19 Sweet and Savory Jam Recipes to Master

By Food & Wine
Updated August 23, 2019
Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
Jam is one of our favorite spreads. Not only is it heavenly on warm toast in the morning, but it also pairs beautifully with cheese, and adds a punch of flavor to cookies and other desserts. In this roundup, we call out some of our favorite jam recipes, from Gabriel Rucker’s blueberry-Beaujolais jam, which perfectly encapsulates the taste of a ripe summer blueberry, to savory bacon jam, a dynamite addition to grilled cheese and crostini. Tempted? Read on for those recipes, and more jams we love.
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Valencia Orange Marmalade

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This delicious marmalade takes three days to make, but the end-result is worth it: a batch of perfectly balanced sweet, bitter and tart marmalade.

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No-Cook Strawberry Jam

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Made with instant pectin, this gingery strawberry jam from F&W’s Justin Chapple is amazingly fresh-tasting. Instead of canning the jam in hot water, store it in a freezer to maintain its just-picked flavor.

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Nectarine and Bay Leaf Jam

Credit: © Eva Kolenko
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Seattle chef Renee Erickson macerates nectarines overnight to intensify the flavor. This recipe makes a big batch of jam, but it keeps for months and it's delicious on toast and croissants, with pound cake or lemon tea bread, or spooned over ice cream.

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Triple Ginger Nectarine Jam

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This jam uses three different types of ginger: dried, candied and fresh.

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Blue-Barb Jam

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Instead of strawberries, fresh blueberries are paired with rhubarb in this incredibly simple and delicious sweet-tart jam.

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Plum Jam

Credit: © Frances Janisch
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Small-batch jams are an easy way to join the DIY food revolution—and to use abundant summer fruit.

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Fig, Orange & Pistachio Conserve

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This conserve uses an iconic California trio: figs, oranges, and pistachios.

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Peach Jam

Credit: © Frances Janisch
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This essential recipe (which makes three half-pint jars) is another classic from Grace Parisi.

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Mixed-Berry Jam

Credit: © Frances Janisch
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Be sure to leave enough time for cooling to get the most flavor from the berries.

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Apricot Jam

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Fresh lemon juice is essential for the tangy zest in this recipe.

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Pear Jam with Green Cardamom

Credit: © Antonis Achilleos
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Rachel Saunders has developed hundreds of recipes over the years simply by flavoring her jams with different herbs and spices. To vary the pear jam here, for example, add a split vanilla bean or a cinnamon stick in place of the cardamom.

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Concord Grape Jelly

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When you have an abundance of juicy sweet Concord grapes, this superb jelly is quick to make and sings of grape flavor.

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Fig Jam

Credit: © Frances Janisch
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A variation of this jam calls for substituting white port for a portion of the water and adding a sprig of rosemary.

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Grilled Ham and Cheese with Strawberry-Red-Wine Jam

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The secret to Chris Kronner's delectable sandwiches is the jam spiked with Pinot Noir. Kronner got the idea when he was helping Elisabeth Prueitt test jam recipes while they drank wine.

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Doughnut Holes with Raspberry Jam

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Ginevra Iverson serves her light, crisp, sugared doughnut holes with sweet-tart raspberry jam.

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Peach-Rosé Jam

Credit: Caitlin Bensel
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When the middle of summer hits and you have more peaches than you can handle, this easy rosé-infused peach jam makes a crowd-pleasing treat. Steeping a vanilla bean pod in the rosé as it reduces on the stove perfumes this jam with a rich vanilla flavor and gorgeous flecks of vanilla bean seeds, but feel free to substitute a teaspoon of vanilla extract in a pinch.

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Blueberry-Beaujolais Jam

Credit: Victor Protasio
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Full of concentrated fruit flavor and bright acid from the Gamay–grape based wine, this jam sings with the sweet, ripe summer blueberries. While it provides the perfect contrast to the goat cheese and butter on 2007 Best New Chef Gabriel Rucker’s Ham-Jam Sandwiches, this sweet-tart jam also makes a next-level addition to a cheese and charcuterie board. To save time, make this jam up to 2 weeks ahead of time.

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Tomato Jam

Credit: © Abby Hocking
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Chef Marcus Samuelsson’s tomato jam borders on being a paste—it’s rich, thick, deliciously sweet and tangy, and excellent on all manner of sandwiches.

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Bacon Jam

Credit: Abby Hocking / Food & Wine
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Brightened by apple cider vinegar and tomatoes, our bacon jam adds sweet, tart and smoky flavors to countless dishes. We like this condiment spread on toast and served with an egg, layered into a grilled cheese sandwich or spooned on goat-cheese topped crostini.

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