Simple Homemade Cherry Vanilla Jam Recipe
Make a simple, low-sugar homemade Cherry Vanilla Jam that’s perfect for sourdough, pancakes, and ice cream. Easy to make and sets every time!
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Preserve the flavors of summer with this homemade cherry vanilla jam recipe. Perfect for those cold winter days.
Tools You Will Need
- Water Bath Canner
- Half-Pint Jars
- Canning Lids
- Jar Funnel
- Ladle
- Immersion Blender
- Dutch Oven
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Homemade cherry vanilla jam is my household’s favorite and soon will be yours too. You control the sweetness with this low sugar recipe, putting you in charge of the amount of sugar your family consumes. Let’s face it. Food is becoming less and less nutritious and full of harmful additives. My family loves jam, but I don’t want them eating all the “extra” unnecessary ingredients.
What makes this jam low-sugar
First off, sugar itself is not inherently bad but we consume way too much of it. The average American consumes 22-34 teaspoons of sugar per day – 100 pounds of sugar per year. The average homemade Ball Canning Book jam recipe calls for equal parts fruit to sugar. Their cherry jam recipe is 1:2. Double the sugar to fruit.
Sugar is not required to preserve your jam. –
Sugar when canning is for flavor, not for preservation in jam and jelly recipes. The preservation happens during the canning process where a vacuum is created to form a seal. Sugar will help preserve your jam only once opened and refrigerated. Even then you should use your jam within 1-2 weeks.
My Low Sugar Recipe –
This low-sugar cherry vanilla jam has a fruit to sugar ratio of 3:1. I want my family eating fruit with a small amount of sugar, not sugar with fruit. Besides, what is the point in harvesting fruit (cherries are a labor of love) if you’re going to dump pounds of sugar over them and serve it as a “nourishing homemade jam”?
Do I need to Use Frozen Cherries?
No, you absolutely do not. However, I find that the harvest season is overwhelming without adding canning and preserving to the mix. I freeze my jam cherries. Most of my canning is done in the late fall and winter to avoid burnout in late summer when my family wants to spend most of our time at the beach. Also if you are not harvesting your own cherries, frozen pitted cherries are easy to come by. Check your local freezer section or Azure Standard – plus you won’t be spending hours pitting them.
Tips For Canning Cherry Jam
- Prep your kitchen ahead of time. Ensuring surfaces and utensils are clean.
- Wash jars lids and rings with hot soapy water and inspect your jars for any chips prior to canning.
- Place a spoon in the freezer ahead of time. You can use this to test your jam for gel.
Ingredients for Cherry Vanilla Jam
- Cherries
- Vanilla
- Bottled Lemon Juice
- Pectin
- Sugar
How To Make Cherry Vanilla Jam
- Prepare a water-bath canner, jars, lids, and bands.
- Place frozen cherries into a large dutch oven and bring to a low boil. (If using fresh cherries, wash and remove stems and pits.)
- Simmer on low for 15 minutes, until cherries breakdown.
- Immersion blend cherries in the dutch oven until pureed smooth.
- Over low heat add sugar and lemon juice and stir well to incorporate. Do not allow sugar to scorch on the bottom of the pan.
- Add in vanilla and pectin. Stir continuously and bring to a boil to activate pectin. (Follow the instructions on your pectin as some activate differently than others.)
- Test for gel (I use the frozen spoon method). Cherry jam does not need to be extremely thick.
- Remove from heat and ladle into clean hot jars leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims with a towel or paper towel and cover with lids and bands.
- Water-bath can for 15 minutes or according to your altitude requirement.
- Remove from canner and allow to rest on the counter 24 hours before checking seals or removing bands. Any jars that failed to seal properly refrigerate.
- Store jars in a cool dark place for up to a year. (Though I have used two year old jam with no issues. Do what you are comfortable with for your family.)
This simple homemade Cherry vanilla jam is amazing on Sourdough Bread, to top Dutch Baby Pancakes or to serve with Vanilla Ice Cream.
Simple Homemade Cherry Vanilla Jam
Equipment
- 10 Half Pint Mason Jars
Ingredients
- 12 Cups Frozen Pitted Cherries
- 4 Cups Sugar
- 3/4 Cup Bottled Lemon Juice
- 1/3 Cup Vanilla
- 1/4 Cup Pectin
Instructions
- Prepare a water-bath canner, jars, lids, and bands.
- Place frozen cherries into a large dutch oven and bring to a low boil.
- Simmer on low for 15 minutes, until cherries breakdown.
- Immersion blend cherries in the dutch oven until pureed smooth.
- Over low heat add sugar and lemon juice and stir well to incorporate. Do not allow sugar to scorch on the bottom of the pan.
- Add in vanilla and pectin. Stir continuously and bring to a boil to activate pectin. (Follow the instructions on your pectin as some activate differently than others.)
- Test for gel (I use the frozen spoon method). Cherry jam does not need to be extremely thick.
- Remove from heat and ladle into clean hot jars leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe rims with a towel or paper towel and cover with lids and bands.
- Water-bath can for 15 minutes or according to your altitude requirement.
- Remove from canner and allow to rest on the counter 24 hours before checking seals or removing bands. Any jars that failed to seal properly refrigerate.
- Store jars in a cool dark place for up to a year.
Are you using pie cherries or bing?
Bing cherries, that is what grows locally for me.