Oven-roasted plum jam

Is there anything better than opening a jar of homemade jam in the middle of winter, when you can only dream of summer fruits? I don’t think so. For those who share my love for preserves, I’ve got the perfect recipe for oven-baked plum jam. It’s thick, sweet, with a beautiful colour, and made with minimal or even no added sugar. Have you got your plums ready?

A few years ago, I first made jam in the oven out of curiosity. I can honestly say I’ll never go back to the traditional method. Why? Because, in my opinion, making it in the oven is easier and less engaging. Plus, the end result satisfies me completely. The oven-baked jam also has a wonderfully vibrant colour. So, if you’re wondering how to make plum preserves, I definitely recommend this method. 

Oven-roasted plum jam - tips 

• What’s the most important thing? Well, it’s definitely the plums. Sun-ripened, juicy plums are the key to the best jam. The best ones are very soft, those that no one else wants. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you’ll get a good jam from under-ripe, less sweet plums. 

• How much sugar do you need? If the plums are ripe and sweet enough, you can completely omit the sugar. This year, for 2.5 kg of plums, I added just one tablespoon of sugar (15 g). Honestly, I could have skipped it altogether, as the plums we brought from Hungary were incredibly sweet. It’s important to check the sweetness of the jam as you prepare it and adjust the amount of sugar according to your taste. 

• I make jam in batches of 2.5 kg because this quantity fits perfectly in the baking tray I use. Usually, one batch yields 5 small jars of jam. 

• You can add a pinch of cinnamon, cloves, or cardamom to the jam if you like those flavours. I stick to the basic version. 

• After transferring the jam to jars, I sterilise them all at the end. I place a paper towel in the bottom of a large pot, set the sealed jars of jam on top so they don’t touch each other, and pour in water up to about 2 cm below the lids. I bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Let it cool, and it’s ready!

If you have a few plums left, you absolutely have to try this recipe: 

• Easy cake with plums and crumble

Oven-roasted plum jam

Thick and sweet jam, with a beautiful colour.

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Jam

Servings 5 jars

Ingredients

  

• 2,5 kg ripe plums
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 190°C.
• Wash the plums, remove the pits, and cut them into quarters. Place the prepared fruit into a deep baking dish or roasting tin.
• Put the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. After this time, carefully remove the dish from the oven (watch out for the hot steam) and stir the plums; they should have released a lot of juice. Check the sweetness. If needed, add a tablespoon of sugar (or more) and mix well. Return the dish to the oven for another 30 minutes.
• After this, take the dish out of the oven and check the consistency (the jam will thicken further as it cools). If not all the plums have broken down, you can mash them with a spoon. If the jam is still too runny, put it back in the oven for an additional 15-20 minutes (be careful not to over-bake). Transfer the finished jam into sterilised jars and process them in a pot of water. Done!

Keywords jam, oven-roasted jam, plums

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