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Tomato Jam is both savory and sweet with a deep rich flavor. Chunks of fresh tomatoes are cooked down into an incredibly luscious jam!
Making this easy and delicious Tomato Jam is an annual ritual at our house.
We typically cook up a batch every summer, when we have an abundance of tomatoes from our backyard garden. We eat some of the jam right away and can the rest – always thinking that those jars will last us all winter and spring until tomato season arrives once again.
But our Tomato Jam is so delicious we always go through it much quicker than we anticipate!
Why is Tomato Jam so good?
Tomato jam is both savory and sweet with deep rich color, and flavors reminiscent of a chunky gourmet ketchup or a tomato chutney – but SO MUCH better!
Tomatoes and onions are slowly cooked down in a mixture of granulated and brown sugars, cider and balsamic vinegars, lemon juice, salt, coriander and cumin. We also add a generous amount of chopped basil to the mixture which really sends this Tomato Jam over the top.
Your taste buds won’t know what hit them after your first taste. Tomato Jam is fantastic on lots of foods: burgers and hot dogs, grilled steak and pork chops, buttered English muffins, or even baked into these buttermilk corn muffins as a savory-sweet filling. I also think this would great on a grilled cheese sandwich, or with crackers and cheese on a charcuterie board.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh tomatoes – We show Roma tomatoes in our photos below, but any fresh tomato can be used in this recipe, including small cherry or grape tomatoes.
- Sugar – We add both white granulated and brown sugar to the jam mixture. Both add sweetness, while the brown sugar adds a deeper, molasses-like caramelization.
- Lemon Juice – A splash of lemon juice brightens sweetened tomatoes.
- Apple Cider Vinegar & Balsamic Vinegar – Each vinegar helps balance the overall flavors of the jam, and the balsamic vinegar adds depth and richness.
- Spices – A combination of ground cumin and coriander adds more depth of flavor.
- Fresh Basil – The flavors of fresh basil and tomatoes go so nicely together, and this jam is no exception. Don’t skimp on flavor by using dried basil – it won’t be the same.
How do you make Tomato Jam?
- If using larger tomatoes, blanch, peel and de-seed them before roughly chopping. Then place the tomatoes in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. If you are using cherry or grape tomatoes – just add them to the pot – skin, seeds and all. (The tender skins will cook down, giving the Tomato Jam a nice chunky consistency.)
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pot – chopped onions, fresh basil, both sugars, both vinegars, cumin, coriander, salt, and lemon juice.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for two or three hours (or more if needed – juicier tomatoes will need more time) until the mixture reduces to a thick jam. Be sure to stir fairly frequently so the mixture doesn’t burn.
- Once reduced and thickened, you should have about four cups of Tomato Jam in the pot. Note that the jam will thicken more once it’s chilled.
- Ladle into eight-ounce jars and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Or, ladle into sterilized jars and can for longer storage. (We used the water bath method and boiled for ten minutes.)
Frequently Asked Questions
- My jam has reduced but it doesn’t seem “jammy”. Is that going to be a problem? No – as mentioned above, the jam thickens more once it is chilled. There is no pectin in this recipe so the consistency is more like a thick relish than a fruit jam. As long as you’ve reduced the liquids, you should be good!
- Can I make this Tomato Jam with canned tomatoes instead of fresh? We haven’t tried making this jam with canned tomatoes ourselves, so I can’t say for sure how this jam will turn out. I suspect you’d need to make some other adjustments to the recipe to make it taste the same.
- Can I freeze this jam instead of canning? We haven’t tried freezing this jam ourselves – but it could work. (I’d suggest try it with a small batch first to see how it thaws.)
- Can I make Tomato Jam in a slow cooker? No, this won’t work in a slow cooker. Since a slow cooker is a covered cooking vessel, it won’t allow the liquids to reduce to the jam consistency that you want.
This post originally appeared on A Family Feast in August 2013. We’ve updated the photos and post but the delicious recipe remains the same. (Scroll down to read all of the rave reviews!)
You may enjoy these other tomato recipes:
- Green Tomato Relish
- Italian Tomato Sauce
- Tomato Pie
- Stewed Tomatoes
- Poached Cod with Tarragon and Cherry Tomatoes
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Tomato Jam
Ingredients
4 pounds plum tomatoes, or other tomato varieties such as grape or cherry
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup sweet onion such as Vidalia, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/8 cup cider vinegar
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
Juice of one lemon
Instructions
- Clean tomatoes, removing any stems. Cut an X in each tomato end with a sharp knife.
- Prepare an ice water bath.
- Bring four quarts of water to a boil in a non stick pot. Keep the heat on full and drop the tomatoes in. When the skin starts to peel, remove them to the ice bath. Empty the water, you will reuse the pot.
- Work over a sheet pan and peel the skins off the tomatoes. Then squeeze the stem end to pop out the stem. (It’s a squeeze, twist and pull motion to remove the stem. Depending on the variety of tomatoes, you may also need to squeeze out the seeds.) Roughly chop the tomatoes and place them back into the dry pot.
- Add all of the other ingredients to the chopped tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook the mixture for about two to three hours or until it reduces to a thick jam. Make sure you don’t let it burn. The cooking time depends on the amount of liquid in the variety of tomatoes you use so the timing is not an exact science however the finished product will be about 4 cups (one quart).
- Store in 8 ounce glass canning jars (follow complete canning steps shown here) or store in your refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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Cherie De Coto says
I will have to try this recipe for tomatoes. I have never made before. I will be looking for this. And let you know how it went. Thank you for this recipe. to make it.
Martha says
Hope you love the jam recipe as much as we do!
Sadie says
This looks quite yummy! I’ve never had tomato jam but always have an influx of tomatoes. I shall have to try this recipe out this summer!
Martha says
Thanks Sadie!
Kim says
How many cups of tomatoes would you estimate you used? No kitchen scale at the moment……thanks!
Martha says
Hi Kim – it really depends on what size tomatoes you are using. But as a starting point I just weighed three large plum tomatoes we have picked from our garden and they weighed about 1/2 a pound… Hope that helps you estimate!
Beverly says
We were served tomato jam with our breakfast when we were in Portugal. They told us the Portuguese love jam and will make it from anything. We also had carrot jam and pumpkin jam. I’m going to try carrot the same way the tomato jam is made. I think it will work! Thanks for sharing.
Martha says
Thanks Beverly! Please let us know how it comes out!
Donna says
how long do I process the tomato jam in the water bath?
Martha says
Hi Donna – The best place to check is an expert site like this one: http://www.freshpreserving.com/tools/waterbath-canning This Ball Canning site gives guidelines for canning high-acid foods and timing will vary based on the altitude where you live. hope this helps!
Suzi says
My sons and I made this yesterday, it came out so well. We’re from Barbados so we used local tomatoes that we blanched and peeled, and added basil, thyme, garlic and hot pepper flakes. From six pounds of tomatoes we ended up with #3, 12oz. jars, all three went into the water bath. I’ve got some mixed in with mayo to spread on my hardboiled egg at lunch!
Martha says
Sounds like a delicious way to enjoy the jam Suzi (I’ve got to try that myself!). Thanks for writing to us today – we’re so thrilled you enjoyed the recipe!
Sally says
I have made a couple different recipes of tomato jam, and plan on trying this one next summer, as I’ve never had it with basil. Interesting idea! I agree that this is a great way to rid yourself of the cherry tomatoes. Somehow we ended up with 6 plants of them….ugh. That equals about 6 million cherry tomatoes!!! I didn’t peel them, just cooked them down and you’re right, the skins really cook away and you don’t even know they’re there. This is good on a cracker or bread with cream cheese, too.
Martha says
Thanks Sally – Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Dorothy Alex says
By adding onion and basil is the PH level still safe when canning in the water bath?
Martha says
Hi Dorothy – We have canned it ourselves – but have eaten it fairly quickly so I can’t speak to long term storage of the jam. You could check with Ball Canning who are more expert in the subject than we are (http://www.freshpreserving.com/tools/waterbath-canning) – or use the pressure canning method to be extra sure.
Jenny says
I am all about tomato jam this year. I have made many different kinds from different varieties of heirlooms from my garden. I LOVED your recipe… so savory AND sweet! I used Aunt Ruby’s German Greens when I made it, it turned out a pretty green/gold/rust color and tastes delish. Thank you so much!
Martha says
Wow Jenny! Sounds like a great variation with the German Greens! We’re glad you are enjoying the recipe as much as we do…we make it every year!
Ashley says
This is my second time making this. I tripled the recipe and added fresh minced garlic and used a mixture of red and yellow cherry tomatoes, beef steak and heirloom. The recipe is amazing – thank you so much for posting it on the web.
Martha says
Ooh – garlic! What a great addition Ashley! Thanks for sharing!