Are you wondering what to do with all those cherries after picking them? Use those fresh cherries and make this delicious cherry jam in Instant Pot without any pectin.
We love fruit picking, be it cherries, strawberries, or apples. It’s a fun family activity. Last year, we didn’t do any-picking due to the pandemic, but we didn’t miss it this year. We picked a lot of cherries (close to 16 pounds) this year. Even after relishing sufficient cherries and distributing fresh cherries to friends and families, I had a lot in hand to try and test a few cherry recipes.
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So my love for fresh cherry recipes continues. Earlier, I had shared cherry pickle and cherry rasam. This season I have a few more delicious cherry recipes for you.
I am starting this cherry series with the popular cherry jam. Guess what, I have been testing this recipe for quite some time. I finally got the desired texture and taste this time, and I am happy to share the same here.
Ingredients required
Cherries – The star ingredient. I have used a mix of fresh dark sweet cherry and some sour ones. You can also try this jam with frozen cherries, but I have always tried this with fresh cherries.
Sugar: For three pounds of cherries, I used 1 pound of sugar. This measure entirely depends upon how sweet the cherries are and your taste preference. As I had a mix of sweet and sour cherries, one pound worked well in this recipe.
Lemon juice: Lemon juice plays a role in adding flavor, but it helps to level the pH balance in the jam-making process and as a natural preservative. It also helps to prevent sugar crystallization. If you are interested in the science behind adding lemon juice to jams, please do read this article from the kitchn website.
Cornstarch and water: Some fruits like apples have pectin naturally, and we all know pectin is the thickening agent that helps the jam set. Cherries and berries naturally have low pectin content, and as I made this in bulk, I used cornstarch slurry to thicken the jam. Please read the troubleshooting tips for more details.
Pitting the cherries
It’s high time I invest in a cherry pitter. But for this recipe, I went with the knife method. I have already explained it in my cherry rasam post, but I am adding it for your reference.
Wash the cherries and pat them dry. Then place them on a cutting board and, using a large knife, i.e., the chef’s knife, press/mash on the cherry until it opens. Open the fruit apart partially to reveal the pit and discard it.
Dietary specifications and yield
This cherry jam recipe is a vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free recipe naturally. Make sure you are using vegan-friendly sugar without any animal char.
The below measure yields approximately 2 pounds of cherry jam, and you can very well use it for 50 plus servings.
Troubleshooting tips
In that case, add the jam to a saucepan or Instant Pot and simmer again. If it’s too thin, I would recommend adding more cornstarch mixed with water and simmer again.
Take the required amount of jam in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave it at an interval of 30 seconds and see if it’s thinning down. If it thins down, then microwave the jam before using.
Alternatively, you can add the hardened jam to a saucepan or Instant Pot and add the required water and one to two tbsp lemon juice (Water depends on how thick/hard your jam is), and simmer again. This step should help the jam to thin it down.
In general, homemade jams are not thick like the store-bought ones. I have already shared mango jam, and I have tried fig jam in Instant Pot (yet to share the recipe), and they weren’t runny like this cherry jam. So I did not use any cornstarch. As it cools, the jams thickened.
But with cherry jam, as it was a bit runny and since we are not using pectin, I used cornstarch. It helped to set the jam nicely, and it was like a store-bought one but without pectin. You can try this jam without cornstarch and simmer for 20 minutes and let it cool. If you are OK with the consistency, then enjoy it like that. If not, add the cornstarch slurry and simmer again.
Now without any further ado, let me share how to make pectin-free cherry jam in Instant Pot.
How to make cherry jam in Instant Pot?
- Add all the pitted cherries into the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice and mix and well. Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
- The cherry and sugar will ooze out water like below. We don’t need to add any extra water.
- Place the inner pot inside the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the sealing ring is in place and set the vent to the sealing position. Press the pressure cook / manual button and set the cooking time as 2 minutes at high pressure. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally. Carefully open the Instant Pot. There will be some foam-like below. You can remove it or mix it with the jam. I just mixed it with the jam.
- Now using a potato masher, mash the cherries. The jam will be runny, and it’s perfectly fine.
- Now set the Instant Pot in saute mode and let it simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water. Add this slurry to the jam.
- Mix well and simmer again for 6 to 8 minutes and turn off the heat. Let it cool for atleast 5 to 6 hours before transferring it to a jar. As the jam cools and when you refrigerate, it will set and thicken further. (More on troubleshooting tips in the notes section)
- Make sure you store the cooled jam in a clean and dry jar. I don’t follow any specific canning process. Enjoy it with toasts or bagels!
Recipe Notes
- Adjust the sugar as per the sweetness of the cherries. I had a mix of sweet and sour, so I went with 1 lb of sugar for 3 lbs of cherries, and it was perfect.
- Do not simmer the cherry jam for more than 20 minutes. Also, let it cool and give the jam 24 to 48 hours to thicken fully.
- I used a mix of dark sweet cherries and some sour red ones.
- Please don’t forget to read the troubleshooting tips section on the blog post.
Explore other cherry and berry recipes!
Loved this recipe?
If you try this cherry jam, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest or Instagram or join my Facebook Group for recipe updates and simple Indian meal ideas.
📖 Recipe
Cherry Jam Without Pectin | Instant Pot Cherry Jam
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
Measurement details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;
- 3 lb cherry after pitting I got about 2.86 pounds, pitted and halved
- 3/4 to 1 lb sugar adjust as per cherry sweetness
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Add all the pitted cherries into the inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice and mix and well. Let it sit for 20 to 30 minutes.
- The cherry and sugar will ooze out water like below. We don’t need to add any extra water.
- Place the inner pot inside the Instant Pot. Close the Instant Pot. Make sure the sealing ring is in place and set the vent to the sealing position. Press the pressure cook / manual button and set the cooking time as 2 minutes at high pressure. When the cooking is complete, let the pressure release naturally. Carefully open the Instant Pot. There will be some foam-like below. You can remove it or mix it with the jam. I just mixed it with the jam.
- Now using a potato masher, mash the cherries. The jam will be runny, and it’s perfectly fine.
- Now set the Instant Pot in saute mode and let it simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water. Add this slurry to the jam.
- Mix well and simmer again for 6 to 8 minutes and turn off the heat. Let it cool for atleast 5 to 6 hours before transferring it to a jar. As the jam cools and when you refrigerate, it will set and thicken further. (More on troubleshooting tips in the notes section)
- Make sure you store the cooled jam in a clean and dry jar. I don’t follow any specific canning process. Enjoy it with toasts or bagels!
Notes
- Adjust the sugar as per the sweetness of the cherries. I had a mix of sweet and sour, so I went with 1 lb of sugar for 3 lbs of cherries, and it was perfect.
- Do not simmer the cherry jam for more than 20 minutes. Also, let it cool and give the jam 24 to 48 hours to thicken fully.
- I used a mix of dark sweet cherries and some sour red ones.
- Please don’t forget to read the troubleshooting tips section on the blog post.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
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