Homemade Plum Jelly

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Easy Homemade Plum Jelly Recipe (No Pectin Needed)! Capture the sweet, tangy flavor of summer with this simple, 4-ingredient plum jelly. Perfect for toast, glazes, and cheese boards.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Sauces

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Plum Jelly

Servings:

Equipment

Small Sauceplan
Potato Masher
Fine Mesh Sieve or Cheesecloth
Candy Thermometer optional
Clean Glass Jar

Ingredients

3 plums
1/3 c water
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp lemon

Instructions

Prepare the Plums: Wash the plums well. Halve them and remove the pits. There is no need to peel the skin, as it adds color and natural pectin!
Cook the Fruit: Place the pitted plum pieces and 1/3 cup of water in your small saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the plums are very soft and broken down, stirring occasionally and mashing gently with a potato masher.
Extract the Juice (The Jelly Step!): Line a fine-mesh sieve with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Pour the cooked plum mixture into the sieve. Do not press or squeeze the fruit, as this will make your jelly cloudy. Allow the clear, liquid juice to drip into the bowl for at least 30 minutes.
Make the Jelly: Measure the plum juice. You should have around 1/3 to 1/2 cup. Return the juice to the clean saucepan. Add the 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice.
Boil to Setting Point: Bring the mixture to a rapid, rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down). Stir constantly until all the sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil rapidly until the mixture reaches the jellying point (220°F on a candy thermometer, or until a drop of the mixture dropped onto a cold plate wrinkles when pushed). This usually takes 5-10 minutes of fast boiling.
Jar and Cool: Remove the pan from the heat and quickly skim off any foam on the surface with a spoon. Pour the hot jelly into your clean jar, leaving about 1/4 inch of headspace. Cool completely on the counter. Once cool and set, seal the jar and store it in the refrigerator.

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