This Persian Sour Cherry Jam (Moraba Albaloo) is made without pectin, letting the tart cherries shine. A simple, stovetop recipe that’s perfect for canning or enjoying right away.

Most Persians love all things sour while I tend to lean toward the sweet side. Something as simple as noon-o panir (bread and feta cheese) is eaten differently by us, too.
A typical Persian breakfast is noon-o panir o sabzeh (fresh herbs with feta and lavash). I prefer my bread and feta with a dollop of jam. In fact, I will take a jar of homemade jam over any dessert, any day of the week.
I am not shy when it comes to my love for jams. I absolutely adore homemade jams. I was raised on jams: quince jam, blueberry jam, fig jam, orange marmalade, strawberry jam. My grandmother made jams, my aunts make jams and now I make jams.
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Recipe highlights
- Sour cherries: These are smaller in regular sweet cherries, and are bright red. And yes, they are sour. Not lemony pucker your lips sour, but certainly not super sweet.
- Simple: My recipe for the best sour cherry jam does not use pectin and I use the minimum amount of sugar necessary. I want a mildly sweet jam, but still be able to taste the fruit and not the sugar.
- Flavor: Quite honestly, I don’t like sharing this jam. I prefer to hide it in the back of the refrigerator where I alone know of its existence!
- Unique: Sour cherries are harvested and available in the summer, but for a short time period. Fresh sour cherries are hard to find, so if you do see some, grab them while you can!
Reader’s Reviews
“Love this recipe! I’ve been using it for a few years now. So easy and delicious!” — Colleen
Ingredients you need
- Sour cherries: I have made this jam using both fresh and frozen sour cherries.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar in the jam, but you can use any sweetener to make jam. If you are using frozen cherries, use the juice from the thawed fruit and omit the extra water.
Step-by-step directions
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- Prep the cherries. Remove seeds and stems from sour cherries and place them in a pot with sugar and water, if using.
- Simmer. Over medium heat, stir mixture until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil slowly, stirring often to prevent sticking. Reduce temperature to medium-low if cherry mixture is about to boil out of your pot. Cook until thickened, approximately 30 minutes.
- Chill. If you are going to store in the refrigerator, cool until room temperature first then refrigerate. Or, if you are canning your jam, click here for hot water canning instructions.
Recipe tips and FAQs
This is a sweet and sour jam that sends me back in time, back to my old kitchen in Iran where I enjoyed my breakfast rolling up pieces of lavash filled with feta and this wonderful jam.
You can also enjoy this sour cherry jam straight up and right out of the jar. Or if you prefer, swirl a bit in your yogurt or oatmeal for a wonderful breakfast or afternoon pick-me-up.
For cocktail lovers, stir in a small spoonful in a glass of bourbon or whiskey.
And if you want another recipe using sour cherries, try my Albaloo Polo (sour cherry rice).
Storing Instructions
CANNED: Jams that have been canned using hot water canning, can last in a cool dark pantry for up to a year. As long as the seal is intact and mold is not present, the jam is safe to eat past a year.
REFRIGERATE: You can also store jam in the refrigerator. The USDA says that it will last for 10 days, but I have found that it lasts longer than that. Use your best judgement.
FREEZE: There are freezer safe jam containers that can be used to store your jam in the freezer. Again, the USDA says it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months but I have found that it does last longer. Again, use your best judgement.
This version uses sour (tart) cherries and has a more complex sweet-tart flavor. It’s often a bit looser in texture and sometimes includes aromatics like rosewater or cardamom for a Persian twist.
Yes, you can use frozen sour cherries if fresh ones aren’t in season. Just be sure to thaw and drain them before starting.
Sour Cherry Jam (Moraba Albaloo)
Ingredients
- 1 lb sour cherries
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Remove seeds and stems from sour cherries.
- In a small pot add pitted cherries with water and sugar.
- Over medium heat, stir mixture until sugar is dissolved. Bring to boil slowly, stirring often to prevent sticking.
- Reduce temperature to medium-low if cherry mixture is about to boil out of your pot. Cook until thickened, approximately 30 minutes.
- If you are going to store in the refrigerator, cool until room temperature first then refrigerate. Or, if you are canning your jam, click here for canning instructions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
Love this recipe! I’ve been using it for a few years now. So easy and delicious!
Hi Colleen-
This makes me so happy! This jam is one of my personal favorites!
Laura
I love this delicious idea for cherries. I bet this is awesome on vanilla ice cream!
I was gifted a small number of sour cherries recently. I will make 1/2 a cup of jam!
Love, love, love sour cherries! We had two wonderful sour cherry trees in our backyard when I was growing up and we enjoyed all sorts of sour cherry treats throughout the cherry season (and beyond). I was starting to think I was the only one who preferred sour cherries but I am glad to hear I am not alone. This looks beautiful!
Delicious preparation,happy to find you.Lovely clicks,inviting you to over my space 🙂
This looks incredible! Great idea too for the photography. Iranian food is difficult to photograph half of the time because of it’s goopy nature. Bravo! You should make some albaloo polow with the left overs
خیلی ممنون از توضیحات خوبتون…عکس هایی که گرفتید عالی اند…من عاششون شدم ..اما امریکا که البالو نیست!!
ok we have a sour cherry tree here in Austria at my parents house and we did collect most of the cherries but there are some left. Great timing Laura, I hope to make this when I have time! xo
Hi, I came across your blog via foodgawker. I’m enjoying my visit here. We have a prolific sour cherry tree in our backyard. I am going to try your jam recipe this week. It looks delicious!
Thank you, Kathy. Now I’m jealous. You have your is. Sour cherry tree???!!! I would be in heaven. Persians also make a syrup with sour cherries, for drinks, and we made a delicious sour cherry rice! Enjoy!
I have not tried sour cherries, however I am intrigued because I am a huge cherry fan. I’d love to make this jam, glad you could recreate some childhood memories.
can’t get enough of cherries at the moment! this jam looks delicious, definitely will be recreating it in my kitchen!
Laura, Your morabba albalu looks perfect. Indeed not only you love jam, you make very good ones… I checked a few more on your blog. Exceptional!
I like both sour and sweet, so this is perfect! I don’t often see sour cherries these days; wonder why that is? I’m probably looking in the wrong places. 😉 Anyway, this is a real keeper of a recipe — thanks.
Sour cherries are less popular than they used to be, and they have a very short season. They were at my local farmer’s market for a single week this year.
I couldn’t find any this year. But I agree. It has a very short season.
Laura – dahanam aab oftad!! This looks amazing especially over ice cream. I am like your husband – I like anything torsh.
Thank you, Ahu! We were so lucky to find albaloo in our local market and I had to hide them from my family!!!