Homemade Apple Jam Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between apple jam and apple jelly? ›

While jam uses the whole fruit, jelly calls for just the essence — the fruit juice. Jelly has no seeds or fruit pulp in it, and is completely smooth in texture. When jelly is made, the fruit is crushed to extract the juice, which is then strained to keep all the pulp and seeds out.

The best options are firm, yet sweet, and have a good balance of acidity. I have used Candine and Envy apples with great results, though other promising varieties include Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, and Honeycrisp.

And that's where apple (and a little lemon) can come in very handy… As high pectin fruit, a little apple and/or lemon make a perfect addition to jam. They add natural pectin that helps the jam set with no extra fuss. As a rule… the less ripe the apple, the more pectin it will contain.

There are a few natural substitutes for pectin that can be used when making jam, jelly, or preserves. Some options include: Apples: Apples contain natural pectin and can be used to help thicken jams and jellies. Simply peel and core the apples, chop them into small pieces, and add them to the fruit mixture.

Jam and jelly have virtually the same nutritional value, fruity taste, and spreadable texture. Thus, you can use them interchangeably. That said, some studies have analyzed the nutritional profile of jams after 9 months in storage and observed no significant losses in their antioxidant content.

Choose Green Apples Over Other Varieties

Green apples are best for this recipe. As an apple ripens, its pectin is broken down. This means that the riper your apples, the less pectin you'll have in your final product.

Of all apple varieties, the humble Granny Smith contains the most PECTIN or fibre (most of which is found in the peel) and other important PREBIOTICS, including polyphenols.

Green apples, as in underripe (best in July or August) and green apples, as in Granny Smith, contain the most pectin and make the strongest stock.

Apples are naturally abundant in pectin, especially green apples. Our great-grandparents used unripe apples to make pectin jelly to add to the kinds of fruit that are naturally low in pectin – such as peaches, cherries and pears – when making preserves.

Gelatin - For non-vegan menu items, you can substitute gelatin for pectin, but it will yield a different consistency. Sugar - If you're making jam, you can thicken it by cooking it for extended periods with a lot of added sugar.

Why not use pectin in jam? ›

Some people use it to good effect, but I tend to avoid it because I have gotten much better results by just using pectin-rich fruit that is just ripe enough, and then dialing in on the sugar and acid and heat. Jams that I've made with added pectin have often turned out too thick and rubbery, with a dull flavor.

Add chia seeds.

Those gelling properties can be put to work in jars of loose jam too. Add a tablespoon of chia seeds to each eight-ounce jar and stir to combine (you can also purée the jam together with the seeds if you'd prefer to reduce the visibility of the seeds).

Lack of acidity: Acids like lemon juice help lower the jam mixture's pH, which reacts with the natural or added pectin to help thicken the jam. If a jam recipe doesn't call for lemon juice or lime juice, it could rely on another ingredient, like added pectin, to set the jam.

5. Do Not Stir Once Mixture Is Boiling. Once your jam/marmalade it has reached a rapid rolling boil do not stir it. Stirring it will alter the temperature of the jam/marmalade meaning it will take longer to reach the setting point.

Adding acid in the form of fresh lemon or lime juice is important for two reasons: First, it makes for a more well-balanced jam, returning some of the acidity lost with the addition of sugar. Second, pectin needs acid to properly activate, or firm up.

Not so much taste the difference but feel it. Jelly has been strained to eliminate all but the cooked down liquid, while jam usually contains bits of the fruit.

Jam incorporates crushed or puréed fruit, giving it a more textured consistency. Drawing from our experience, this inclusion of whole fruit adds to its fiber and nutrient content, making it slightly better and healthier than jelly.

Jam or preserves will contain the richest portions of fruitiness, while a jelly's flavor will be slightly bogged down by the gelatin. This is why preserves are often called for in cooking and baking, as they contain the largest amount of the fruit's flavor in a mixable form.

Apple jam is like apple butter in that it features apples cooked down over a long period of time. However, apple jam is thinner in consistency, lighter in color, and often includes bits of fruit, whereas apple butter is thicker, darker in color (thanks to caramelization) and blended until smooth.