This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
Tomato Jam is both savory and sweet with a deep rich flavor. Chunks of fresh tomatoes are cooked down into an incredibly luscious 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. Lift the pot up and place a heat diffuser down, then set the pot back over the diffuser. 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.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
I am not a canner. Can I make it and freeze some so it lasts?
Hi Lauren – We haven’t tried freezing this jam ourselves – but it could work. (I’d try it with a small batch first.) Please let us know how it works out!
This recipe is RIDICOUSLY delicious!!! And I’m not even really a huge tomato fan! That’s what makes this so funny. I absolutely wasn’t expecting this jam to taste this amazing but when I saw the unusual list of ingredients, I knew it would be pretty special. WOW! I’m a huge fan and so glad I found you!
We’re glad you found us too Betty! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed the jam!
This Tomato Jam is INSANELY delicious!!! Definately a keeper and will make regularly! Thank you for this delicious recipe! My family LOVES it!!!
Thanks Betty – so glad you enjoy it as much as we do!
Have you ever used a slow cooker for this recipe?
No…this won’t work in a slow cooker. Since a slow cooker is a covered cooking vessel, it won’t allow the liquid to reduce to the jam consistency that you want.
This is the best recipe! I’ve been using this recipe for a few years now and my family loves this tomato jam. I love the sweet, savory flavors. Its hard to keep around!
Thanks Collette! We love it too…in fact, it’s almost time to make some more! 🙂
This is a yummy recipe for anyone who has many tomatoes! I added about 3 times the amount of coriander, cumin, apple cider vinegar, balsamic and lime juice (instead of lemon) and it turned out perfect. Also added some chili flakes. I think it would have been too sweet for my taste otherwise. I wanted more of a relish-tasting condiment. And, for those you who might wonder, it does thicken after being in the refrigerator overnight. I didn’t can it.
Thanks for the suggestions Loring!
O am going to make the tomatoe jam. But I am going to water bath the jars so I do not have to put it in the fridge. Using this recipe cause it uses all my favorite things. Onions, balsamic vinegar and lemon. It should can well. Thank you. . Will it be a safe recipe for water bath canning? I also have to make it sugar free with splenda being I am a severe diabetic.
Hi Linda – As written, the recipe is safe to water bath can. I’m not sure how swapping in splenda will change the results however…
This is great for all kinds of things. I used cherry tomatoes and they were great plus I didn’t need to peel and seed
Glad you enjoyed the recipe Barbara! We like the cherry tomatoes too – the skins add some nice texture!
Oh my gosh this is awesome! I love the tomato jam at Bad Daddy’s burger bar, and it is just not something you find in a store. I had sacks full of unripe tomatoes before the freeze due to weird weather, so I ripened them inside in paper sacks, and they all ripened at once of course. I had enough to make 2 batchs of this jam. I really don’t want to share it, but I suppose I will take a jar to Thanksgiving dinner. I followed the recipe exactly mostly except I used something like 4.8 lbs tomatoes, and canned it afterwards in a water bath, and it made 4.25 cups. This recipe is a keeper and I will make it again next year!
Glad you enjoyed the jam Charlotte!
I just found this recipe and so glad I did. I didn’t have any fresh tomatoes, but our local grocery store had canned plum tomatoes on sale, so I thought why not. I drained the juice and tried to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. I used the sweet onion as listed, but also added a bit of fresh garlic. The fresh basil looked pretty sorry in the store, so I used the stuff in a tube. I mixed half brown sugar and half coconut palm sugar, and used the indicated amount of white sugar. I added some fresh lemon rind as well as a smudge of Tajin Clasico seasoning since I love the pop of lime. It’s still simmering away, but I tested it to see if it needed any more seasoning. It’s absolutely delicious and has such a fresh pop in your mouth taste. This is a keeper recipe for sure! It’s going on a charcuterie board this weekend!!
Thanks Cathy – glad to know that you can use canned tomatoes for this recipe!