Some people don’t know they can make jelly, jams and preserves in their bread machine. Here are some of the most popular recipes.
You may have noticed that your bread machine has a setting referred to as “Jam or Jelly.” This isn’t about making jelly rolls, it’s about making jams, jellies and preserves that you will ultimately pour into a jar for storage in your refrigerator or pantry.
The difference between a jelly, jam and preserve is simple. A jelly is usually made from the juice of a fruit with gelatin or pectin added along with sugar. A jam is made from whole fruit pureed to a juicy texture. A preserve is a jam that has also been made from the whole fruit, chopped and blended – but tends to have chunks of the fruit in the jam.
Storing Your Jams and Jellies
Storage in the refrigerator is the preferred way to store these homemade jellies because the low temperature gives the jam or jelly a firmer consistency. That’s one of the things you’ll notice about many jams and jellies made in your bread machine. They don’t always have the viscosity or thickness that jams made on the stovetop often have. This is because stovetop preparation causes some of the liquid to evaporate which thickens the consistency of the jam or jelly. Bread machines reach a high heat but little evaporation takes place, so you may find it to be a touch runny unless you refrigerate it.
If you intend to store your jams, jellies or preserves in a pantry make sure you process the jars first. You can do a basic processing by immersing the jars in boiling water for at least 10 minutes. This is important because the sugar in jams and jellies can encourage the growth of bacteria unless it has been processed in the boiling water bath.
Pay Attention to the Details
Like many recipes related to baking, accurate and precise measurements are critical to success. One thing to keep in mind is that all measures for fruit are for coarsely chopped or diced fruit. Eventually you’ll mash the fruit a bit with a potato masher or in a food processor. This will reduce the total cups but that’s okay. Just make sure you stay true to the cup measures with chunks of fruit before you mash or process them.
All of the recipes call for the addition of sugar and some call for the addition of pectin or gelatin as well. Pectin is a thickening agent used for many jams, jellies and preserves. It’s best to find a low sugar or no sugar pectin. You’ll be adding sugar as part of the recipe and you don’t want too much sugar when making bread machine jellies.
Before You Start
It’s very important that you only make jam or jelly in a bread machine that has the specific and unique “Jam or Jelly” setting. The operation of the paddle and the temperature settings are unique for jams and jellies and it’s difficult to improvise with any other setting.
Equally important is the integrity of the bread pan. Bread machines with the jam and jelly feature have bread pans that have a unique bearing under the kneading paddle. This prevents any liquids from leaking through the paddle bearing and into the machine. You can ruin your machine or at least face an imposing cleanup task if a pan full of fruit juice and sugar leak into the bottom of your bread machine. You also could short it out if the liquids encounter any electrical connections.
Even if your bread machine has the “Jam and Jelly” setting you might want to test your bread pan. Simply pour a couple of cups of water in the pan and let it sit on the kitchen counter. After about 20 minutes lift the pan and see if any water has leaked onto the countertop. This can happen with older machines. We often get away with it because the kneading process usually starts within seconds after we put the pan into the machine, and the incorporation of the dry ingredients prevent any leakage.
This Stuff Can Be Hot, Hot, Hot!
A note of caution. Be very careful when handling the finished jam or jelly. In fact, you should probably let it rest in the machine for about 30 minutes with the lid open when the cycle is complete. If you’re nervous about any leakage remove the pan while wearing heavy duty kitchen gloves or pot-holders. Heated sugar is extremely hot and can cause 3rd degree burns. Generally, making jam or jelly in a bread machines is safer than making it on the stovetop, but always exercise caution when handling any hot, sugar liquid or syrup.
If you find your jam or jelly is still a bit runny after refrigeration you can try adding a little more pectin or reducing the amount of fruit or juice. You can also think of it as a unique syrup for waffles or pancakes.
Selecting the Right Fruit or Juice
The ripeness of any fruit is very important. You don’t want fruits that are not ripe or too ripe. They need to be “just right”. This is fairly simple with strawberries and other berries, but can be a challenge with mangoes, kiwi fruit and peaches. If the fruit you have on hand doesn’t feel ripe, consider making a different flavor or wait a few days and bake a loaf of bread instead. You also should only use fruit juice that is 100% juice. Too many fruit juices have added water and sugar. This can compromise your result so stick with 100% juice. Pectin or gelatin is also important when juice is the main ingredient. Pectin or gelatin are optional with many of the recipes listed below, but it’s typically required when you’re only using juice.
Preserve Your Jam or Jelly
Without sterilizing the jar – it will last up to 4 weeks in your fridge.
There are two ways to process canned or “jarred” foods in a hot water bath. One is simply immersing the jars in boiling water for a minimum of 10 minutes. The other involves immersing the jars in boiling water in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes or more. In the vernacular of food processing this is referred to as a “hot water bath.” This assumes the jars and lids are also sterilized in boiling water.
The reason there are two processing approaches has to do with the PH of the food. Fruits, tomatoes and other acidic foods can be processed in boiling water. Alkaline foods like meats, beans or potatoes require the added heat and pressure of a pressure cooker. I’ve processed canned foods for years and could easily write an article about it to accompany the jams and jelly recipes and articles if you’d like.
Want More?
You may look at the recipes that follow and think “I’d like to make more than just a jar of jelly.” Be careful out there. Typically you don’t want to exceed 3 to 4 cups of jam or jelly at a time when you’re using a bread machine for preparation. If you want to make a lot of jelly you should probably consider some traditional, stovetop methods. However, many of the bread machine recipes for jams, jellies and preserves are so simple you could certainly make multiple batches over the course of a day. Just don’t succumb to the temptation to overfill your pan and risk a spill into your machine, or a bad burn.
Recipes:
(All recipes make about 3 to 4 cups of finished jam, jelly or preserves)
Blueberry Jam Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 5 cups blueberries – fresh or frozen or combination
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp low sugar or no sugar pectin (optional)
Mash the fruit with a potato masher or in a food processor. In a bowl, mix in the sugar and pour the mixture into the bread pan. Select Jam or jelly setting and begin the cycle. When done, lift the lid of the machine and let cool for 30 minutes or remove carefully and let cool on a heat resistant trivet or surface. Pour or spoon carefully into jar or jars and let rest for 3 hours. Refrigerate and serve. Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Peach Jam Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds or 4 cups of ripe, peaches, peeled, halved, and pitted, Can also be frozen peaches or fresh and frozen blended with canned.
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp low sugar or no sugar pectin (optional)
Directions:
Make sure the peaches are ripe. Mash the fruit with a potato masher or in a food processor. In a bowl, mix in the sugar and pour the mixture into the bread pan. Select Jam or jelly setting and begin the cycle. When done, lift the lid of the machine and let cool for 30 minutes or remove carefully and let cool on a heat resistant trivet or surface. Pour or spoon carefully into jar or jars and let rest for 3 hours. Refrigerate and serve. Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Grape Jelly Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups grape juice (100%)
- 2 envelopes Knox Gelatin
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir until gelatin and sugar are dissolved. Pour into bread pan and insert pan into the bread machine. Select “Jam or Jelly” setting. When done, lift the lid of the machine and let cool for 30 minutes or remove carefully and let cool on a heat resistant trivet or surface. Pour or spoon carefully into jar or jars and let rest for 3 hours. Refrigerate and serve. Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
CrabApple Jelly Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 4 cups Crabapple Juice
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 envelopes Knox Gelatin
Directions:
If you have a juicer you can drop the whole crabapples into the juicer and continue to juice until you have 4 cups. If you don’t have a juicer you can put the whole crabapples into a blender with a little water and continue to blend and strain through a fine mesh strainer until you have 4 cups.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until sugar and gelatin are dissolved. Pour into bread pan and select “Jam and Jelly” setting. When done remove with oven mitt and let cool 30 minutes. Pour into jar or bowl and refrigerate. Keeps for 4 weeks.
Mulberry Jam Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 4 cups of mulberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 enveloped Knox Gelatin
Directions:
Mulberries grow on trees and are fairly common. If you have a mulberry tree, why not make some jelly. In a food processor combine sugar, mulberries and gelatin and blend until smooth. Add to bread pan and select jam and jelly course. When done remove carefully and let cool for 30 minutes. Pour into jar or bowl and refrigerate.
Apricot Jam Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds ripe, but firm, apricots, peeled, halved, and pitted
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp low sugar or no sugar pectin (optional)
Directions:
Here again, ripeness is very important. Mash the fruit with a potato masher or in a food processor. In a bowl, mix in the sugar and pour the mixture into the bread pan. Select Jam or jelly setting and begin the cycle. When done, lift the lid of the machine and let cool for 30 minutes or remove carefully and let cool on a heat resistant trivet or surface. Pour or spoon carefully into jar or jars and let rest for 3 hours. Refrigerate and serve. Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Strawberry Jam Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 4 pints (8 cups) (about 2 pounds) strawberries
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp low sugar or no sugar pectin (optional)
Directions:
Cut off any green spots or unripe areas of the strawberries. Over ripe strawberries are okay. Mash the fruit with a potato masher or in a food processor. In a bowl, mix in the sugar and pour the mixture into the bread pan. Select Jam or jelly setting and begin the cycle. When done, lift the lid of the machine and let cool for 30 minutes or remove carefully and let cool on a heat resistant trivet or surface. Pour or spoon carefully into jar or jars and let rest for 3 hours. Refrigerate and serve. Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Blackberry Jam Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 5 cups blackberries
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp low sugar or no sugar pectin (optional)
Directions:
Like most berries, they can be fresh or frozen. Mash the fruit with a potato masher or in a food processor. In a bowl, mix in the sugar and pour the mixture into the bread pan. Select Jam or jelly setting and begin the cycle. When done, lift the lid of the machine and let cool for 30 minutes or remove carefully and let cool on a heat resistant trivet or surface. Pour or spoon carefully into jar or jars and let rest for 3 hours. Refrigerate and serve. Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Raspberry Jam Recipe:
Ingredients:
- 4 cups (1 1/2 pounds) (about 4 half pints fresh) raspberries
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp low sugar or no sugar pectin (optional)
Directions:
Mash the fruit with a potato masher or in a food processor. In a bowl, mix in the sugar and pour the mixture into the bread pan. Select Jam or jelly setting and begin the cycle. When done, lift the lid of the machine and let cool for 30 minutes or remove carefully and let cool on a heat resistant trivet or surface. Pour or spoon carefully into jar or jars and let rest for 3 hours. Refrigerate and serve. Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 weeks.
Conclusion
I think you get the idea. The recipes are very simple but keep an eye on the portions and the ripeness of the fruit. Consider pectin as an option if you find your jams or jellies need a little firmness. Remember to be careful with the hot jelly and it’s best if stored in the fridge. Hopefully you find success and maybe explore some fruit combinations as you continue to make your own jams and jellies for all of the great breads you bake.
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To clarify you must use a pressure canner to preserve foodstuffs such as meats or vegetables. You can use a boiling water bath to preserve most fruits, jams or jellies. Jars need to be sterilized too unless you add additional boiling water bath time. The USDA has a good food preservation website you can find online.
Hello! I made the blackberry jam recipe exactly as above but it did not set at all. What did I do wrong?
(it did make a lively sauce and a great vice cream topping!)
Can you use a sugar substitute such as Stevia or Monkfruit? Would those work?
Very nice article. I abbsolutely appreciate this website. Continue the good work!
finmax
Do yo have a rhubarb & apple recipe for the bread maker please. Always have a glut of rhubarb from my husbands allotment. Thanks in advance.
How do I prep and seal the jars after I make the jam?
My bread machine had no jam setting. Is there another setting I can use.
My Zo (BB-PAC20) jam recipes call for 2-3 cups of fruit. Most of the recipes listed here call for 4-5 cups of fruit. Will these recipes work ok in my Zo machine???
Looking for a Strawberry/Banana jam recipe for the bread machine.. has anyone ever tried that before… tank you
No but I’ve done strawberry jam before x it was very nice . Just go with your instinct x see how it turns out
If processing jam in sterilized jars, don’t you have to put the sealing lid on as soon as you fill the jars? I always thought if you let it cool to room temperature without the lid, bacteria can form.
Yes, you should seal the lids onto the jars after you’ve added the jam or jelly. The resting time assumes the lids are on the jars. Boiling water processing for 10 minutes also inhibits the growth of bacteria.
Can you use liquid pectin in bread makers?
Thanks.
What can you use in place of pectin?
Yes 🙂
Hi I’m growing chillies and would like to use my bread maker to do jam but I can’t find a decent recipe. Can you help.
Thanks ?
Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
Here you go: https://www.breadmakermachines.com/recipes/hot-pepper-jelly-recipe/
🙂
I have seen bread machine jam recipes for everything but plum. Do you have one?
Thanks…Katy L
I am looking also for a plum jam I can make in my bread machine but I am interested in a plum/ginger jam…I found a recipe but it is not for the bread machine and too large for me to adapt it myself.
I’m also looking for a plum recipe. I love smuckers red plum jam but I bet homemade would be soooo much better! Looking forward to the recipe by the author.
Hi,
Looking forward to trying out these recipes. Please could you confirm the cup to gram conversion?
Claire
Hi Claire,
Let us know how it goes! We’re going to add 6 new jellies and jam recipes inthe next week or so – orange marmalade, hot peppers, pineapple, onion, tomato and pomegranate.
About converting cups to grams, check out this article: https://www.breadmakermachines.com/converting-weights-and-measures-for-your-bread-machine-recipes/.
Cups of sugar to grams: 1 cup of granulated white sugar equals ~200 grams.
Does anyone have a marmalade bread maker recipe
Hi Donna,
Here you go: Orange Marmalade Recipe
Hi Donna,
We will upload a marmalade bread maker recipe in the next few days. We will comment here again once it’s on our site!
HOW ABOUT ORANGE MARMALADE RECIPE FOR BREAD MACHINES?
THANKS SARA
I made the recipe in this article for apricot ham yesterday. It did not thicken very much. I made sure all the ingredients were measured correctly. Apricots by weight after peeling a few pitting. What did I do wrong?
I’m diabetic. Can I use a sugar substitute like Truvia or Splenda to make jam in my bread machine?
Hi Sara,
Here you go: Orange Marmalade Recipe
Hi Sara,
Great idea!
I will add it to the list of recipes we are planning to make. The list is very long so it may take some time 🙂
You can check the full list so far right here: https://www.breadmakermachines.com/full-bread-maker-machines-recipes-list/
The recipe for plum jam on my Panasonic bread maker says to use half the amount of sugar to plums. Would this be ok? Other recipes I have found say to use equal sugar to fruit?
Hi Liz, I’m not sure that cutting the sugar in half is a good idea and it has nothing to do with sweetness. Sugar and heat are two of the things that help a liquid or fruit to gel into a jelly or jam upon cooling. If the recipe also calls for the addition of pectin, that would compensate for less sugar. If it doesn’t you might end up with plum syrup.
Very greatful for the recipes! only thing I am wondering is how much does each recipe make?how many jars will be needs?
Hi!
About 3 to 4 8-ounce jars would be the right amount.
What about cherry jam?
Hi David,
You can make cherry jam.
The cherries need to be pitted and chopped in a food processor or blender. You could also reduce them to cherry juice in a juicer or strain after using the food processor or blender. The best recipe would be any recipe for berries like blueberries or strawberries. You may need to add some pectin (Knox gelatin) to help firm up the jam or jelly which is a standard addition to any jam or jelly made with juice.
I dont want to use sugar? Can I use honey or something else instead?
Hi,
Yes you can substitute honey for sugar in a jam or jelly recipe in your bread machine, but here are a few things you need to be aware of. For one, natural sugar has certain gelling or setting properties when brought to the proper temperature. This helps the jam or jelly to set and create a firm texture. Honey lacks some of these properties. There are two solutions. One is to use fruits high in natural pectin. Pectin is a thickening agent that creates a gel. These fruits include: Peaches, apples, oranges, grapefruit and apricots contain the highest amount of pectin among fruits. For example, one small peach contains 0.91 gram of pectin, while 1 cup of apple slices contains 0.654 gram of pectin.
Another thing to consider is addition of pectin from a store-bought source. A common brand name for this type of product is “Know gelatin.” I would add a package to any jam or jelly recipe made with honey and you may find you need to add two. You’ll have to experiment but don’t be surprised if your first effort results in a syrup. In that case, enjoy the syrup on some pancakes and try, try again. (-:
i have a panasonic bread maker it hasent got a jam setting button what setting do i need for making jam
Hello Elizabeth,
Good news and bad news if you want to make a jam or jelly and don’t have a jam or jelly setting on your bread machine. The good news is you can use the basic white bread setting to mix, mash and start your jam or jelly.
The bad news is that the jam and jelly setting on bread machines gets to a higher temperature than any other setting on the machine. The setting also maintains the heat longer. The high heat is necessary to allow the sugar, gelatin or pectin and the natural pectin in fruit to sufficiently gel when chilled.
Our recommendation is that you try it with the white bread setting and pour the jam or jelly into sterilized jars, cap, let them rest at room temperature for an hour and refrigerate. You may get lucky and have a nicely gelled jam or jelly or you may end up with a fruit syrup. That would be really good on pancakes or waffles, but it may not be what you want. If you have success it’s probably due to higher amounts of natural pectin in certain fruits. If you don’t have success there are a couple of alternatives
You could start the white bread setting again and run it for a second time. Unfortunately that would take about 7 hours to run the basic white setting twice.
The best solution is to take the fruit syrup either directly from the bread machine or from your jelly jars and pour it into a saucepan and heat it over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. You have to stir constantly. Once it starts to boil reduce it to medium to medium-low heat. You want the bubbling to continue, but if it becomes robust you could get burned. Sugar in anything makes everything extremely hot. After 5 minutes of gentle boiling and constant stirring, remove the saucepan to a cold burner and let it rest for 5 minutes. Pour it back into sterilized canning jars and seal, let rest at room temperature for an hour and refrigerate. You should have a better result and a consistency more like the jam or jelly you want.
One thing to keep in mind you do anything like running a setting or finish on the stovetop, you should try the basic white bread setting; jar the jelly or jam and assess the result after refrigeration.
Hope this helps
Thanks,
Steve
can I freeze the jelly or jam that I make?
Hi, yes you can!
I have purchased Jam Sugar, is this ok to use in these recipes?
Hi Tricia,
Yes, jam sugar is fine
Hi I have lots of homegrown tomatoes and basil. I wonder if I could make tomato and basil jam (preserve) in my bread maker
Good question will also try-!!!
Hi Julie!
Sorry for the late response –
All you would have to do is blend the tomatoes and the basil and substitute for other fruits in the same proportion.
Can the bread machine be used to make preserves with the jam/jelly setting? If it can, does anyone have a recipe for tomato preserves?
Can i ask why all these jam’s only last for up to 4 weeks in the fridge?
As in the past when making jam on the gas top, they last for months without going in the fridge.
The 4 weeks is the safe shelf life for an unprocessed jam or jelly. If the jelly is processed in a hot water bath in sterilized jars the shelf life could be up to 6 months
i have a oster bread machine and it has makiing jams and jellies on the front of the machine but i cant find the setting on the top for it
Hi, I was wondering if if I use juice to make jelly in the breadmaker, should I reduce it first to get a thicker consistency? Great article by the way, it was really helpful.
No need to reduce the juice. The sugar and the recipe make it all work.
Can this be done by water bath canning method? I’d like to be able to ship this this across the country.
Hi Anna,
Jelly made in the bread machine can be jarred and processed in a water-bath. Check canning timetables on the Internet for jams and jellies to determine the proper amount of time.
Steve.
how do you make grape jam in the bread machine with Real Grapes ? thank you
Hi Dawn,
The one trick is to use seedless grapes and then decide if you want to peel the skins. A simple way to do that is to drop the grapes into boiling water for 30 seconds and then scoop them into ice water for a minute. The grape skins should split and you can just pull the peels off. I would then chop the grapes and add them to the bread pan in the amount indicated by the recipe and you should get a good result.
Hope that helps,
Steve