Made with just rhubarb, sugar and a pinch of salt, this Homemade Rhubarb Jam is perhaps one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make and the tasty rewards will last you weeks. This makes a great gift as well. A vegan, soy-free, gluten-free and nut-free recipe.
Spring and summer are a great time to make your own preserves, especially if you have family members who love some jam on — well, everything. And the reason I also love to make my own jam when possible is that the storebought kinds almost always have too much sugar or taste iffy or have that weird stiff texture or are laden with preservatives.
And making your own jam is so easy, so why wouldn’t you? I am sure you’re thinking right now of a domestic goddess — or god — standing over a pot of bubbling fruit, stirring away and mopping a sweaty brow, but in reality making jam is a piece of cake that you can often do while multitasking. And better still, it’s almost foolproof.
Rhubarb Jam is one of my favorites because it’s one of the best ways to enjoy the delicious but subtle flavor of these seasonal red stalks. It is great smeared on buttermilk biscuits or strawberry scones or a PBJ. Or you can use it to top your favorite vanilla cake. The possibilities really are endless.
I don’t really like adding pectin to my preserves. For one it adds a weird texture and a weird taste, and I want nothing but the flavor of my fruit of choice — or veggie, in this case — to shine through. In most cases the pectin in the fruit itself is enough to thicken the jam to the perfect consistency. The jam will also firm up further when you refrigerate it.
More vegan homemade jam recipes:
I also can’t be bothered with sterilizing jars (domestic goddess territory!), so I usually only make enough jam to fill up a couple of jars which, in our home, will be safely disposed of within a week. If you want to make a larger batch, be sure to sterilize your jars to keep out the bacteria and the mold and all those other evil things that could potentially come between great jam and you.
Here’s the recipe now. Keep in mind that the color of your jam will depend on the color of your rhubarb stalks. If you use very red stalks, like I did, you will get a richer color, but green stalks, although perfectly good to use, will yield a milder colored jam. It’ll be just as tasty, though.
Place the rhubarb in a saucepan along with the sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb releases its juices and starts to bubble.
Lower heat to medium-low and let the jam simmer until the individual pieces of fruit are no longer visible and the mixture has achieved a jammy consistency and sticks to a ladle, about 20 minutes.
Turn off the heat, cool and then ladle into jars. Or eat.
Have you tried the recipe using an alternative to sugar?
Hi Janet, you can certainly sub maple syrup here in an equal quantity, would be great, or coconut sugar. I use turbinado sugar which is minimally processed. But I haven’t ever used any artificial sweeteners– I don’t like them in general, and I’ve always found store-bought jams with artificial sweeteners taste awful.
Hi Vaishali, Thank you for your response! Maple syrup and coconut sugar sound like good options. I don’t like artificial sweeteners either. Happy cooking!
Just curious, have you looked into using the Instant Pot for making jam?
Hi Krithika, that’s a great idea and one I’m going to try– I’ve seen some recipes online and wondered about controlling the liquid content, but I guess one could continue cooking on the saute function if too watery. That said, I find making the jam on the stove rather therapeutic and it involves just a minimum of involvement, time-wise.
Vaishali – love that name I have to say – how long does this last in the fridge? I’m presuming you dint process it as in making regular jam? I do have a few gallon bags in the freezer waiting for rhubarb sauce later on, or bars or?
I’ve also made chutney with rhubarb. Great with curries.
Thanks, Surya! 🙂 Without sterilizing the jars it should last in the fridge for a week or two at most. But if you follow sterilizing and canning procedures, I think you can just keep it on the shelf until you open (although you should check on that– I am not an expert).
Love the idea of a rhubarb chutney– sounds delicious.
If you process it in a boiling water bath; it is usually shelf stable for upto a year. If you are making small quantities an Asparagus pot is the way to go to process. Or you can cheat as I do- store jam in a straight sided mason jar and freeze it. Lasts upto a year. To use, thaw overnight in the fridge and use within 3 weeks.
Ambica, such great tips. Thank you!!
I just commented, but my comment doesn’t appear?
Hi Surya, it usually can take a few minutes to hours for a comment to show, depending on when I check. I need to approve each one to fight spam– otherwise the comment fields would be overcrowded with spammers selling random stuff. 🙂
OMG! Just made the jam. It is wonderful and so easy. Going to Maine for the summer where the rhubarb is plentiful. Will make for everyone I know! Thanks!
Awesome! So happy you liked it.