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Hear me out.

A tomato jam canning recipe might sound **weird** I get it.

But, I got a wild hair a few years ago as I was drowning in cherry tomatoes at the end of the season and didn’t want to waste them and decided to try it.  Like… it’s a fruit… fruit makes delicious jam. Homemade tomato jam canning recipe?  Let’s gooooo because savory jam has to be a thing.  Right?  

Does everyone plant like 5 cherry tomato plants in the spring because you’re afraid they won’t grow enough and then you end up with an abundance of tomatoes you really don’t want to deal with?  Just me?

Why You Need This Tomato Jam Canning Recipe

What I made became the most unexpectedly delicious and versatile condiment that elevates so many different samiches (I don’t say sand-wich-es) out of this world.  This tomato jam gives you everything you need… sweetness, tartness, texture, alllll the things.  Take a BLT and use this jam for the “T” …. you can thank me later.  OR, warm the jam over some goat cheese (chevre) or cream cheese baked together and create a delicious and easy dip for your next charcuterie board!

This recipe has very simple ingredients and can absolutely be adjusted to your taste and preferences.  I prefer to use my homemade apple scrap vinegar for the vinegar portion of my recipe, but balsamic vinegar creates another fun level of flavor if that’s your thing!  The savory flavor of tomatoes with some brown sugar and vinegar is just my favorite.  Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne and it just rounds out the whole deal.  Have I sold you on tomato jam yet?!

Pectin

If you know anything about me, you’ll know that powdered or liquid pectin is my mortal enemy.  It’s pointless to add to my jams because it NEVER sets up and I’ve made any and all jams the traditional route by boiling and reducing and using my God given patience (a learned trait… not one that comes naturally) to reduce the jam and have it set up.  

THANKFULLY, tomatoes are naturally a good source of pectin so this jam wouldn’t need store bought pectin anyway.  Plus, the addition of an acid in the form of vinegar really activates that natural pectin to gel.  This recipe doesn’t require a whole lot of patience because of that.  Not like strawberry jam :D  whewwwww…  gotta clear my entire day to make that!

I’ve got a few other jam recipes that I never add pectin to and give you step-by-step detailed instructions on how to do that.  The short rule is to boil the jam until it hits around 220 degrees F… but it wavers between different fruits so you need to learn what jam “sheeting” from a spoon looks like or to do the frozen plate test.  When you start making jam this way, you will find that the temperature sits at about 212 degrees for 97 years before it goes any higher.  

It REALLY is a test of patience, but the taste is so much better.  You can make jam without adding any sugar, very low sugar, or even natural sugar sources like maple syrup or honey, and know it will get that lovely jammy consistency you’re looking for and not that sticky gelatinous mess that tastes like fruit flavored sugar you get from store bought pectin brands… even Pomona’s.  This is a very basic process to make delicious without extra special inputs and what was shared in old canning books!

1

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Let’s get to workin’ on this tomato jam recipe! 

Equipment You Might Want:

• Stainless Steel Pot
• Half-pint Canning Jars
• Canning Lids & Screw Bands
• Jar Funnel
• Water Bath Canner
• Steam Canner
• Jar Lifter

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups raw unrefined sugar
• 2 Tbs molasses
• 1/3 cup apple scrap vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbs salt
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes (or 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger (half this amount for fresh ginger)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Step 1:  Prep

Start by slicing cherry tomatoes.  If they’re small, cut in half, if larger cut into slices.  Whatever works for you.  These tomato preserves are chunky anyway so the size and shape of your slices isn’t that crazy important.  I grow different colors of cherry tomato varieties so the color mixtures looks so pretty in the jar and is fun for gifting!

​Add tomatoes along with the remaining ingredients to a stainless steel stock pot.

Step 2:  Cook

Place pot over medium heat, stirring to combine.  Continue to stir frequently until sugar is dissolved and bring the mixture to a boil.  

Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour, or til the jam has thickened.  Do not do the normal jam hard boil… be gentle and patient!  If you’re unsure of the consistency, use a plate you have frozen to test by placing a blob of jam on the frozen plate and letting it sit for about 15 seconds to cool and see the thickness.  Be sure not to overcook and thicken it because you do want a spreadable jam set, not concrete.  

Go ahead and taste the jam as well and adjust any seasonings.  

Step 3:  Canning

Ladle the jam into prepared half pint jars fitted with a canning funnel to 1/4-inch headspace.  Remove any air bubbles and add more jam if needed to maintain headspace. Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with a screw band.

Process jars in a hot water bath or steam canner for 10 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.

​Once processing time is complete, remove jars to a heat proof surface lined with a towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Step 4:  Storage

Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  

Any unsealed jars may be reprocessed or refrigerated and used within a few months.

Ideal storage temperature is 50-75 degrees F.

Shelf life is ’til you eat it.  Due to this being a high acidity level jam and containing sugar that works as a preservative, jam will last and look good on the shelf for way longer than other canned foods.  I try to use mine up within 5 years and rotate which jams I make whatever year.  It seems the 4-5 year mark is where some fruit jams will start discoloring from enzyme activity, which isn’t harmful, it just doesn’t look as great.  Still edible and doesn’t affect the taste.

As long as the seal is intact and the food looks and smells good, it’s good.  Jams are high acid and high sugar foods which aren’t known to be a good place for botulism spores to thrive, so you don’t have to worry about that.  For more info on common sense canning and botulism, be sure and read my blog post about it!

Notes:

If you don’t have cherry tomatoes, you could use plum tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or any smaller variety.  Just chop the whole tomatoes up into smaller pieces and it’ll work.  I have just found that using colorful cherry tomatoes is the prettiest on the shelf and our very favorite due to their texture and leaning toward sweet and bright flavor.  If using large tomatoes, remove the skins and cores before chopping, as those skins are thicker and will roll up with cooking and be super weirddddd.  Just trust me.  

If you are unsure how to use this jam, just think of it as a fancy ketchup and use it like that.  Burgers, elevated grilled cheese sandwich, BLTs, sloppy joe sauce, morning toast with eggs (think avocado toast but with tomato jam), that kind of stuff!

And now you have some delicious preserves for a wonderful savory spread that keeps your garden fresh tomatoes on the pantry shelf for years to come :)

If you enjoy a savory jam, you should try this caramelized onion jam:

2

Caramelized Onion and Balsamic Jam Canning Recipe

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Homemade Sweet & Savory Tomato Jam Recipe For Canning

5 from 2 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Canning Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 half pint jelly jars

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• Stainless Steel Pot
• Half pint canning jars
• Canning lids & screw bands
• jar funnel
• Water bath canner
• steam canner
• jar lifter

Ingredients

• 5 pounds cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups raw unrefined sugar
• 2 Tbs molasses
• 1/3 cup apple scrap vinegar
• 1 1/2 Tbs salt
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes or 1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger half this amount for fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

• Start by slicing cherry tomatoes. If they’re small, cut in half, if larger cut into slices. Whatever works for you. These tomato preserves are chunky anyway so the size and shape of your slices isn’t that crazy important. I grow different colors of cherry tomato varieties so the color mixtures looks so pretty in the jar and is fun for gifting!
• Add tomatoes along with the remaining ingredients to a stainless steel stock pot.
• Place pot over medium heat, stirring to combine. Continue to stir frequently until sugar is dissolved and bring the mixture to a boil.
• Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour, or til the jam has thickened. Do not do the normal jam hard boil… be gentle and patient! If you’re unsure of the consistency, use a plate you have frozen to test by placing a blob of jam on the frozen plate and letting it sit for about 15 seconds to cool and see the thickness. Be sure not to overcook and thicken it because you do want a spreadable jam set, not concrete.
• Go ahead and taste the jam as well and adjust any seasonings.
• Ladle the jam into prepared half pint jars fitted with a canning funnel to 1/4-inch headspace. Remove any air bubbles and add more jam if needed to maintain headspace. Wipe jar rims and add lids and secure with a screw band.
• Process jars in a hot water bath or steam canner for 10 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.
• Once processing time is complete, remove jars to a heat proof surface lined with a towel to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
• Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.
• Any unsealed jars may be reprocessed or refrigerated and used within a few months.
• Ideal storage temperature is 50-75 degrees F.
• Shelf life is ’til you eat it. Due to this being a high acidity level jam and containing sugar that works as a preservative, jam will last and look good on the shelf for way longer than other canned foods. I try to use mine up within 5 years and rotate which jams I make whatever year. It seems the 4-5 year mark is where some fruit jams will start discoloring from enzyme activity, which isn’t harmful, it just doesn’t look as great. Still edible and doesn’t affect the taste.

Notes

If you don’t have cherry tomatoes, you could use plum tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or any smaller variety.  Just chop the whole tomatoes up into smaller pieces and it’ll work.  I have just found that using colorful cherry tomatoes is the prettiest on the shelf and our very favorite due to their texture and leaning toward sweet and bright flavor.  If using large tomatoes, remove the skins and cores before chopping, as those skins are thicker and will roll up with cooking and be super weirddddd.  Just trust me.  

If you are unsure how to use this jam, just think of it as a fancy ketchup and use it like that.  Burgers, elevated grilled cheese sandwich, BLTs, sloppy joe sauce, morning toast with eggs (think avocado toast but with tomato jam), that kind of stuff!