This easy gooseberry jam recipe is a delicious classic preserve that’s so easy to make, with no need for added pectin. Make the most of this lovely summer fruit with a gorgeous small batch gooseberry jam that will light up the winter months.
Gooseberry jam
Tart, fresh gooseberries are a traditional summer treat, dainty peridot-coloured gems packed with intense fruity flavour and packed with vitamins and antioxidants. The sharp flavour profile of green gooseberries makes a delicious jam that is sweet but never cloying.
See also
- A dreamy, creamy gooseberry fool is perhaps the best known way to enjoy this delicious tart fruit.
- Gooseberry compote is perfect with cream, yogurt or in a summer trifle.
- To keep that summer flavour all year, make peach jam, an American favourite.
- Small batch preserves keep your store cupboards filled but manageable.
- Jam vs jelly, a guide to these traditional preserving techniques.
Goosegogs are an old British favourite, grown in England for at least 800 years and a huge favourite with the Victorians, who loved tart fruit and anything easy to grow.
Their fondness for this cottage garden staple resulted in popular gooseberry clubs with enthusiasts recording endless new varieties.
With sweeter imported soft fruits like strawberries, peaches and blueberries available year round in the supermarkets, gooseberries seemed to fall out of fashion for a while, but it is well worth rediscovering this delicious berry.
Try it in the classic gooseberry fools, compotes, trifles and pies – and on muffins, toast and crumpets in this wonderful small batch gooseberry jam recipe!
Easy gooseberry jam recipe
This easy small batch gooseberry jam recipe is no trouble at all, with just two ingredients (plus a little water) and no need for extra pectin. You just need equal weights of fruit and sugar.
This is a classic jam recipe rather than a conserve method. All this means is that you need to cook the fruit before you add the sugar (if you macerate gooseberries in sugar before cooking, the skins can harden, so don’t do it!).
I used regular tart green gooseberries for my jam. If you want to use sweet red dessert gooseberries, you will need to add the juice of a lemon along with the sugar, as these contain less pectin.
Why make gooseberry jam?
- An easy recipe with just two ingredients!
- High pectin fruit means the jam sets every time.
- A delicious, flavour-packed jam.
- This recipe is scalable and works for whatever quantity of fruit you have available.
Gooseberry jam ingredients
- Gooseberries – the classic green cooking gooseberry is tart and full of pectin, ideal for making jam. If you want to make jam with red dessert gooseberries, you will need to add some lemon juice.
- Sugar – regular granulated white sugar (not jam sugar with pectin, as the pectin is in the fruit)
How to make gooseberry jam – step by step
Before you start, read my step-by-step instructions, with photos, hints and tips so you can make this gooseberry jam recipe perfectly every time.
Scroll down for the recipe card with quantities and more tips at the bottom of the page.
Step One – Before you start, make sure you have clean, sterilized jars ready for the jam.
Then prepare the gooseberries by topping and tailing them, discarding any overripe or very soft fruit. Give the berries a quick wash.
Step Two – Transfer the gooseberries to a large pan and add a splash of water.
You only need a splash, so that the fruit does not burn as it cooks. If you add too much, the jam will take ages to reach setting point.
Helen’s Pro Tip
When you choose your pan, remember that you need plenty of space, and in particular, you need more depth than you might assume if you are not a regular preserver. The jam will rise up high in the pan as it cooks, occupying much more space than the cold ingredients. A tall pan will reduce the risk of splashes and scalds.
Step Three – Cover and simmer over a low heat, stirring from time to time until the gooseberries are soft. Use the back of the spoon to gently squash them against the side of the pan.
Don’t mash the gooseberries to a pulp, as you want the final jam to have some texture. You do, however, want to burst the berries open to release the juice.
Step Four – Add the sugar and stir it in. Heat gently and allow the jam mixture to simmer but not boil, until all the sugar has dissolved. With the quantities suggested, this will take about 5–10 minutes. You can add a splash more water if you think you need to, but this will make the next step take longer.
Less experienced preservers may think this looks like a lot of sugar. Don’t be tempted to reduce the sugar, as the jam will not set and will spoil.
While you are cooking the jam on the stove top, heat your jam jars and lids in the oven so that they will not crack when you fill them. I heat a Pyrex style jug too, so that I can use it to fill the jars without making a mess.
Step Five – Slowly bring the gooseberry jam up to boiling point and continue to cook until it reaches setting point (105°C / 221°F).
Stir frequently, and scrape the bottom of the pan as you cook so that none of the fruit catches and burns. This will take about 10 minutes, depending on the size and shape of your pan.
Step Six – As you approach setting point, the jam will thicken and you will see a change in the bubbles in the jam as they become larger and more defined. Now take the jam off the heat.
How to test for setting point
This is the only tricky bit of making jam: checking it’s hot enough to set, so that when cool, it will be jam rather than liquid.
The temperature test. Digital jam thermometers are affordable and are much easier to read than traditional jam thermometers. Heat the jam to the setting point (usually 105°C/221°F) and once your jam is there, you know it should be ready.
Caution: Use temperature only as a guide. Once the thermometer reads 105°C, I give the jam a good stir to get rid of any hot spots and then test with the wrinkle test.The wrinkle test. Place a couple of side plates in the freezer before you start making your jam. Once the jam is boiling, start testing by placing some on one of the plates. Allow it to cool on the plate. Then push your finger through the jam. If you see it wrinkle up ahead of your finger, it is ready. This technique takes a bit of practice.
The flake test. Take a spoonful from the pan and turn it vertically to tip out the jam. If the jam runs off, it hasn’t set. If, however, some sticks to the spoon in a sort of wide drip that doesn’t fall, the jam is ready. Again, this works best with some practice. You are looking for a change in behaviour from the jam.
For more in-depth coverage, read my full guide to jam setting point and guide on how to fix runny jam.
Step Seven – If your jam is not ready to set, cook a little longer.
Once you are at setting point, transfer the hot gooseberry jam to the warmed Pyrex jug and let it cool for 10 minutes.
This is long enough for the jam to thicken sufficiently to stop the pieces of fruit rising to the top. Stir and check that the gooseberries remain evenly distributed.
If the fruit starts to float to the top, leave for another 5 minutes before checking again.
Step Eight – Transfer your jam into the warm, sterilized jars. A jam funnel is very useful here.
Helen’s Pro Tip
Very occasionally a jar can shatter. This has only happened to me twice in all the years I have been making jam, but be prepared. Stand the jars in a roasting tin, just in case. This will also catch any drips, making the clean up process easier.
Finally, wipe away any drips and seal the jars with the lids, making sure they are secure. Leave them to cool. Before you put them away, check that they have sealed properly.
There is a little dimple in the lids of modern jam jars that will pop down as the jam cools, creating a secure seal. If not, you should be able to pop it down with a gentle pressure. If it does not stay depressed, the jar is not well sealed.
A jar that won’t seal properly should be treated as if it has already been opened. Keep it in the fridge once cool and treat it as if already open, eating it within a few weeks.
Serving suggestion
This gooseberry jam is delicious in all the usual ways you enjoy jam. Try it on toast, muffins or crumpets, or add a little goosegog jam to rice pudding!
Variations
Add a glug of elderflower cordial once the sugar has dissolved, as you start to boil the jam, for a fragrant gooseberry and elderflower jam.
Storage
Check the jars are properly sealed. If any fail to seal, keep them in the fridge and use those first.
Sealed jars can be stored in a cool dark cupboard for up to 2 years.
Hints and tips
- Use green gooseberries for an easy set. If you have dessert gooseberries instead, you need to add lemon juice.
- Even if you have sterilized the jars beforehand, you still need to heat them. If you pour hot jam into cold jars, you increase the risk of the jars shattering.
- Using a jug and a jam funnel makes life so much easier.
Gooseberry jam recipe – ingredient ratios & yield
I used 700 g gooseberries and the same quantity of sugar, which yielded 4 smallish 220 ml jars (just under 4 cups).
You can work to the exact quantity of prepared fruit you have. If you have a lot of fruit, however, you may find it more practical to split it and make your jam in small batches.
FAQs
Gooseberry jam tends to turn out in shades of gold, orange or pink. Changes in acidity as it cooks and the breakdown of the fruit produce a colour change. It’s normal and nothing to worry about.
No. The hairy effect will disappear when the berries are cooked.
No. I know it looks like a huge amount of sugar, but it is the sugar that preserves the fruit. You only eat a little jam at a time, so don’t worry too much.
Gooseberries – goose berries – are no particular favourite of geese, and though gooseberry sauce has sometimes been served with poultry, the name may have come first.
It is likely that gooseberry is a corruption of either the French word groseille, meaning currant, or the German Kräuselbeere.
Goosegog is an old, informal term for gooseberry in British English. The ‘gog’ part comes from ‘gobbet’, meaning a mouthful or morsel.
More jam recipes
- Easy plum jam – another old-fashioned favourite
- Mixed berry jam – an easy recipe for beginners
- Blackberry and apple jam – the classic forager’s jam
- A collection of the best jam and jelly recipes – all my favourite sweet preserves
Gooseberry Jam
Ingredients
- 700 g gooseberries
- 700 g sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the gooseberries by topping, tailing and washing them. Put the fruit in a pan with a splash of water and cook over a gentle heat until tender.If needed use a spoon to lightly press the gooseberries against the side of the pan to burst them. But do not mash to a puree.
- Add the sugar. Continue to gently simmer until the sugar is fully dissolved. While the jam is cooking, heat the jars, lids and jug in the oven, ready for use.
- Once the sugar has dissolved bring the jam mixture up slowly to the boil and then jam setting point (around 105°C / 221°F). Stir and scrape the base of the pan as you cook to prevent sticking and burning.
- Continue to cook on a high heat until the bubbles change, becoming larger and slower moving. Check for setting using a drip test or wrinkle test.
- When your jam is ready to set, take it off the heat and pour into the warmed jug. Leave to cool for ten minutes, so that the fruit will not sink.
- Pour the jam into the warmed jars, using a jam funnel to avoid mess if possible. Put the lids on tight and leave to cool.
- Before storing, check that the lids are depressed and well sealed.
Notes
Variations
Add a glug of elderflower cordial once the sugar has dissolved, as you start to boil the jam, for a fragrant gooseberry and elderflower jam.Storage
Check the jars are properly sealed. If any fail to seal, keep them in the fridge and use those first. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool dark cupboard for up to 2 years.Hints and tips
-
- Use green gooseberries for an easy set. If you have dessert gooseberries instead, you need to add lemon juice, about 2 tbsp for this quantity.
-
- Even if you have sterilized the jars beforehand, you still need to heat them. If you pour hot jam into cold jars, you increase the risk of the jars shattering.
-
- Using a jug and a jam funnel makes life so much easier.
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