Delicious homemade rhubarb jam is a perfect way to use up your spring rhubarb. This jam is so tasty on toast or a sandwich.
All you need to make this jam is fresh rhubarb and sugar and a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice! That's it - no added pectin or other ingredients.
Rhubarb is tart and it lends itself to a variety of dishes. Rhubarb jam is a perfect jam with a bit of tart and a bit of sweet. This jam is delicious on toast, English muffins or on a peanut butter sandwich.
Rhubarb is in full season for us right now. I've been making lots of rhubarb recipes lately; rhubarb muffins, rhubarb bread, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb sauce and my latest is this rhubarb jam.
This jam is only made with fresh rhubarb and sugar and a bit of fresh lemon juice. That's it! There's no added pectin, water or other ingredients.
The trick to making this jam is macerating the rhubarb. Macerating is simply mixing the rhubarb with sugar and allowing the water to be extracted from the rhubarb.
To make the jam
- Cut up rhubarb into small pieces and place in a bowl
- Add sugar and stir
- Cover for at least 8 hours or overnight
- Add fresh squeezed lemon juice
- Place rhubarb and all juices into a large pot
- Cook over medium high heat until the mixture begins to boil
- Lower to medium low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often
- Continue cooking over low heat until mixture begins to thicken
- Remove from heat and place in a glass container
Testing to see if the jam is done
There are a few different ways to determine if your jam is done:
- Cook until rhubarb is soft and most of the liquid has evaporated
- Cook until temperature of jam reaches 210-215 degrees. This is a slightly lower temperature than most jams that are cooked to 220 degrees, but it is a perfect temperature for rhubarb jam
- Test jam on a plate - scoop out a tablespoonful of jam onto a plate. Allow to cool for a minute and then run the back of a spoon through jam. If the jam stays separated, it is done.
- Tilt the jam - the jam should only have a slight slide
Recipe tips
- Allow enough time for the rhubarb to release all of its juices
- Use all of the juice along with the rhubarb for the jam
- Use a non reactive pot for cooking the jam. A stainless steel or ceramic coated pot will work well.
- Keep a close eye the jam while it cooks. Stir the jam often to avoid burning.
The color of rhubarb jam
The color of rhubarb jam varies, depending on your rhubarb. The rhubarb from my garden tends to be more green than red, but my mother in law's rhubarb is very, very red. When I use her rhubarb in this jam, my jam also turn out really red.
It can also a light color with a pinkish hue. Sometimes it even turns a drab greenish brown color. Adding a bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice helps keep the color bright.
No matter the color, the taste is always the same. The color of rhubarb does not change the taste. Adding a bit of freshly squeezed lemon juice helps preserve the color.
Recipe Faqs
This batch of jam does not make a large amount. It yields approximately two cups of cooked jam. Since this doesn't make a large amount, I store the jam in the refrigerator. It will last for up to one month in the refrigerator.
If you are making a larger batch and need a way to store it for a longer period, you can freeze the jam or can it into jars and process in a hot water bath.
The color of rhubarb varies from deep red to bright green. Some stalks are both red and green. The taste does not vary with the color.
The color of the rhubarb will affect the color of the jam, but the taste will remain the same.
More delicious homemade jam recipes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Be certain to check out all my homemade jam recipes!
Listen to this recipe in my podcast episode, Making Rhubarb Jam!
Rhubarb Jam
Ingredients
- 6 cups rhubarb (chopped)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
Instructions
- Place the rhubarb in a large glass bowl. Add sugar and stir to distribute. Cover and let sit for at least 8 hours stirring once or twice to redistribute sugar.6 cups rhubarb, 2 cups sugar
- Place rhubarb and its juice into a nonreactive pot.
- Add lemon juice.1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- Cook over medium high heat until mixture comes to a simmer, about 20 minutes. Stir often.
- Reduce heat to low and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Stir often to avoid burning.
- Remove jam from heat and allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Transfer jam to a glass canning jar or other storage container. Cover and refrigerate.
Notes
- Allow enough time for the rhubarb to release all of its juices
- Use all of the juice along with the rhubarb for the jam
- Use a non reactive pot for cooking the jam. A stainless steel or ceramic coated pot will work well.
- Keep a close eye the jam while it cooks. Stir the jam often to avoid burning.
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Paula says
Thank you for this recipe 😀 I'm excited about my first foray into jam-making. I have the rhubarb sitting in the bowl as we speak! Issue is, I got it to the "let sit covered" step a little later in the day than I planned, and now I might not get to the cooking step until tomorrow afternoon. You mention letting it sit for at least 8 hours. Would it be bad if I let it sit for 24-28 hours?
Kathy says
Hi Paula,
Not a problem. You might refrigerate it and pull back out in the morning.
Enjoy,
Kathy
Ginger says
I made this jam earlier in the week. We felt it was too sweet, so I added 3 more cups of rhubarb and it was great. If I wanted to make blueberry/rhubarb jam, do you think I could just substitute 2 c. of rhubarb with blueberries? Thanks!
Kathy says
Hi Ginger,
I haven't tried adding blueberries before, but I think it would work out well.
Enjoy!
Kathy 🙂
gymason15 says
This was my first time making any kind of jam and I’m glad I followed this recipe. I love how it’s super simple to make and only requires 3 ingredient. I did add twice as much lemon juice than what was on the recipe, it still turned out pretty yummy. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Kathy says
Yay!!! Thanks so much!!! 🙂 Nice job on your jam! I hope you enjoy it.
phyllis kilpatrick says
Can I use frozen rhubarb for this jam?
Kathy says
Yes, frozen rhubarb may be used.
Enjoy! 🙂
Rachel says
Can this jam be canned in jars instead of refrigerating it?
Kathy says
Yes, you will need to process in a water bath canner. Please follow the procedures outlined in the recipe for blackberry jam.
Brenda says
Thank you Kathy,
I made your recipe as my first foray into Rhubarb Jam. We have masses of it growing in our raised beds.
It was very easy to prep, set perfectly, tastes divine & looks a beautiful pink ( I added a single drop of cochineal to boost the colour).
It’ll be my go to jam from now on.
Many thanks for posting this great recipe.
Kathy says
Thanks so much! Enjoy the jam and all that rhubarb you have growing! 🙂