same volume of sea salt with a similar grind for an identical hint of saltiness.

How to Make Tomato Jam

Step 1: Macerate the tomatoes

Place the cored and chopped tomatoes in a large pot or Dutch oven, and stir in the sugar. Let the tomatoes sit until they start to release juices, about 10 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: To core the tomatoes, cut out just the top area where the stem was attached. Chop the tomatoes with a sharp knife or pulse them in a food processor to better break down the skins. Once you add the sugar, the short rest period starts to macerate the tomatoes—or draw out their juices—and reduces the initial risk of burning. If you use a large pot, look for a nonreactive one with a capacity of 5 or 6 quarts.

Step 2: Add the other ingredients

Add the apple cider vinegar, cumin, cinnamon, smoked paprika and salt.

Step 3: Cook the jam

Bring the tomato mixture to a boil, uncovered, and then lower the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, for about 20 minutes or until the tomatoes start to thicken and reduce. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook another 15 minutes or longer as needed, stirring regularly, until the mixture becomes thick and sticky with a glossy finish.

Editor’s Tip: If your stovetop temperature cycles and the sugary tomato mixture starts to stick to the pan, lower the heat earlier and cook the jam for longer, stirring frequently.

Step 4: Check for doneness

As you near the end of cooking, stir constantly to keep the jam from burning.

Editor’s Tip: You’ll know the jam is ready when running a wooden spoon or spatula across the bottom of the pan leaves a clear trail for a couple of seconds.

How to Use Tomato Jam

• Serve it on a cheese tray: Our sweet-and-savory tomato jam recipe pairs well with firm Manchego cheese, creamy Camembert, bold Pecorino Romano and tangy aged Gouda. Include crackers or toasted bread to smear with the jam, and add fresh fruit and meats for a full-scale charcuterie board.
• Bake it onto Brie: Make tomato-flavored baked Brie with jam or a more upscale Brie puff pastry. Round out the presentation with apple and pear slices and plain or garlic and onion cashews.
• Use it as a condiment: As a condiment, tomato jam has a sweeter, stickier presentation than ketchup. Use it to upgrade grilled cheese, a BLT or a turkey club sandwich, and spread the jam on burgers, brats and sliders.
• Pair it with meaty mains: Serve tomato jam alongside ham, chicken, shrimp or crispy tofu. Use it as a glaze for meat loaf or lentil loaf, thinning the jam with a little water, stock or white wine if you want to brush it on.
• Spread it on toast: Pair tomato jam with tangy goat cheese and seven-grain toast. Enjoy it on a toasted English muffin topped with a poached egg. Use a light coating as a sweet base for a grilled flatbread pizza with melted mozzarella and fresh basil.

Tomato Jam Variations

• Remove the skins: To avoid the texture of the tomato skins, peel the tomatoes before you begin. Blanching whole tomatoes before you cut out the core makes it easy to peel off just the papery skin from the tomato flesh.
• Use just the flesh: If you prefer to scoop out the tomato seeds as well, prep extra tomatoes and weigh out 2 pounds of their flesh after you’ve peeled, cored, deseeded and chopped them. The jam will have the same sweetness as the version with the skin and seeds, but it will have a paste-like texture with less gelling.
• Add citrus: Stir in 2 teaspoons of lime or lemon juice for bright citrus notes. Better yet, stir the fresh zest of one lime or lemon into the jam and then collect the white, spongy part of the peel and seeds in a cheesecloth spice bag and drop it into the pot. These have loads of natural pectin to help thicken jam. Remove the bag when the jam has finished cooking.
• Give it more spice: Supplement the recipe’s spices with a pinch of ground cloves, nutmeg or ginger, or replace them with curry powder or garam masala. Add a little fresh minced jalapeno or grated gingerroot for extra zing. Stir in dried red pepper flakes, which are primarily the seeds and flesh of spicy cayenne peppers, or milder Aleppo pepper flakes to suit your preferred heat level.

How to Store Tomato Jam

Store tomato jam in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator, as you would many other homemade jam and jelly recipes. Any time it spends at room temperature causes the jam to spoil more quickly. Rather than setting the entire jar on the table, spoon just the amount you plan to serve into another container and return the jar to the fridge to keep it chilled and fresh.

How long will tomato jam last?

Tomato jam lasts for two weeks in the refrigerator before it starts to darken. For peak flavor, it’s best eaten within three weeks. Use a clean spoon or table knife each time you dip it to avoid crumbs and other contaminants that might lead to mold.

Tomato Jam Tips

Can you use other types of tomatoes for a tomato jam recipe?

Cherry tomatoes are another delicious option for tomato jam. Their small seeds and thin skins break down quickly with fewer bites of coarse peel, and their natural sweetness enhances the jam’s flavor. Use a single variety, like red Sweet 100s, orange Sungolds, or heirloom black or chocolate cherry tomatoes for a distinctly colored spread.

Other types of tomatoes that work well for jam include meaty yellow tomatoes and specific plum tomato varieties like San Marzano. Avoid super-juicy slicing tomatoes, like beefsteak or green tomatoes, which have a different acid-to-sweet balance.

What’s the best pan for making tomato jam?

A wide, nonreactive pot, like a 5- to 6-quart stainless steel brazier or enameled Dutch oven, is the best type of pan for making tomato jam. Avoid aluminum, uncoated cast-iron and copper, which interact with the acid in tomatoes. The wider the pan, the more quickly the tomato mixture reduces, so a shallow saute pan or skillet is a better choice than a tall, narrow saucepan. To keep the jam from bubbling over the short sides, smear butter around the inside edge of the pan’s rim.

Is this tomato jam recipe safe to can or freeze?

A recipe for tomato jam is best prepared in small batches so that the sweetened tomatoes thicken and gel, making it an ideal fridge jam. We haven’t tested this recipe for tomato jam for canning or freezing. Tomatoes toe the line of enough acidity for canning in a boiling water bath or steam canner and need a proper balance of vinegar and sugar for safety. Most freezer jam recipes call for packaged pectin that requires less sugar and little to no cooking. This recipe for a long-cooked jam without added pectin might become chewy and weep in the freezer, as freezing and thawing weaken the pectin.