This homemade grape jam has just enough sugar, needs no pectin and makes a beautiful garnish for your toast, charcuterie board or even a PBJ.
My kids know that we always have jam in the house. I don’t have a pantry full of jars because I am constantly making jam with whatever fruit is in season and on hand.
I got my love of jams and jam making from my mother’s side of the family. It’s in my blood. I was so intimidated the first time I made jam and quickly realized that it is ridiculously easy to make ANY kind of jam.
Most of the time, I eye ball the amount of sugar because I do not like my jam super sugary. Don’t have enough peaches to make a full jar of peach jam? Throw in a few strawberries to make up for it.
I like in San Diego and we have been growing grapes in our backyard for the past 5-6 years. We finally figured out what we are doing last year and had our first bumper crop of red grapes.
This year we are going to have even more grapes to harvest, so this homemade grape jam is only the beginning of the many grape recipes coming your way!
Why you have to try this recipe
You usually see grape jelly at the store more so than grape jam. Jelly is made with just the juice of the fruit. Sometimes you have no choice in the matter, like when you make pomegranate jelly.
But grapes have pulp and their skin is equally delicious in a jam. You can make grape jam with any kind of grapes, from green to red to purple. I wish I could tell what kind of grapes I used in this jam, but my husband and I have no idea what kind of grapes are growing in our yard!
But I can tell you by August, the grapes are red and sweet. Even the bunches with a few rogue green grapes are sweet. And making grape is crazy easy.
You can use the jam any number of different ways, from topping your buttered toast or poured over a baked brie. Grape jam isn’t just for a PBJ anymore!
See my Grape Jam Web Story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe.
Ingredients you need
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- Grapes: You can make jam with any color of grape (green, red, purple). It will be much easier to use seedless grapes. If your grapes have seeds, then you have to go through the trouble of removing seeds.
- Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar to sweeten the jam. I also use the minimum amount of sugar, as I do not like an overly sugar jam. You can also use honey or brown sugar to sweeten jam.
- Lemon: The citric acid in lemon juice not only keeps the fruit from oxidizing, but it also adds natural pectin. No additional pectin is needed. For additional flavor, you can add grated lemon zest. You can also use orange juice/zest instead.
Tools to Use
Step-by-step directions
1. Remove grapes from stem, wash clean and drain of excess water. Place in a pot.
2. Add sugar and lemon juice and bring to boil over moderate heat. Stir frequently and skim off the foam. Break down the fruit with a potato masher while it cooks.
3. Continue cooking until jam is thick about 30-45 minutes. To test jam, add a teaspoonful on a chilled plate and place in the refrigerator. Jam is done when it sets after a minute or two. If you want a smoother jam, use an immersion blender and blend everything in the pot.
4. If you are canning the jam, you will need to sanitize the canning jars. This can be done by hand washing with hot water and soap or by running the jars through the dishwasher. I have full directions on how to can using hot water here.
Recipe tips and FAQs
You can make jam all year long because there is a fruit for every season.
- Microwave your sanitized jars right before ladling the hot jam in. This keeps the jars from breaking from extreme swings in temperature.
- If you are canning, fight the urge to overfill the jars! Fill only to ½-inch from the top of the jar or else the jars will burst.
- Sweet fruit will need less sugar. I always err on the side of less sugar when making jam. If your fruit is not very sweet, taste the jam while it simmers and add more if you need it.
If you are new to canning your own foods, this canning set is a great investment for hot water canning. And everything fits in the big pot for easy storage!
To test the jam, scoop a spoonful onto a cold plate and place it in the fridge for a few minutes. If the jam looks thick after it sets in the fridge, it’s ready!
Yes! A good rule of thumb is to use half the amount of honey as you would sugar. So for every 1 cup of sugar, use ½ cup of honey. And of course, you can adjust the sweetness as your jam is cooking, so use less at first because you can always add more honey.
Absolutely! Be sure to use the right container for freezing. Glass can shatter, so be careful. There are plastic freezer jars available that you can use. Again, do not overfill as jam will expand while it freezes.
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Homemade Grape Jam - No Pectin
This homemade grape jam has just enough sugar, needs no pectin and makes a beautiful garnish for your toast, charcuterie board or even a PBJ.
Ingredients
- 2 lb seedless grapes, any variety
- 1 ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 TBS lemon juice
Instructions
- Remove grapes from stem, wash clean and drain of excess water. Place in a large heavy bottom pot.
- Add sugar and lemon juice and bring to boil over moderate heat. Stir frequently and skim off the foam. Break down the fruit with a potato masher while it cooks.
- Continue cooking until jam is thick about 30-45 minutes. To test jam, add a teaspoonful on a chilled plate and place in the refrigerator. Jam is done when it sets after a minute or two. If you want a smoother jam, use a hand blender and blend everything in the pot.
- If you are canning the jam, you will need to sanitize the jars. This can be done by hand washing with hot water and soap or by running the jars through the dishwasher. I have full directions on how to can using hot water.
Notes
I add the minimum amount of sugar to my jams, as I want to taste the fruit and not the sugar. If your grapes are on the sour side, add more sugar as it cooks until you get to the desired sweetness.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
48Serving Size:
1 TBSAmount Per Serving: Calories: 33Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 8gProtein: 0g
PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.
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After making the Jam, it is was perfect consistency after cooling. Now 2 days later (stored in the frig) the Jam and VERY thick and hard to spread. What did I do wrong? Thank you!
Hi Cassie-
Did you add pectin to your jam? I do not use pectin for jam for this reason.
Also, if your fruit had little juice or you overcooked it, this can produce a hard jam. I’ve never had this happen to me, but here is more information on hard jam and what to do: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_07/stiff_jelly.html#:~:text=overcooking%2C,no%2Dpectin%20added%20recipes).
Laura
I have pints of grape juice in my fruit cellar
I would like to make these into jam…..can I??????
Hi Mary-
Since you already have juice and not crushed fruit, you cannot make jam. But you can make grape jelly. You will need to get pectin. Just follow the directions on your pectin about the ratios.
Laura
Needs more lemon juice. Caveat—I multiplied this recipe by 2 1/2, and initially used 2 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 3 1/8 cup sugar and 5 lb of grapes. The grapes were part red seedless and part a variety called “Grape Soda,” which were supposed to have an intense grape flavor. I thought this variety of grapes was too sweet for this recipe.I added an additional two tablespoons of lemon juice. Then it tasted pretty good.
Hi Laureen-
Yes the variety of grapes and how sweet they are will require a bit of adjusting with the sugar and lemon juice. The grapes we grow at home are sweet but not super sweet.
Laura
I received quite a batch of grapes from my church grocery distribution, along with peaches! So, what does one do with excess fruit to avoid spoil? You make jam This recipe came together well, although I’ve decided to double this last batch.
Hi Jennifer-
I’m so glad you made the jam. A perfect way to use up all that fruit!
Laura
How much does this yield?
Hi Chuck-
This should yield about 1½ pints of jam.
Laura
I got a crate of green grapes from a friend for practically free and after a couple weeks of trying every fresh grape recipe I knew, I was down to about 6 pounds leftover … and starting to get soft in bits. Knowing I had to move fast, I found this recipe. I used a local honey for sweetener and may have added a tiny bit less than recommended. I’m currently in the tail end of it, but after a taste of it hot I just can’t wait to try it in my breakfast yogurt! Thanks so much for the… Read more »
Thank you for sharing! Yes, honey makes a great sweetener for jam! Definitely better to add less as you can always add more and adjust the sweetness to your liking later.
Sounds like you are going to be enjoying your breakfast yogurt even more!
Laura
how come no one talks about storeage
Ernie-
I do share about hot water canning your jars of jam. This can last in a cool dark pantry for 6-9 months, maybe even longer. You can also store jam in the freezer for up to 9-12 months and in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks.
Laura
Can xylitol be used in place of sugar?
Hi Zahara,
Yes, you can use xylitol. I have used Swerve, as well, which is erythritol and it worked well, too.
Laura
Thank you so much for the guid to making jam. We moved into a house 2 years ago with a grape vine. Im just now getting to doing something with the grapes. anyway I really appreciate the recipes.
How much does this yield?
About 1 1/2 pints.
Laura
What if you don’t have lemon juice
Hi Darlene,
The lemon juice provides a little natural pectin and helps keep the jam color vibrant. You can use any citrus juice if you do not have lemons.
Laura
Did you use the seeds and pulp as well?
Hi Jeannie-
I used seedless grapes. It is a bit tedious to remove seeds from grapes to make jam with it. I suggest making jelly instead. Get the juice, strain out the pulp and seeds, then add sugar and pectin.
Laura
How much jam does this recipe yield?
Hi Lindsey-
It should about 1½ pints.
Laura
I had red grapes left after my Christmas brunch so I froze them! After reading your post, I got them out this morning and made the jam. So easy and delicious! Thank you!
Hi Colleen-
I’m so glad you liked the jam! And it’s great to hear that it worked well with your frozen grapes. I have a giant bag of grapes in my freezer!
Laura
I’m making this recipe now and after about 50 min, it’s not thickening.
Any suggestions. I have 10 lbs grapes, 6 cups sugar and 5 T lemon juice.
It tastes great but not getting thick
Hi Sheila,
It’s possible that you have really juicy grapes so your mixture is very liquidy. If you keep simmering it, the liquid will continue reducing and then will thicken. If you don’t want to wait, you can add pectin. If you want a natural pectin, add some freshly squeezed orange juice and/or wrap the citrus seeds in some cheesecloth and add that to the mixture while it cooks. Then discard it once thickened. Hope that helps!
Laura
How long does this stay good for?
If you store you jam in the refrigerator, it can last up 3-4 weeks. If you hot water can the jam, I believe it can last at least one year. If you freeze the jam it should last about 6 months.
I grew up on grape jelly (PB&J!!) but don’t believe I’ve ever had grape jam. This is such an easy recipe — I have no excuse not to make my own jam. Thanks!