Sharing a quick and easy recipe for a delicious refined sugar-free plum jam, spruced up with a hint of warming spices. A cozy little treat I love to use as a topping on cheesecakes, in my breakfast oats, or on toast... and especially as a simple gift.
In autumn, making quick and easy jams like this (without pectin or refined sugar) is one of my favorite things to do. There's an abundance of lovely end of summer and autumnal fruits in season, and I often get gifted more fruit than I can possibly eat or bake with all at once (thanks mom and dad...), so making preserves is an easy way to conserve all the beautiful fruit and use the jam for little treats for months to come.
Plus, very few things can beat the aroma of fruit and maple syrup caramelizing and reducing into a jam on your stove top! :) Probably my favorite part of the deal here.
It's a small batch recipe, since I like to make different flavors and play around with spices and fruit mixes. And I enjoyed this particular version of a plum jam here (one of several different kinds I made lately) for its thick preserves-like quality, and it's warm spiced feel.
A few quick notes about this recipe
- Feel free to size up to make more if you've got lots of plums on your hands, just keep in mind that things might need to cook longer in that case -- watch that the jam has thickened to a consistency you like and you should be good to go.
- Also of course, a lot of the sweetness and flavor can depend on your plums, their ripeness and, well, how tasty a batch of plums you've got on your hands. So feel free to adjust the maple syrup to your liking.
Refrigerated (and assuming of course that the storage jar has been sanitized ahead of time) this jam will last for months in the fridge and can be used as a simple homemade refined sugar-free jam alternative or in baking as needed.
P.S. if you're looking for more recipes with plums, you might enjoy some of these recipes as well:
Spiced Plum Jam
Prep Time: 10 minutes- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: approx. 1 cup
Category: Jam
Method: Cooked
Cuisine: Dessert
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Pin RecipeDescription
A delicious refined sugar-free plum jam, spruced up with a hint of warming spices. An easy vegan preserves recipe (maple-sweetened, made without pectin).
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups chopped ripe plums
- ⅓ cup dark maple syrup
- juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 whole star anise
Instructions
1. Place all ingredients into a medium-small sauce pan (ideally one that’s wide-mouthed, but still has tall-ish walls). Stir the mixture together to combine all the ingredients.
2. Bring to a light boil on medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Then reduce heat to medium-low (or low, as needed) and simmer for approximately 20 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and let cool for about 10-20 mins. Remove and discard the star anise. Then transfer the jam into a small glass jar or container. Let it cool down to room temperature and then place (and store) in the fridge. Enjoy!
This spiced plum jam is soooo delicious.... I have to hide my jams to keep it for my guests..... my husband is just crazy about it!!!!!
Thank you very much for this very tasty recipe!
Suzanne
I'm so glad you're enjoying the jam, Suzanne! Thanks for the lovely feedback :)
Hi Audrey,
Thank you for creating such a beautiful and very helpful website!
I have a question please: so, if I need to make 3 cups of the spicy plum jam, do I let it simmer for 60mins? (20mins x 3)
Thank you,
Sonia in South Africa
Hi Sonia, actually no. Surprisingly it shouldn't take triple the time to cook down. It'll likely be just a bit more than the original. I'd give it 25-30 mins altogether, but you just need to keep an eye on it. You can more or less see when it's reached your desired thickness level to your liking in the pan (the longer you cook, the denser it will get as the moisture evaporates). Enjoy it :)
This is a great recipe! The flavors are purrfect! I tripled the recipe because I have tons of plums! I also used my Ninja and “chopped” them in there to get more of a paste. This is a naturally sweet jam and the cinnamon and anise add a little warmth to it! I followed the recipe exactly! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Hi Gina, thanks for the lovely feedback! I'm glad you're enjoying the recipe.