Today I was searching in the folder of the photos I took in the summer when I realized that I had taken the photo of the sour cherry jam, but I forgot to publish the recipe on the site. If you have frozen cherries in the freezer, this recipe can still be useful for you, otherwise, you will have to wait until next spring and summer. 😀 You can use cherry jam for cake filling, serve it with vanilla ice cream or Greek yogurt, or just pour it into a jam jar and enjoy it every morning with warm bread and butter.
About This Recipe
Cherry syrup and jam are both wonderful. If you have frozen cherries since last year, do not worry, you can make jam with those cherries now. You do not need a lot of ingredients for cherry jam. You do not even need lemon juice and pectin, because the cherry jam itself reaches the required concentration if simmers enough, and the sour cherries themselves are tart, so there is no need to add lemon juice.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Straightforward recipe: Sour cherry jam has a simple and easy-to-follow recipe and by following the steps carefully, you can be sure that you will get a good result.
- Simple ingredients: Homemade jam is one of the simplest ways to preserve the taste of summer fruits for the rest of the year. You do not need fancy ingredients or special cooking tools to have a sweet jar of jam. To make this jam, you only need sour cherries, sugar, and fresh lemon juice. Yes, there is no need to add artificial flavors or preservatives!
- Tastes amazing: A slice of warm buttered bread paired with perfectly sweetened sour cherry jam is my dream breakfast. If you haven’t tried this heavenly combination with a cup of coffee, don’t hesitate.
What Do You Need to Make Your Own Homemade Sour Cherry Jam?
Making jam may seem like a daunting task, but the flavor and aroma of homemade jam are definitely worth the effort. For this jam, you just need 2 ingredients:
- Sour cherries: Use fresh or frozen sour cherries. You should, first of all, Wash and pit sour cherries.
- Sugar: If the cherries are very sour, you can add a little sugar as stated in the recipe.
- Lemon juice: If the cherries are very tart, you do not need to add lemon juice at all.
How to Make Sour Cherry Jam Like a Pro?
- Wash and pit cherries. Place pitted sour cherries and lemon juice into a heavy bottom pot.
- Bring to a boil uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent overflow. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add sugar and lower the heat while stirring. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until the jam reaches the gel stage. Use a metal spoon to skim off any foam over the jam and discard it.
- At the same time, put a saucer or a small plate in the freezer to cool. Spoon a little of the jam onto a chilled saucer. Push the jam with your finger, if you see a wrinkle effect, it is done. If it is runny, give it a few more minutes. In general, the thickening of the jam should not take more than half an hour.
- Because boiling too much darkens the color of the jam. It is recommended to prepare the jam in a small volume because the more sour cherries, the longer the cooking time. Let the jam cool in the pot and then pour it into a glass jar and keep it in the refrigerator.
Can I Make This Recipe With Frozen Sour Cherries?
It is always better to make jams with in-season fruits. But if you don’t have access to fresh fruit, you can also use frozen fruit. In this case, the jam may be a little runny, in which case you need to use pectin to get the jam set up.
Did you like the sour cherry jam recipe? Try my quince jam recipe as well! Leave your comment below and If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your photos #yummynotes 
Looking for More Jam Recipes?
Ingredients
- 4 cups sour cherries
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
Step 1
Wash and pit cherries. Place pitted sour cherries and lemon juice into a heavy bottom pot.
Step 2
Bring to a boil uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent overflow. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Step 3
Add sugar and lower the heat while stirring. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes or until the jam reaches the gel stage. Use a metal spoon to skim off any foam over the jam and discard it.
Step 4
At the same time, put a saucer or a small plate in the freezer to cool. Spoon a little of the jam onto a chilled saucer. Push the jam with your finger, if you see a wrinkle effect, it is done. If it is runny, give it a few more minutes. In general, the thickening of the jam should not take more than half an hour.
Because boiling too much darkens the color of the jam. It is recommended to prepare the jam in a small volume because the more sour cherries, the longer the cooking time. Let the jam cool in the pot and then pour it into a glass jar and keep it in the refrigerator.
