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Easy Pineapple Jam

Make homemade Pineapple Jam from scratch in under an hour! This recipe has just 3 ingredients and doesn't use pectin.

Spread pineapple jam on toast or on pb&j sandwiches, or use it for savory dishes, such as Pineapple Pork Chops.

pineapple jam in a glass jar with a wedge of pineapple in the background

Homemade pineapple jam

So what do you do when you bring home a pineapple, get all excited about chopping it up and eating it, but when you finally taste it, you realize that the pineapple is not ripe at all?

You cry a little inside, but then you make jam, of course! There's even a saying about it -

''When life gives you an unripe pineapple you make..."

That's DEFINITELY not the saying. But we don't let food go to waste in this house, so that's how this pineapple jam recipe was born!

This jam is:

  • Easy to make from FRESH pineapple
  • Made with just 3 simple ingredients without pectin. Pineapple does not contain natural pectin, but that's OKAY - we simmer this jam for a while and it thickens thanks to that
  • Fresher tasting than any grocery store jam
  • Budget-friendly
  • Long-lasting in the fridge
  • A small batch pineapple jam recipe - make a couple of jars for yourself or give one away as a gift, but you won't be overwhelmed with tons of jars to use up!
  • Great for gifts
  • Easily customizable - add a pinch of cinnamon for cinnamon pineapple jam, or a few slices of fresh ginger for pineapple ginger jam
  • And it tastes absolutely fantastic on a grilled peanut butter sandwich, over ice cream, on toast, or to sweeten these pineapple tarts

2 jars of pineapple jam without pectin

More easy jam recipes to try: Blackberry Vanilla Bourbon Jam

What kind of pineapple to use

This jam comes out the best when made from FRESH pineapple. This pineapple jam is bursting with fresh flavor that would not be possible if starting with canned pineapple.

This jam comes out amazing whether you've got a disappointing not-so-sweet pineapple at the store, or a delicious fresh, juicy, sweet, in-season pineapple.

Both kinds of pineapples work just fine for this pineapple preserves recipe, you might just need to adjust the amount of sugar you need. So make sure you bookmark or pin this recipe and keep it in mind if you ever buy a pineapple that is not super ripe and want to turn it into something delicious!

Related recipe: Pepper Jelly

How to use or serve pineapple jam

This easy jam is great:

Here's what you need to make this:

  • 1 pineapple, peeled and core removed, cut into pineapple chunks
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 ½ - 2 cups sugar, to taste (try it with brown sugar for a more caramel-y flavor)
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from ½ lemon), or more to taste (or use lime juice)
  • Optional: cinnamon or few small slices of fresh ginger

As you see, this is a pineapple jam without pectin. The pineapple jam is thickened naturally because it cooks down for a long time. 

Ingredient notes:

Sugar: the amount of sugar you need will depend on a few things:

  1. How sweet you prefer your jam.
  2. How big your pineapple is.
  3. How naturally sweet your pineapple is.
  4. How much lemon juice you add. The lemon juice adds a nice tartness, but of course, you will need a bit more sugar if adding more lemon juice!

Just remember, the jam will taste less sweet when it is stored in the fridge compared to when it is warm and fresh out of the saucepan. You can start with less sugar and add more as the jam is cooking if you feel you need it.

Cinnamon or ginger: if you want to add more flavor to this jam recipe, add a few pinches of ground cinnamon or a few slices of fresh ginger to the saucepan as the pineapple is cooking. Make sure to remove the ginger before serving!

How to make pineapple jam:

Step 1: In a large food processor or blender, pulse together the pineapple pieces to roughly chop. Be careful NOT to turn the pineapple into a puree! While I love my Blendtec blender, it is too powerful to be trusted with delicate jobs like this. 

Step 2: Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan - use 1.5 cups sugar to start (you can always add more later).

roughly blended pineapple and sugar in a saucepan

The pineapple is pulsed / roughly blended and combined with the ingredients

Bring to a boil over medium heat, stir, then lower the heat and let simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until it reaches a nice jam consistency. Stir frequently to ensure the sugars don't burn at the bottom of the pan.

saucepan with homemade pineapple jam

The longer you cook it, the more translucent it turns!

Remove from heat. Add more sugar and/or cinnamon if you wish.

If it is too chunky for you, you can use an immersion blender to puree it a bit more. If it is too thick, stir in a tiny bit of hot water. If it is too thin, simmer it some more until it's a desired consistency. Adjust the thickness of the jam to your liking!

Allow to cool to room temperature, transfer to clean jars, cap, and enjoy your own pineapple jam!

Store this jam in the refrigerator.

Recipe notes

How long does this fruit jam last? This pineapple jam kept in my fridge for 3 months when stored in a glass jar. I would recommend eating it sooner, just because I can't guarantee that it will last that long.

Cooking time: The cooking time can really be adjusted based on your preference. After all, all the ingredients are edible raw, so you don't have to cook this jam for a full 40-50 minutes. However, the longer you cook it the more translucent and jelly-like it will become. If you cook it longer than 40-50 minutes, you might need to add a bit of extra water otherwise it will become too thick and might burn.

Total sugar: As I mentioned above, the amount of sugar needed will vary. Give it a taste when it is warm (make sure not to burn yourself!) and if it tastes sour then add more sugar while the jam is still hot so the sugar will dissolve. I personally LOVE the fresh tart flavors of homemade fruit jams, instead of the overly sugar store-bought jams. 

If you end up making this pineapple recipe, or any other recipe, please take a picture and tag me on INSTAGRAM or FACEBOOK. You can find me at @babaganoshblog on both. I love seeing your creations!

Print Recipe
4.52 from 29 votes

Easy Pineapple Jam Recipe

Homemade Pineapple Jam from scratch in under an hour. Spread it on toast or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or make my delicious Pineapple Pork Chops.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 2 oz servings (about 3 cups)
Author: Kate

Ingredients

  • 1 pineapple - peeled, cored, and chopped into ~1-2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup water
  • 1.5-2 cups sugar - to taste
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice - (from ½ lemon)
  • optional: a few pinches of cinnamon or few slices of fresh ginger - to taste

Instructions

  • In a large blender or food processor, pulse the chopped pineapple until it is roughly shredded. You might need to do this in 2-3 batches. Be careful not to turn it into a smoothie!
  • Combine the pulsed pineapple and the rest of the ingredients in a small/medium saucepan and heat on low until all the sugar melts (start with 1.5 cups sugar, you can always add more later). Add cinnamon, if using (save the ginger for later if you want to add ginger).
    roughly blended pineapple and sugar in a saucepan
  • Bring to a boil, stir, then lower the heat and let simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until it reaches a nice jam consistency, stirring frequently - it will turn more translucent the longer you cook it. If you want to add ginger, you can grate in a bit of ginger at the end. Remove from heat.
    saucepan with homemade pineapple jam
  • Adjusting flavor/consistency: Add more sugar and/or cinnamon if you wish. Add more water if it is too thick, or simmer longer if it is too water.
  • Allow to cool to room temperature, transfer to clean jars, cap, and enjoy!
    Store this jam in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Notes

  • This pineapple jam will keep fresh in the fridge for up to 3 months if stored in a glass air-tight jar
  • If you're not sure about committing to a large batch of cinnamon pineapple jam or pineapple ginger jam, then skip those ingredients! I skip them most of the time
  • This jam is AMAZING for this Pineapple Pork Chops recipe! Since this recipe makes about 3 cups of jam (depending on the size of your pineapple), pork chops are a great way to use up some of this jam

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcal (7%) | Carbohydrates: 35g (12%) | Protein: 1g (2%) | Fat: 1g (2%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 82mg (2%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 32g (36%) | Vitamin A: 45IU (1%) | Vitamin C: 36.5mg (44%) | Calcium: 10mg (1%) | Iron: 0.2mg (1%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.

jar of pineapple jam next to toast with pineapple jam

Little Cooking Tips

Friday 14th of August 2015

First of all, we totally agree with being frugal and avoid wasting any food! Second, the recipe is extremely easy and of course delicious! Third, thank you for letting us know that we can keep similar jams for up to 3 months in the fridge! We always get tired of having to boil the jars in order to sterilize them for keeping our marmalade. It's really great knowing that we also have this alternative!:) One small tip from us, which you may already know; the jam is ready when you take a small quantity, like a tablespoon of it, put it in a small plate and then divide it in the middle, leaving a gap/trench as thick as your index finger. If the trench remains open (the two halfs don't flood back to fill the gap) then the jam is ready.

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