Made with juicy roma tomatoes, brown sugar, and warm spices, this Easy Tomato Jam is sweet, tangy, and a bit spicy. Enjoy on burgers and sandwiches as a ketchup replacement or serve with cheese and crackers for a simple appetizer or snack!
Easy Savory Tomato Jam
This sweet, tangy and spicy tomato jam is the perfect way to use up a surplus of tomatoes. Vine ripened tomatoes are simmered low and slow with ginger, cumin, tangy apple cider vinegar, sweet brown sugar and fiery red pepper flakes.
It’s the perfect recipe for when the garden is overflowing with tomatoes and it’s a super simple recipe. All you need is 1 pot and some time to create this fantastic condiment.
We love to use it on burgers as an alternative to regular ketchup or with cheese and crackers for a simple and exciting appetizer or snack. The sweet and savory flavor pairs so well with brie, goat, and sharp cheddar cheeses. This tomato jam would be a great addition to a charcuterie board too.
Why You’ll Love This Condiment Recipe
This tomato jam has become a summer staple in our house. Here’s a few reasons why.
- Sweet, savory, spicy, warm flavor. The flavor profile on this jam is just lovely, between the tomatoes and acidic vinegar, the brown sugar, and spices like cinnamon, cumin, and red pepper flakes.
- Easy to make. All you need to do is dump some ingredients in a pot and stir them occasionally for a few hours.
- Great for canning. You have the option to keep these as an easy freezer jam or to go through the full canning process, whichever you prefer.
Ingredients Needed
This easy tomato jam recipe is made with just 4 main ingredients and a few spices.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Tomatoes – Fresh roma tomatoes will result in the best tomato jam.
- Ginger – Adds a bit of earthy flavor to the jam.
- Brown sugar – Sugar is key to getting the sweet jam flavor, as well as the thick sticky consistency.
- Apple cider vinegar – The acidity helps to counteract the brown sugar so this doesn’t end up TOO sweet.
- Spices – Ground cinnamon, cumin, red pepper flakes, and salt give tomato jelly a warm but savory flavor.
How to Make Tomato Jam
This tomato jam is so easy, as the stove does almost all of the work!
(Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details and don’t miss the helpful tips and video below.)
- Combine the ingredients. Combine all ingredients in a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot.
- Boil. Bring everything to a boil then reduce to a gentle bubble. Simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring frequently.
- Store. Allow the jam to cool then transfer to jars or other airtight containers for storage in the fridge or freezer.
Canning Tomato Jam
If you’d like to properly can this savory tomato jam, you can do so. Follow the steps above and then continue the canning process.
- Sanitize. Wash and sanitize your canning jars, lids, and rings.
- Fill. Fill the hot canning jars with the tomato jam. Be sure to leave 1/4-inch at the top and gently remove any jam residue on the jar. Place a lid on top and screw on the bands until just finger tight.
- Process the jars. Process the jars of jam in boiling water for 10 minutes, with water to cover fully.
- Cool. Transfer to a towel on the countertop and allow to cool to room temperature.
Tips & Variations
Here are a few important things to keep in mind when making your tomato jam.
- Swap out the vinegar. This jam can be made with lime or lemon juice in place of the vinegar. It’ll have a slightly different flavor but still taste great. The important thing is to have one acidic ingredient to balance out the sugar.
- Try other spices. Other flavors or spices that can be used include, cardamom, mustard seed, garlic or even an addition of soy or fish sauce. Maybe try a few batches to see which ones you love the most.
- How do you know when jam is done? You can tell your tomato jam is ready when most of the liquid has boiled away, leaving you with a dark, jammy consistency. Try dragging a spoon through the middle – if it fills back in slowly, it’s ready.
- Make sure all jars seal properly. If you’re canning the jam, once the jars have cooled, check to make sure they all sealed properly. If any didn’t, they need to be stored in the fridge like the jars that were not canned.
Video: Tomato Jam
Ways to Serve Tomato Jam
This jam is fantastic on burgers and sandwiches or served on a cheese plate. It works particularly well with brie, blue, goat, and sharp cheddars.
Here are a few specific ways you can use it:
- On a antipasto charcuterie board
- In place of ketchup on burgers
- In place of tomatoes on a classic grilled cheese
- On oven grilled cheese sandwiches (easy way to elevate a simple recipe!)
- Spread on biscuits or toast
- As a dip for breadsticks
- For crostini over homemade ricotta cheese
- On cheese and crackers
How Long Does This Easy Tomato Jam Last?
If jam is not fully canned, it needs to be stored in the fridge or freezer, while the properly canned jars can stay at room temperature.
- Refrigerator. Jars of tomato jam will last for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
- Freezer. You can also store them for up to 4 months in the freezer. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator before using.
- Room temperature. Properly canned jars can be stored at room temperature in a dark, cool, dry place for up to 1 year.
More Condiment Recipes:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Tomato Jam
Ingredients
- 5 pounds fresh roma tomatoes , cored and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle bubble and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Jam is done when most of the liquid has been boiled away and you are left with a dark, jammy consistency. If you drag a spoon through the middle, it should be slow to fill back in.
- Allow the jam to cool to room temperature then use as desired (suggestions in article.)If not serving right away, transfer to jars and store in the fridge, freezer, or process for canning (see below.)
Simple, tasty and simply the best.
I made this yesterday and followed the recipe exactly. It is really good. I used heirloom beefsteak tomatoes from my garden, last of the season and it took 3 hours to cook down using a heavy cast iron enameled 8 qrt pot. I was really surprised by the flavor at the beginning, I thought wow this is going to be way to sweet but when finished it was barely sweet with a lot of tart. I put some over cream cheese with crackers and oh my was it good. Today I am making it again with garlic instead of the ginger and sriracha instead of pepper flakes. I also added a tablespoon of soy. Tastes pretty good so far, will see when done in 3 hours.
Perfect! I had to cook down 3.5 hours but it was worth it for the scrumptious finale. Thank you!
This was so tasty when I made it last year, that I’m making it again right now. It’s been cooking on the stove for about 3 hours and is almost the consistency we want. So many people loved this when I made it last year, I may end up making several batches since we have so many tomatoes to use up this year. Enjoy!
Can you freeze this in ziploc bags instead of jars?
Can you use tomato juice
Hi Gail. Not sure the exact question…as a replacement? In addition to? But for proper results, follow the recipe exactly as written.
Is it 5lb of tomatoes before coring or after?
before
I’m wondering if I can freeze my tomatoes until I have enough for a batch or two?
I know this calls for Roma tomatoes however can you use large cherry tomatoes instead?
Do you think you could do this with green tomatoes?
This recipe was so good I substituted the ginger for garlic and it turned out so good
This is truly the best tomato soup I’ve ever made. Even my husband who isn’t a big fan of tomato soup had 3 bowls!
ITS NOT EVEN DONE YET AND ITS AMAZING. THE SMELL AS IT COOKS DOWN JUST GETS BETTER AND RICHER.
Do you not peel the tomatoes?
Nope!
I have so many garden tomatoes and was looking for something new to do with them this year. This jam was such a surprise hit. Wow. 10/10.
This far exceeded my expectations – amazing! I have an abundance of garden tomatoes right now and this was the perfect use for them. Was so easy and absolutely delicious!!
Since I have had a crazy productive garden this summer and my freezer is full of tomato things, I was looking for ways to use my Roma tomatoes. This recipe was perfect! Except my tomatoes were much sweeter, so i cut some of the sugar… and reduced sugar more to replace some with Swerve sweetener, and added smoked paprika because I love smoky… oh I am a pain in the rear for recipe posters. But the basic recipe was such an inspiration and it was a rainy day in Southern California in August for Pete’s sake! SO i made do with half apple cider vinegar and half white wine vinegar… and the recipe is delightful! Thank you so much, Amy, for posting this. I hope I didnt offend you, Ill save this one to use again and again. This tomato jam will make fantastic Christmas gifts for my foodie friends (if it lasts that long.).
The flavor is really good while I’m still waiting (after 4 hours) for the consistency to get there (I am at higher altitude so that could be why it’s taking so long). I’m going to have to freeze because I don’t have the correct lids for my 8 oz jars. How is it that no pectin is needed for canning?
This is a very standard method for making tomato jam. If you’re having trouble reducing something, it’s usually because there’s not enough surface area/ there’s too much volume/liquid in the pot. Increase surface area by using a wider pot (or deep sided pan), or split it into two pots if you don’t have anything larger. Increasing heat a bit will speed along evaporation as well of course, but since there’s so much sugar you need to stir very frequently so it doesn’t scorch. The time it takes to reduce it can vary widely, depending on all of these factors, that’s why the recipe is written the way it’s written to explain what it looks like when it’s done, AND giving a range.
Re: the pectin. This isn’t like a fruit jam in consistency, or in method. A fruit jam or jelly recipe that uses pectin isn’t reduced to remove the water, so you need to add in more pectin than the fruit has in it. When you use pectin in something like a strawberry jam, you’re only cooking it briefly to try to preserve the fresh taste of the berries. Tomato jam is more of a saucy condiment, like a super fancy ketchup! It’s a reduction, so there’s no need to add extra pectin. Roma tomatoes are very high in pectin naturally, so when it’s reduced and the water is removed, it gives just the right amount of natural gelling to transform it into a thick sauce/spread. Hope this helps!
It came out awesome! Friends and family rave about this and even said I should sell it! Definitely will be a repeat often in my house! I froze several jars and gave away several. I just had some with some mascarpone on toast! SOOOOOO GOOOOOOD!
I was skeptical about this, but equally intrigued. I’m so glad I decided to make it because it’s my new favorite spread – we didn’t want to stop eating it!
This recipe is FANTASTIC! The only thing I changed was I used a variety of tomatoes from my garden instead of just roma tomatoes. Super delicious. Thank you so much for sharing.