Easy Rhubarb Jam (Three Ingredients, No Pectin)

My gorgeous home-made rhubarb jam recipe is perfect for toast and crumpets. This quick and simple small-batch recipe produces a couple of delicious pots from three simple ingredients and needs no pectin or preserving sugar.

Method included for making rhubarb and ginger jam too.

Easy rhubarb jam

Rhubarb jam is easy to make and one of the first preserves that many cooks learn. If you have never braved jam making, this rhubarb jam recipe will convert you. It’s very simple to make, and I find that it takes only a few minutes at the stove, thanks to my favourite small batch method. 

New season rhubarb is the prettiest pink, and is ideal for making a couple of pots of small batch jam. It is a short season and the fruit is more expensive (if you don’t grow your own. However this richly flavoured, pretty pink jam is just too good not to make.

Of course you can use regular rhubarb in this recipe and still make a delicious jam, but it will not have the same blush pink colour. 

We have added just a hint of ginger for a rhubarb and ginger jam here but it is entirely optional. I’ll give you some more options for extra flavourings at the end of the recipe.

Do I need pectin?

No. This rhubarb jam recipe doesn’t use added pectin. The natural pectin in the rhubarb and the lemon juice sets it very well.

Jam or conserve: what’s the difference?

This rhubarb jam recipe is technically a conserve method, but most people use the terms interchangeably.

In a conserve, whole raw fruit is mixed with the sugar before you start, to draw out the juice and produce a syrup. You then heat the mixture to dissolve any remaining sugar, before boiling to a setting point. This keeps the cooking time to a minimum and retains the fresh flavours of the fruit. You also keep the shape of the fruit pieces (depending what fruit you use). 

In a jam, you cook the fruit, add the sugar, heat to dissolve, then boil to setting point.

Rhubarb & Ginger Jam Ingredients

• Rhubarb – I’ve used new season forced rhubarb for the delicate flavour and pretty colour. Any rhubarb will do, however – from the garden, market or even a bag of frozen rhubarb pieces (this is a fantastic budget all year round option). The rhubarb you use will affect the colour of the final jam.
• Ginger – Optional. I like a hint, but not too much. You can use fresh ginger root, jarred stem ginger in syrup or crystallized ginger. 
• Sugar – Regular granulated white sugar. 
• Lemon – Juiced

Easy Rhubarb Jam Recipe

Step One – Wash your rhubarb. Trim the ends and cut into 1″/2.5 cm pieces.

Step Two – Put the rhubarb and ginger root (if using) in a bowl, and pour the sugar over. Cover and leave overnight. The sugar will draw out the juice from the rhubarb making a pink syrup.   

When making rhubarb and ginger jam you need to tread lightly, because you can increase the heat but getting rid of it is harder. Give the mixture a stir and taste the syrup. If there is enough ginger flavour, then remove and discard the ginger root. If you want more leave it in while you cook the jam.

Step Three – Sterilize & warm clean jam jars and lids by placing them on a baking tray in the oven at 120°C/250°F/GM1.

Step Four – Transfer the rhubarb and sugar mixture to a large saucepan (about 8″ / 20cm diameter) or preserving pan, and simmer gently until all the sugar is dissolved. This will take about 5-10 minutes.  It is important to simmer to dissolve the sugar. This will prevent the jam from crystallising at a later stage. The pieces of fruit will still be whole for now.

Step Five – Once the sugar has dissolved, add the lemon juice.

Step Six – Bring the jam to a rolling boil. Be careful to avoid splashes as the mixture is very hot!

Step Seven – As the jam reduces, the appearance of the boil will change, and you can start testing for setting point. I use a digital probe thermometer for the first indication but there are several ways to check set (see below). 

Let the jam cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to the prepared jars. I find the easiest way to do this is to ladle the jam into a jug and then pour into the jars, using a jam funnel to catch the drips.

Very occasionally jars can crack, so I always stand them in a roasting tin when filling.

Finally, seal the lids while the jam is still hot. As it cools, you’ll hear the lids pop as the vacuum forms. It’s always a satisfying sound when making a batch of jam.

Checking the set

• The first way to check is by temperature, using an accurate electronic thermometer. The jam should reach 105°C/221°F. Once this happens, you know that it should be ready. You should, however, use temperature as a guide. Thermometers can be inaccurate and a pan of boiling preserve will have some hot spots. Always check using one of the other methods below too. 
• The traditional way to test for jam set is by dropping a little onto a chilled plate. Before you start, put a small plate in the freezer to chill. Once the jam is boiling, you can start testing. Drop a little jam on the plate and let it cool. When you push your finger through, look for a wrinkle ahead of your finger. When you see this, your rhubarb jam is ready. This technique takes a bit of practice.
• Finally, you can test by checking the way that the jam runs off a spoon. Take a little from the pan and turn the spoon vertically so that the jam falls. If it all runs off, it won’t set. If, however, a little remains on the spoon in a sort of wide drip, the jam is ready.
  Again, this works best with a little practice. The great benefit of making small batches of jam is that by making little and often, you learn to recognise when the jam is done and will be able to see when it is ready by its appearance.
• For more detailed notes on jam setting points, see my blackberry and apply jelly recipe.

If you are in doubt about whether the jam is ready, put it in the jars sooner rather than later. It is easier to fix a runny jam than an overcooked one.

How to check your jars have sealed 

It is crucial to check your jars have sealed. If you were in the kitchen, you should have heard the little pops as the lids as the jam cooled. 

Leave the jars out for 24 hours, and press the centre of each one. The centre of the lid should stay put it, showing that it is sealed. The jar can now be put away.   

If the centre of the lid pops up when released, it isn’t sealed properly. I have two solutions to this. If you have several unsealed jars, you can open them all and reboil the jam. If there’s just one, put it in the fridge to eat straight away.

Rhubarb & Ginger Jam Recipe – Ingredient Ratios 

We usually make jam by ratios, which makes it far easier to scale up and down.

• Equal weight of fruit and sugar. 
• Juice of half a lemon per 4oo g of fruit. 
• A thumb sized piece of ginger per 400 g fruit will make a jam with a strong but not overpowering ginger flavour. 

Rhubarb Jam – Hints Tips and Variations 

One of the reasons we love small batch preserving is that you can experiment with the recipe.

Flavour variations

• Ginger – Use root ginger, stem ginger or crystallised ginger. If using crystallised or stem ginger, you can chop it finely and leave in the jam but if you are using a chunk of raw root ginger, take it out. I love a piece of Thai ginger or galangal. 
• Vanilla – Add some vanilla extract as you reach setting point.
• Cardamom – Add a few pods along with the sugar. Remove before cooking.
• Thai Ginger and Chilli – Trust me, this makes EPIC rhubarb jam. Infuse a piece of Thai ginger and a dried chilli in with the rhubarb and the sugar. Taste and remove before cooking, or leave for a stronger flavour.

Troubleshooting 

• If your set is too soft, then you can either boil the jam up again, and re-pot, or leave for a few months as it will thicken in the jar. 
• If the set is too solid, but the flavour is good, you can add a little water and recook. Be careful, though, as it is easy to caramelize the sugar. 
  • Add a little water, heat and serve on ice cream or pancakes
  • Melt the jam, whisk with vinegar and BBQ sauce for a fruity BBQ glaze or marinade. 
  • Beat it into buttercream for a fruit flavoured frosting. 
• If the jam has started to caramelize, you probably can’t rescue it. Just throw it away. 
• My jam has gone mouldy. This can happen for a number of reasons. Perhaps the jar wasn’t sealed or you didn’t sterilize the jars. It can also happen if you used bruised or damaged fruit. Throw the jam away as the taint goes far beneath the surface. 

How long does rhubarb jam last?

If you have jam correctly and used fresh, undamaged fruit, and the lid has sealed properly, your jam should last for years. Store it in a cool dark cupboard. It will thicken and darken over time. 

Once opened, I store jam in the fridge. This is largely due to a lack of cupboard space, and because we have several pots of jam and jelly on the go at once. Homemade jam will be fine in a cupboard for four weeks after opening.

This rhubarb jam is delicious served on a slice of freshly baked no yeast bread or spread on a slice of fruit loaf, with homemade butter.

More jam recipes

If you enjoyed this rhubarb jam recipe, why not try more small-batch preserving?

• Nectarine jam
• Blackberry jam
• Quince jelly
• Blueberry jam
• other jam recipes