Got bananas? Toss them into this naturally sweetened, five-ingredient, healthy and incredibly easy banana jam.
A simple, delicious jam
As the weather warms up and bananas race from green to brown, make this fun and easy banana jam instead.
Desi loves bananas and they are so nourishing, so I always have more than I can handle sitting on the counter. And as much as we love baked goods like vegan banana bread, vegan gluten-free banana bread, vegan banana cake and vegan banana cookies, there are so many more delicious things you can do with this versatile fruit once it starts to ripen on you.
This banana jam is one of my favorite banana recipes: it is naturally sweetened with medjool dates and a touch of maple syrup which makes it really healthy, it is super easy to make, quite foolproof, and takes no more than 20 minutes of time to go from scratch to finish.
How would I describe the taste? Think of the sweetness of bananas concentrated, caramelized and flavored with vanilla and allspice. On a piece of toast, plain or slathered with peanut butter, it is absolutely, unequivocally, scrumptious.
Recipe card
Banana Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 Medjool dates (pitted and chopped into small bits. You can use another date variety, but some dates are less sweet so use more if needed)
- 4 very ripe bananas (peeled, and broken into pieces)
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Blend the chopped dates with ½ cup water into a paste.
- Place the dates and the chopped bananas in a heavy-bottom saucepan along with the maple syrup. Mash everything with a potato masher or a spoon. Lumps are fine but if you don't want them just mash more thoroughly.
- Turn on the heat and keep it at medium-low. Heat the jam mixture, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil. Continue cooking, keeping a close eye and stirring every few minutes.
- When the jam darkens and gets quite thick and begins to pull away from the sides and bottom, add the allspice and vanilla. Mix well and turn off the heat.
- Cool the preserves thoroughly before eating or storing.
Nutrition Information
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How to make banana jam
- Chop the dates finely with ½ cup water and place them in a blender. Blitz until you have a pretty smooth paste.
- Place the date paste and maple syrup in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the bananas, broken into smaller pieces. Mash the bananas and the date paste together, some lumps are fine. Use the ripest bananas you can find. The less ripe the bananas, the less sugar they will have, and also they won't mash up as easily or effortlessly.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. There is a lot of sugar in the bananas, dates and, of course, in the maple syrup, and sugar can burn easily, so it's important you stir it and make sure nothing is burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. You don't have to stir every second, but stay by the pot and make sure you stir it every 30 seconds or so.
- Continue cooking the jam until it becomes quite thick and has darkened in color. When it starts pulling off the sides of the pot and is quite thick you are almost done.
- At this point add in the allspice and vanilla and give it all a good stir. Turn off the heat.
- Let the jam cool, then scoop it into airtight jars and refrigerate, or eat.
Banana jam FAQs
Yes. Begin with ½ cup sugar and add more if you want the jam sweeter. I'd recommend using coconut sugar, which would add a nice depth to the flavor.
Sure. Deglet noor is not as sweet as medjool, so you might need to use more.
I just make a small batch of it, to fill two small 6-oz jars, which keep nicely in the refrigerator for about a week. If you plan to store the jam for longer, even months, follow proper sterilization and canning procedures.
This jam should also keep quite well in the freezer. Thaw completely before using.
Yes! Bananas pair very nicely with lots of spices and flavorings.
Lemon and lemon zest would be a great addition to this jam. Use the zest and juice of a lemon in this recipe. You might want to adjust the amount of maple syrup up a little bit depending on how sweet you like the jam.
Cinnamon is another great flavor partner for bananas. You can use it along with the allspice, or replace the allspice with cinnamon.
Nutmeg is another great pairing with bananas. Again, use with the allspice or with cinnamon or by itself.
Rum or brandy. You might not want an alcohol-flavored jam if you have kids, but if you are making this for yourself or just other adults, a touch of rum or brandy really perks this jam -- and its flavors -- up! Add up to a tablespoon just before you take it off the heat so it doesn't all cook out.
Namrata says
Wow,!! I needed this recipe right now 🙂 thank you so much for sharing!
Vaishali says
Awesome! Would love to hear if you try. 🙂
Ambica says
This reminds me of Banana halwa that we would make back home - only healthier. I would eat it right out of that jar. Have you ever tried flavoring it with cardamom?
Vaishali says
Hi Ambica, exactly, it is a lot like the halwa. And cardamom would be awesome in here! 🙂
Elizabeth Nelson says
I just tried this today--- here in France! I didn't know whether to use fresh medjool dates or the dried medjool dates.
The owner of my primeur (green grocer) suggested that if it was for cooking, she thought that the dry made sense. I bought and used the "dried" medjool dates --- but did have to had some water during cooking, which made me wonder whether you use the "fresh" dates, since you don't call for any more water than needed to make a paste of the dates st the beginning.
Which type do you use? I did hav