Small Batch Cherry Tomato Jam
This recipe for Cherry tomato jam is amazing on sandwiches, burgers, over eggs, on pizza and more. The possibilities are endless! Sweet and savoury this jam is the best way to use up a garden full of fresh Cherry tomatoes!
This recipe makes just a small batch making about one cup worth but if you fall in love with it you can easily double or triple the recipe. Maybe give a jar to some friends!
This sweet, sticky, savoury recipe has a perfect balance of tangy tomato flavour and sweetness that adds pizzazz to a slew of recipes and snacks!
How to use cherry tomato jam
- Spread on sandwiches. It goes great with turkey and roast beef.
- Use it as a burger condiment instead of typical ketchup.
- Dollop some over eggs such as these egg cups for an omelette or a frittata
- Slather over avocado toast
- Add it to salad dressing or vinaigrettes
- Stir into soups
- Drizzle some over pizza
- Serve on a charcuterie board with cured meats and cheeses
Ingredients & Subsitutions
- Ripe cherry tomatoes – It’s important to make sure the cherry tomatoes are ripe for the best consistency. Tomatoes that aren’t ripe are tarter and will not break down well in the simmering process to a soft jammy texture. Grape tomatoes are a good substitution.
- Olive Oil – I prefer to use mild flavoured olive oil when cooking so that the flavour is more balanced. The purpose of the olive oil in this recipe is really just to sautee the onions so any mild flavoured oil will work just as well.
- Onion – I used a white onion in this recipe and clearly forgot to include it in the picture above. This recipe calls for one small onion or about 1/3 of a cup of the onion peeled and finely chopped.
- Brown Sugar – Tomatoes are a highly acidic fruit and the brown sugar works to tame the acidity and add sweetness along with a jammy consistency to this cherry tomato jam recipe. When measuring brown sugar be sure to pack the brown sugar in the measuring cup to get a true measurement.
- Cider Vinegar – Balances out the sweetness and adds great flavour. You can also use white vinegar or red wine vinegar if you wish.
- Grated Ginger – Adds a little zing and pairs well with the tomatoes.
- Chilli Flakes – A little spice never hurt anyone! Add more or less depending on how spicy you like your food.
- Salt
How to make cherry tomato jam
This recipe takes only about 40 minutes to make and will add loads of flavour to your favourite meals for weeks. Just store and let it cool slightly before transferring it to a small jam jar and place sealed in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Sauteé the onions
- Add the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed saucepot and place on medium-high heat.
- Add the onions and sauteé for 3-5 minutes or until the onions are lightly caramelized and softened.
Making the tomato onion jam
- Add the sliced tomatoes, cider vinegar, brown sugar, grated ginger, chilli flakes and salt to the saucepot.
- Stir to combine and bring to a bowl. At first, there will not be a lot of liquid but as the tomatoes heat up they will release moisture.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and allow to cook for about 30 minutes until the ingredients have thickened and turned into a jammy texture.
- Remove from heat. Allow to cool and then transfer to a small jam jar or glass container with a lid. Seal and store in the fridge and enjoy as you wish for up to two weeks.
can you freeze tomato Jam?
If you are like me and have your own garden with cherry tomatoes you may want to make a boatload of this jam to enjoy all year long!
Just double or triple the recipe and place in individual glass jars, let completely cool in the fridge and then transfer to the freezer. Thaw in the fridge the next time you need more!
More Great Condiments To Try
All of these recipes can be used as topping to some of your favourite dishes.
Small Batch Cherry Tomato Jam
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Stove
- Small glass jar with lid
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup onion chopped
- 500 g cherry tomatoes washed and sliced in half
- 1 tbsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger peeled and grated
- 1/4 tsp chilli flakes or to taste
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add oil to a heavy bottomed sauce pan and place on medium-high heat.
- Add onions and sautee for 3-5 minutes or until lightly caramelized and soft
- Add tomatoes, cider vinegar, brown sugar, ginger, chilli flakes and salt and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and let simmer for about 30 minutes or until tomatoes have softened and the ingredients have thickened to a jammy texture.
- Let cool slightly and then transfer to a small glass jar. See with a lid and store in the fridge for up to 3 weeks.
Nutrition
Notes
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Delicious, easy to make, and a great way to use up some cherry tomatoes from the garden. I put this on a burger and it was so good!
Is this something I could can? Was thinking I’d like to send to friends.
Hi Mika, you can can this for sure but I a no expert in canning so can’t provide guidance on the how to unfortunately.
Been looking for a good way to use my cherry tomatoes. My garden is overflowing with them this year.
This is the perfect recipe for you then!
I really wanted to love this … even bought the tomatoes at our FM—and they were nicely acidic and sweet—but had to throw out the batch because it was like pure sugar.
Hi Laurie, this jam as mentioned in the description is meant to be sweet. If you prefer it to be a little less sweet you can simply adjust the amount of brown sugar you use.
I would comment if I knew how many tomatoes or cups or pounds I need. Cannot catch up on metric and do not want to get my glasses, magnifier, and chart out when it would be so easy for you
Hi Suzanne, It is 2 pints worth or two of the small containers.
Just made this now, followed the recipe to a T. This is absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing
Great recipe a keeper!
Do you have to peel the cherry tomatoes?
No, you don’t need to peel them. The skins are so thin you won’t notice they are there.
Will canning make them shelf live longer the 2 weeks?
I honestly don’t know much about canning so am not the best to answer this but I did look into it and since tomatoes are a highly acidic fruit I believe this jam will can well. Here is an article about canning tomatoes that you may find helpful. https://www.bhg.com/recipes/how-to/preserving-canning/canning-tomatoes/
Can I sub powdered ginger for fresh or should I leave it out?
Hi Nancy, You can absolutely use powdered ginger just use less. 1 tsp of dried is about 3 tsp of fresh so for this recipe if you wish to use powdered ginger a 1/2 tsp should do.
Amazingly easy and so flavorful! Came across this recipe trying to figure out what else to do with an overabundance of sungolds. Followed measurements exactly but had to substitute shallots for onions and honey ginger balsamic vinegar for apple cider vinegar since that’s what had on hand. Probably should have reduced the brown sugar to account for the extra sweetness of the balsamic. But it was still really really good. I spooned it on top of some pita crackers with blue cheese and salami. Definitely going to be making this again when I pick more tomatoes!
That sounds like an amazing appetizer Rebecca… I am going to have to remember this next time I have guests over!
Doubled the recipe. Had a lot of tomatoes. Added a half cup of smoked red peppers and 1 jalapeño. Delicious. Had on eggs this morning. Couldn’t wait!💕
With eggs is a great idea!
I didn’t have fresh ginger, so I used pickling spice tied in muslin It tastes great! Thank you for the recipe!
My pleasure Debra… love how you improvised!
I just made this and it smells so amazing! I can’t wait to put this on everything!!
I know it does smell amazing and you can use it for so many things! Enjoy.
Currently making this right, so it 2 or 3 weeks in fridge, you’ve written both. Secondly, it smell delicious simmering and I’m assuming without the lid. And lastly a emulsion blender is that required to blend?
Hi Mia. I usually eat it within 2 weeks but an extra few days won’t matter. I will update the recipe. The lid stays off when simmering so that the steam can escape and thicken the jam and no emulsion blender is needed. As the tomatoes cook down they will soften and break up all on their own. An emulsion blender would make this jam too smooth and almost soupy.
Does this thicken more after it cools?
Hi Jennifer, Yes it does thicken up in the jar but my aunt who likes it thicker also let’s it cook an extra 5-7 minutes as well. If you prefer a thicker jam I would just add a little cooking time. Hope that helps and please let me know how it turns out for you.
I made a halfbatch that is going fast! I used a couple dashes of cayenne instead of the pepper flakes, and cut the sugar back to 2 tbs. This recipe is a keeper; I’ll be diligent in collecting the ripening cherry tomatoes.
That is so great to hear Joy. So happy you loved this recipe!
Made this last night using fresh garden Roma tomatoes. Had it on brats for dinner, and on a turkey sandwich for lunch today. Delicious, and addictive!
I agree it is totally addictive!
Can this be canned in a water bath canner? In little half pint jars for gifts?
Hi Nikki, sorry for the late response I have been away. I have never done this but you certainly can!
If I were going to can this jam would it be the same process as freezing but put it in a water bath for 30 minutes after it has simmered on the stove?
Yes, you can totally do this too! I personally have never canned things before so I will take you word for it and give it a try next time for sure!
This is simply delicious! I’m quite sure I will use it on everything! I’ll be growing more cherry tomatoes come spring.
Me too just to make this jam!
Oh my goodness, this looks delicious! We are having burgers this weekend and I can’t wait to try it. I love how you incorporated some ginger to add a nice little bite to it. Yum!
I have soooooo many cherry tomatoes sitting on my counter right now, so I was super excited to find this gorgeous recipe! It sounds phenomenal, and your pictures are just lovely. Even better … the whole way through your post, I was wondering if I could possibly make big batches and freeze it for a little burst of summer sunshine later this winter. YES!!! I was so happy to read that it would work! Yay – thanks for this wonderful recipe for alllllll those cherry tomatoes! 🙂
My pleasure!
This is such a great way to use up cherry tomatoes. Great idea to use it as a burger sauce. Yum!
This tomato jam is so versatile! This recipe will come in handy as my garden is full of tomatoes!
The flavors of this cherry jam are so perfect! It’s perfect for my morning toast!