Date: · Updated: Author: Sharon Rigsby
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
One taste of my Sweet and Spicy Tomato Jam featuring fresh tomatoes gently simmered with orange juice, ginger, coriander, and cloves, and you will be hooked.
What? You have never tasted tomato jam? Would you believe me if I said it was the nectar of the gods? If catsup and orange marmalade got together and had a baby, I think it would have to taste like tomato jam!
Tomato Jam uses:
If you are not familiar with this condiment, you might be wondering how is it used? Well, the list is endless; it’s the easiest and tastiest way to dress up a plate of french fries or tater tots. It’s a crucial ingredient in both my popular Ultimate Southern Style Burger and Cornmeal Cookies and Tomato Jam.
This jam is also fabulous on regular burgers, hot dogs, BLTs, and grilled cheese. It would be wonderful served with my Southern Crispy Fried Oysters or Easy Crispy Pan-Fried Shrimp. And, it will make you swoon when piled on a toasted baguette with cream cheese.
This sweet and savory recipe is so easy you’ll wonder how you ever did without it. Tomatoes are naturally high in pectin, so you don’t even have to add pectin to make this tasty mixture.
You are going to wonder where this recipe has been all of your life. I’m obsessed with how good it is and I think you will be too! It is simply the best condiment I have ever tasted and the easiest to prepare.
More fresh tomato recipes:
In my opinion, there is nothing more flavorful than fresh summer tomatoes! If you love them too, you might also like these easy tomato recipes:
- Easy Classic Southern Tomato Pie
- Easy Baked Fresh Tomato Casserole
- Tomato Gravy
- Tomato Salad with White Acre Peas
- Spinach and Orzo Stuffed Tomatoes
- Tomato Cobbler with Cornmeal-Cheddar Biscuits, and
- Easy Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
How to easily peel tomatoes:
- For easy to peel tomatoes, bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.Use a sharp knife and cut an X in the bottom of each tomato.Carefully add the tomatoes into the boiling water and let boil one minute.
- Use a slotted spoon and remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice and water.
- Remove the peel from the tomatoes and discard.
How to make Easy Sweet and Spicy Tomato Jam:
Remove the core from the tomatoes and roughly chop.
Add the chopped tomatoes to a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, apple cider vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, salt, ground coriander, and cloves.
Bring the tomato mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes or until thickened. The mixture will continue to thicken as it cools.
Remove from the heat and fish out the cloves.
Use a potato masher and mash the tomatoes into a consistency like preserves. Allow the jam to cool completely and spoon into jars or other airtight containers and refrigerate for up to one month.
Sharon’s Expert Tips:
- I used Beefsteak tomatoes in this recipe. However, you can use Roma or really any type you like or have on hand. Heirloom tomatoes would also work well.
- To easily core your tomatoes, use a small paring knife and cut a small circle around the stem end. With the tip of the knife, remove the core of the tomato and discard.
- I like and used 4-ounce mason jars to store my jam. However, any type of airtight container would also work well.
📋 Recipe:
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I'll send it to your inbox.Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Grits and Pinecones.
Easy Sweet and Spicy Tomato Jam Recipe
Sharon Rigsby
One taste of my sweet and spicy tomato jam featuring fresh tomatoes gently simmered with orange juice, ginger, coriander and cloves, and you will be hooked.
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 45 minutes mins
Course Condiment
Cuisine Southern
Servings 8 ounces
Calories 118 kcal
Ingredients
- 1-½ lbs fresh tomatoes about 3-4 medium-size tomatoes
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 tablespoon fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 5 whole cloves
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.
Use a sharp knife and cut an X in the bottom of each tomato.
Carefully add the tomatoes into the boiling water and let boil one minute.
Use a slotted spoon and remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and immediately plunge them into a bowl of ice-cold water.
Remove the peel from the tomatoes and discard. Remove the core from the tomatoes and roughly chop.
Add the chopped tomatoes to a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the sugar, apple cider vinegar, orange zest, orange juice, salt, ground coriander, and cloves.
Bring the tomato mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes or until thickened. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools.
Remove from the heat and fish out the cloves. Use a potato masher and mash the tomatoes into a jam-like consistency. Allow the jam to cool completely and spoon into jars or other airtight containers and refrigerate for up to one month.
Notes
Sharon's Expert Tips:
- I used Beefsteak tomatoes in this recipe. However, you can use Roma or really any type you like or have on hand. Heirloom tomatoes would also work well.
- To easily core your tomatoes, use a small paring knife and cut a small circle around the stem end. With the tip of the knife, remove the core of the tomato and discard.
- I like and used 4-ounce mason jars to store my jam. However, any type of airtight container would also work well.
Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, or the source of nutrition data. We strive to keep the information as accurate as possible but make no warranties regarding its accuracy. We encourage readers to make their calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator, especially those with dietetic allergies and food-related diagnoses.
Nutrition
Calories: 118kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 587mgPotassium: 220mgFiber: 1gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 720IUVitamin C: 15.8mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.3mg
Tried this recipe? Tag me today! Mention @gritspinecones or tag #gritspinecones!
More Condiments
- Old Fashioned American Coleslaw Recipe (Creamy)
- Easy Garlic Herb Butter Recipe – A Compound Butter
- Old-Fashioned Southern Tomato Gravy
- Easy Blackberry Jam Recipe without Pectin
Reader Interactions
Comments
Grace
Hi Sharon ,
Thanks for the feedback. It wouldn’t allow me to respond to your comment but I just wanted to let you know that ou were spot on! I did infact return the jam to the pot and simmered it on medium heat until it had thickened up nicely. This took an additonal 25min. It resulted in less product but it was perfect consistency. Thanks again for the recipeReply
- Sharon Rigsby
Dear Grace, I’m so happy to know it all worked out, and thanks so much for letting me know. I am going to update my recipe to reflect the differing amounts of cooking time.
All the best,
SharonReply
- Cindy
It’s not thickening
Reply
- Sharon Rigsby
Hi Cindy,
This recipe produces jam that is naturally a little runnier than commercially prepared jams. How thick it becomes is also influenced by the ripeness and variety of the tomatoes that are used. The riper the tomatoes, the less natural pectin they contain. You could try cooking it a bit longer or adding a teaspoon of pectin and boiling it for five to ten minutes.
I hope this works and I hope you enjoy it.
All the best,
SharonReply
- Heather
Just made your jam and I’m in love. This stuff is so good and easy to make. I’ll be making more, especially want to try your Cornmeal Cookies.Reply
- Sharon Rigsby
Hey Heather,
Thanks so much for taking the time to drop me a note and I’m so glad you liked the tomato jam! It made me realize I haven’t made any in a while and I need some for my 4th of July burgers!
All the best,
SharonReply
- Grace
This is my second year making this jam with my home grown tomatoes and it just beautiful in flavour however both times it never thickened. Last year I thought I did something wrong but this year the same outcome. It’s extremely dissapointing snd it seems I’m not the only one. Perhaps you may want to consider amending your recipe as other chutneys I’ve made have set just fine. The main difference Is the addition of orange juice so I’m wondering if perhaps it’s this that affects the setting level. - Sharon Rigsby
Hi Grace, I’m so sorry you are having problems with getting your jam to thicken. Jams made without pectin are naturally softer and looser, which may be part of it. The other issue may be the type of tomato you are using and how ripe it is; different varieties of tomatoes have different moisture contents, and the riper the tomato, the more moisture it contains. The higher the moisture content in your tomatoes, the longer you will need to cook the jam to remove the excess moisture. I did a little research and looked at other recipes for tomato jam, and some of them have you cooking it for up to 90 minutes until you get the consistency or thickness you like. If your batch is too thin, could you try cooking it for an additional 30 minutes or so to see if that helps thicken it up?
I don’t think it’s the orange juice, because I have always included it, but you could try leaving it out to see if that makes a difference.
I appreciate your letting me know about the issues you are having. I am going to do some experiments with this recipe using different types of tomatoes to see if I can’t replicate your problem, and will update my recipe if I find any tips that may help others.
All the best,
Sharon
- wally
can the jars be processeed in a water bath to preserv them
Reply
- Sharon Rigsby
Hi Wally,
I have never done it, but I can’t think of any reason why not! I hope you enjoy it.
All the best,
SharonReply
- Grace
Yes I always bring my filled jars to a boil and let them cool in the water. They can last indefinitely using this process (unopened)
Reply
- Tracy Wisenburg
Hi Sharon,
Do you weigh the tomatoes before or after the peeling and and coring? How many cups of chopped tomatoes it it? Asking because I made 7 pts of tomato preserves last night and I cleaned and chopped several more pounds of tomatoes and think I want to try a couple more recipes. Also, if you don’t cool the jam and immediately put it into jars, could you do a water bath to seal them and not have to put them in the fridge?
Thanks, TracyReply
- Sharon Rigsby
Hi Tracy, I weighed the tomatoes before peeling and chopping them. My guess is that the 1-1/2 pounds of raw tomatoes would translate into a little over 1 pound of peeled, cored, and chopped tomatoes. But, that is just a guess. It really depends on the size of your tomatoes and how much of the core you cut out. I do think this recipe is fairly forgiving so I don’t think adding a few more ounces of tomatoes would affect the outcome of the recipe. I hope this helps.
All the best,
SharonReply
- Sheila Morin Mortson
Hi Sharon.
Do you think this recipe would freeze well?Reply
- Sharon Rigsby
Hi Sheila, honestly, I don’t know for sure because I have never tried it. I do know there are freezer jams so maybe it would be fine, I just don’t know. If you do decide to try it, please let me know how it goes!
All the best,
SharonReply
- Sharon Hubbs
Sounds great. How many 4 oz jars does it make.
Reply
- Sharon Rigsby
Hi Sharon,
This recipe makes two four-ounce jars. I hope you enjoy it!
SharonReply
Leave a Reply
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
