Homemade Tomato Jam is the perfect addition to your morning toast, egg scramble, deli sandwich, or cheese board. It's made of fresh tomatoes and simple seasonings. Make it in about 45 minutes for a delicious, yet easy-to-make, sophisticated topping.
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Why You'll Love This Tomato Jam
- So easy! With just a few simple ingredients, you'll have an elevated spread ready to be devoured. This tomato jam takes very little prep time, but tastes like you've been slaving away for hours. I enjoy it as a filling in these caprese rolls!
- Adds great flavor to any dish! Tomato jam is a great accompaniment to any dish. Spread it on toast, add it to eggs, enjoy it with cheese and crackers, as a condiment on your sandwich, or even as a dip for chicken nuggets.
- Uses up your summer produce! When your tomato plants are overflowing with bounty, use the tomatoes in this jam. It keeps fresh for a long time and will be packed full of delicious flavor.
- Can be made in under an hour! With little prep time and 30 minutes of cooking time, you can make this tomato jam in about 45 total minutes.
Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Roma tomatoes: Roma tomatoes are my tomato of choice for this jam. They have fewer seeds and are less watery than other varieties.
- Brown sugar: I like adding brown sugar for a touch of sweetness. I prefer light brown sugar, but if you only have dark brown, you can use that in a pinch. However, the jam will become slightly sweeter.
- Cinnamon and ginger: Cinnamon and ginger give a subtle hint of warmth to the jam. It remains a combination of savory and sweet with a touch of warm spice.
⭐️ See recipe card below for descriptions and quantities of each ingredient.
Instructions
- Step 1: Add tomatoes, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, grated ginger, basil, cinnamon, and salt to a pot. Set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and cook for 30 to 35 minutes.
- Step 2: Drag a spoon along the bottom of the filling, if it takes a few seconds for each side of the sauce to recombine, it is thick enough. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
⭐️ Tip: Make sure to reduce the jam until it is nice and thick. A watery jam will result in soggy toast, eggs, or whatever dish you add it to.
Substitutions and Alterations
- Roma tomatoes - If you can't find romas, plum tomatoes will work too.
- Balsamic vinegar - Red wine or white wine vinegars should work too.
- Looking for some spice? Add some crushed red pepper or cayenne to the jam
How to Store Tomato Jam
To store: Store homemade tomato jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 1 week.
To freeze: You can freeze tomato jam in a freezer-safe container up to 6 months.
Top tip!
The size of your saucepan will alter the time the jam needs to reduce. If you have a large saucepan, the jam may not take as long as 30 minutes. If you have a smaller saucepan, it may take more than 30 minutes! Keep an eye on it and stir intermittently.
Use a spatula to scrape a line through the bottom of the sauce. If the sauce takes a few minutes to recombine, it is thick enough to stop cooking.
Recipe FAQs
Tomato jam is a versatile condiment that can be used on both sweet and savory applications.
It's a great addition to breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals.
I like to use it in these caprese rolls, but you can also use it on eggs, chicken, toast, roasted veggies, or on a cheese board display.
Both tomato jam and ketchup have similar ingredients. However, tomato jam typically has the seeds and skin still on the tomatoes, making it chunkier than ketchup. It also has a tangier, fresher, more tomato-like flavor than ketchup.
Tomato jam tastes like a sweet and savory jam. It has hints of warm spices, like cinnamon and ginger, as well as savory additions like balsamic vinegar and basil. It has a mild tomato flavor, but it's also less sweet than other jams, because tomatoes have less sugar than other fruits.
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Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!
Homemade Tomato Jam
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds roma tomatoes, diced
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Add tomatoes, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, grated ginger, basil, cinnamon, and salt to a pot. Set over medium heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and cook for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring intermittently.
- Drag a spoon along the bottom of the filling, if it takes a few seconds for each side of the sauce to recombine, it is thick enough. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
Notes
- The size of your saucepan will alter the time the jam needs to reduce. If you have a large saucepan, the jam may not take as long as 30 minutes. If you have a smaller saucepan, it may take more than 30 minutes! Keep an eye on it and stir intermittently. Use a spatula to scrape a line through the bottom of the sauce. If the sauce takes a few minutes to recombine, it is thick enough to stop cooking.
- Use tomato jam on eggs, toast, chicken, charcuteries boards, pizzas, or roasted veggies.
Nutrition
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