Plum jam with cinnamon (sugar free)

I can’t even imagine autumn without plum jam with cinnamon.

If you drive thru beautiful Bosnia in autumn, around almost every village house there is traditionally a plum orchard with thousands of blue and purple plums hanging off the branches. Picking the plums is many times an obligatory family meeting. It will last for days and it somehow celebrates the end of the summer.

Plums are used in hundreds of recipes, like plum dumplings, plum strudel, and plum cakes. But what every house with a plum orchard does, is plum brandy and homemade plum jam.

plums ripening
Photo by Shahab V.

Why you’ll like this plum jam recipe with cinnamon

🥣 In this recipe we’ll show you how to make homemade canned plum jam with cinnamon without any added pectin. Doing that is actually very easy and very simple. If you have a plum tree, or you just bought plums, you’ll be able to store the plum jam for the whole year or even more and use it for breakfast, desserts, pancakes, and baked goods.

🥣 This plum jam contains no sugar and is keto and low-carb diet friendly. Have you ever tried eating it without bread, just like that? Well, I do that often 😊 Mix it with yogurt and you’ll get the best keto-friendly yogurt dessert always on arm’s reach. Plum jam with cinnamon combined with sour cream on cloud bread…that’s so so yummy.

🥣 It can be made of plums only and it contains no preservatives. If you wish for a more traditional taste, the magic lies in a tablespoon of rum and a pinch of grated lemon peels.

🥣 If you can the jam precisely following the recipe it will last very long. I’ve got jars in the pantry that were made 3 years ago and they still taste delightful, just like they were made yesterday.

Ingredients you need for the jam

ingredients for plum jam with cinnamon

💜 PLUMS – regardless if you are having your own plum trees or you’ll buy them in the store, try to pick the ripest ones for the jam. Plums that are picked the latest and that are already soft inside are a lot sweeter, juicier, and of better taste than the ones that are picked early.

If you have more plums, we suggest you use the solid ones for dumplings and other recipes and pick out the ripe ones for the jam. In short, those plums that look too ripe are perfect for the jam! Just be careful that the plums are not showing any signs of white-colored mold.

🍯 SWEETENER – in this recipe, we used a little bit of erythritol. Any kind of sweetener, or sugar, is absolutely not obligatory for the recipe. You can skip it entirely without a doubt. The recipe will still work because the plums, if ripe enough, contain enough sugar for the jam to still taste sweet.

🧉 CINNAMON POWDER – plums and cinnamon somehow go together like bread and butter. Pancakes will smell great and especially for the winter season recipes, the cinnamon in the plum jam will add a bit of winter magic when combined with the baked goods. If you prefer the plain taste of delicious plums simply skip the cinnamon and make the jam with plums only.

ripe plums

Tools you need

Canning jars with lids

A blanket

Step by step instructions How to make plum jam with cinnamon

preparing the plums

STEP 1: Wash the plums. Half them and remove the stones. Do not remove the skin, because the skin is what adds that special flavor to the jam. If you don’t like pieces of the skin in the jam, blend the plums in the food processor before cooking.

STEP 2: If you prefer a more smooth jam, cut the plums into pieces. Otherwise, plum jam is traditionally made with halved plums, with only stones to be removed.

cooking the jam

STEP 3: Place the plums in a wide cooking pot or a large, wide saucepan. At this step, we added 1 1/2 cups of erythritol. You don’t need to add any water because the plums will release enough moisture themselves.

STEP 4: Bring the plums to a simmer, then cover the cooking pot with the lid. Keep cooking the plums on low heat. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon so that the plums don’t get burned at the bottom of the pot.

sterilizing the jars

STEP 5: In the meantime, prepare and sterilize the jars. Place them opened together with the lids in a pot full of water and bring them to a boil. Boil the jars for at least 5 minutes. When you put the jam in them, the jars should come straight from a boiling pot.

The alternative to boiling the jars is sterilizing the jars at 100 C/212F for 15 minutes.

ADDING THE CINNAMON

STEP 6: Add a tablespoon of cinnamon powder to the simmering jam and stir. Cook at least for another 15 minutes.

STEP 7: It’s a matter of personal preference when the jam is ready to move to the jars. The longer you cook the jam, the thicker it gets. If you don’t like the jam to be thick, remove it from the heat sooner.

Take a small amount of the jam using a tablespoon. Place it on a small plate and set aside for a few minutes to cool. If the jam stays on the plate when you turn it upside down – it’s definitely ready.

canning the jam

STEP 7: Remove the sterilized jars one by one from the boiling water. When the jam is ready and still boiling hot, carefully bring it into a sterilized jar, using a big spoon. Fill the jar with the jam almost up to the top.

STEP 8: At this point, there will probably be air bubbles seen in the jam. Remove them by pressing the jam down using a long, clean teaspoon. It’s highly recommended that the teaspoon is sterilized.

When the air bubbles are gone, seal the jar with the still-hot lid that you’ve been keeping in the boiling water. The jar should be closed as tightly as possible.

Repeat the same with the rest of the jam. What you need to make sure of is that both, the jam and the jars with the lids are really hot when filling them up.

STEP 9: The jars with the plum jam need to cool as slowly as possible. When they are all sealed, place them upside down on a blanket. Cover them with another one and let them rest for 24 hours.

When cool and ready, check the lids on the jars. If the canning was done thoroughly, you won’t be able to push the center of the lid down.

plum jam with cinnamon

Tips and notes

🥄 Always pick healthy and over-ripe plums for making the plum jam with cinnamon.

🥄 The riper the plums, the less pectin they contain.

🥄 When preparing the plums, do not remove the skin. The pieces of the skin will be visible when the jam is cooked. If you don’t like them, blend the plums before cooking the jam.

🥄 Be scrupulously thorough when canning the jam. The most important thing about canning is that the jars and the lids are sterilized and that both, jam and jars with the lids, are as hot as possible when pouring the jam into the jars. Let all the tools you are using be washed clean, preferably sterilized.

🥄 If you make the jam sugar-free, it won’t thicken as much as the one with added sugar. However, if you stick to the procedure and ensure that the jam and the jars are really hot when canning, sealed well, and you are using only clean tools success is guaranteed.

cinnamon plum jam

Storage

Store your canned jam in a dry and cool place. If the canning process was done properly, it will last at least up to a year.

Keep an opened jar in the refrigerator. Because this recipe doesn’t contain any sugar, the jam in the refrigerator will not last as long as a traditional one but probably up to 14 days.

However, for the same reason, we recommend canning the jam in smaller jars.

faq

Can I make plum jam from frozen plums?

Yes, you don’t need to thaw the plums before cooking, but make sure that the stones have been removed.

Can I make plum jam with stones in it?

Basically, you can cook your plum jam with stones in it and remove them after the jam is done. But it’s a lot more of a hassle than removing the stones before cooking. There’s a chance you won’t notice them all and consequentially risk breaking a tooth, Also, fruit stones contain amygdalin that breaks into cyanide when eaten.

Is plum jam gluten-free?

Yes, plums do not contain gluten. If you haven’t added any other ingredient containing gluten to your jam, then your plum jam is gluten-free and safe to eat for people with gluten-related diseases.

Does plum jam need lemon juice?

Lemon juice is a natural preservative that might help to keep your canned goods stored for a longer time. But if you don’t like the acidic taste of lemon juice in the jam you can skip it entirely. The jam can easily be made without it, just make sure the canning procedure is followed precisely.

plum jam with cinnamon sugar free

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Sugar free plum jam with cinnamon

Canned plum jam with cinnamon, no sugar added and no pectin
Servings 10
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

EQUIPMENT

  • 4 smaller canning jars

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 kg plums
  • 1,5 cup erythritol (optional)
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon powder
  • 1 tbsp rum (optinal)
  • 1 tbsp grated lemon peel (optinal)

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Pick healthy, ripe plums and wash them.
  • Halve the plums by removing the stones.
  • Put the plums in a wide cooking pot or a frying pan. If you like the jam to be sweeter, add 1 1/2 cup erythritol. Do not add any water.
  • Bring the plums to simmer and cover the pot. Cook the plums slowly on low heat and stir with a wooden spoon often, so that the jam doesn't get burned on the bottom.
  • In the meantime, prepare the jars. Wash them with soap and place them together with the lids in a large cooking pot completely covered with water. Let the jars and the lids boil for at least 5 minutes.
  • The jam is ready, when a small amount of the jam on a tablespoon or small plate solidifies when cooled. Keep in mind that sugarless jam won't be as thick as the jam with added sugar.
  • Add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon powder to the simmering jam and cook for another 15 minutes.
  • Scoop the jam into a jar all the way to the top. Both jam and the jar with the lid should be as hot as possible when filling it. Push the jam down in the jar with a sterilized spoon to remove all the air bubbles and seal the lid. Repeat with the rest of the jam.
  • Place the jars upside down on a blanket folded in half and cover them. Let them slowly cool for 24 hours.

NOTES

🥄 Use only ripe and healthy plums. The best ones are those that are over-ripe but be careful they don’t contain mold. The older the plums, the better they taste.
🥄 Do not remove the skin. If you don’t like the remains of the skin in the jam, blend the plums before cooking. 
🥄 Skip the sweetener entirely if you don’t like it. Plums contain enough sugar themselves that the jam will still taste sweet. Riper plums also have less pectin.
🥄 For a better taste add a tablespoon of rum and tsp of grated lemon peel. 
🥄 You can add a few lavender flowers right before you fill the jars. 
🥄 Because there’s no added sugar in the jam, you need to be scrupulous with the canning procedure. When canning, both jam and jars with lids need to be as hot as possible. Use only clean and sterilized tools.
 🥄 Sugar-free jam will not last as long as the traditional jam with sugar once the jar is opened.  We suggest you use smaller jars instead of big ones, that way the leftovers won’t get spoiled in the refrigerator. 
🥄  Store your jam in a dry and cool place, properly prepared and canned it may last more than a year. 
Calories: 30kcal
Cost: $5
Course: jam
Cuisine: european
Keyword: canning, cinnamon, jam, plums

Nutrition

Calories: 30kcal

Join the Conversation

  1. 5 stars
    This plum jam with cinnamon is just my dream breakfast! Never thought to make a plum jam before but now I have seen your incredible recipe it is something that I will be recreating.. pinned!

    1. Thanks Jessie,
      I’m really happy you liked it. I use this jam for cookie filling and it always tastes great.

  2. 5 stars
    This recipe for plum jam sounds amazing. I enjoy adding jam to my morning toast. I’m going to give this recipe a try. Thank you for sharing.

    1. Thanks Stephanie, I hope you’ll enjoy it!

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