Vanilla Bean Pluot Jam Recipe ~ this easy small batch refrigerator jam is made with flavor packed pluots with a hint of vanilla bean for depth ~ it’s going to become your new favorite!
I had a lot of fun all day yesterday sharing plum recipes on facebook while I made my jam. Plums are so beautiful and so versatile. They come in such a huge array of colors, and I especially love the contrast between their skin and their flesh. I also think they’re the most photogenic fruit out there. If you want a visual treat, just type plums into the searchbar on Pinterest…
I actually used pluots for this jam, which are a cross between a plum and an apricot, combining the best of both. There are lots of different kinds of pluots, but they all have great flavor and a firm texture, which makes them perfect for baking and for jams. Pluots come in a huge array of colors, and the flesh of these Flavorosa pluots is awesome. These photos still didn’t quite capture their flaming fuchsia red color, but you get the idea. Flavorosa is a variety of that happens to have more of the characteristics of plums than apricots.
Pluots are in high season here in LA, but the rest of the country won’t be far behind. These hybrids are hot right now and getting more widely available every year, so look for them at farmer’s markets and at regular supermarkets. The stand I buy these from cuts them all up for tasting so you can see their brilliant colors and pick the one you like best.
This is no frills, simple simple jam making. I just chop the fruit, skin and all, and combine it with sugar and lemon juice in a pot. It bubbles away for about 45 minutes, and then cools in jars before hitting the refrigerator. I make small batches, meant to be consumed within a relatively short time, so no canning process necessary. This is how they do it in Europe.
Most people would peel the pluots before jam making. I see no reason to, since the peels add flavor, color and texture. If you want a smoother jam, peel the fruit with a serrated vegetable peeler. I can’t live without mine for the times when I need to peel soft fruit like plums and peaches, or tomatoes. Plums have lots of natural pectin, too, so you don’t need to add any. The long cooking time also serves to thicken the jam.
This jam isn’t an all day affair that takes over the kitchen and requires bushels of fruit. A small bag of pluots and an hour of your time is all it takes, and what a payoff!
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Vanilla Bean Pluot Jam
Ingredients
- 15 pluots, (or 1 1/2 lbs, after pitting and chopping)
- 2 cups sugar, about 1 lb
- juice of 1/2 a large lemon
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, optional
Instructions
- Cut the pluots in half, and slice or chop them up. Put the fruit, lemon juice, vanilla bean and sugar in a small heavy bottomed pot. Stir to combine and let sit, covered, for about 30 minutes to let the juices start to release.
- Bring the mixture up to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Let the mixture cook, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, stirring every once in a while. There will be a lot of foam at first, and it will die down as the jam cooks. Keep the heat high enough so that the fruit boils, but not so high that it scorches.
- After 45 minutes the jam should be dark, glossy, and thick. You can test it by dropping a small amount on a chilled plate. The jam should ‘gel’ as it cools. You should also be able to tell it is done just by looking at it. Remove the vanilla bean and add the vanilla bean paste, if using.
- Fill your jars, cap tightly, and let cool. Then refrigerate.
Nutrition
I have not made yet, I am going to try tomorrow,. Do I peel them and can I substitute real vanilla extract for the vanilla bean or just use the vanilla bean past? Also how long does this jam keep? I have never made refrigerator jams.
Hi Ellen ~ I don’t peel them, but you can if you like. And if you want to use vanilla extract, just add it at the end, after the cooking. It will last a few weeks in the fridge. Hope you love it!
How much does this recipe make?
Someone had gave me a few Pluots. So I want to find something to do with them and not lose them. Made this recipe. And I love it. My Dad always said when something was really good. Honey lock the kids in the closet, that’s too good to share. So of course we had to try it then. But yes this is very good!!!! So glad to get this!!!!
Lol love that Karlene. 🙂
We got into jam making in lockdown. I had a hard time finding a good pluot jam recipe – this one is great. Easy to make and tastes great. I used an immersion blender about halfway through boiling so the jam wouldn’t be so chunky (my kids like it smooth). Also I substituted vanilla extract for vanilla bean (I hate admitting that on a website which has vanilla bean in every recipe but I had no vanilla bean in the house so there you go). Final product tastes somewhat unique as compared to the more “traditional” jam types.
Awesome recipe and photos! I am lucky enough to have a pluot tree (Flavour King variety) in my garden and it’s now 6 years old and has near enough broken itself by being laden with fruit this year. Hence, I was surfing looking for some pluot jam recipes and came across your love;y recipe. One observation is that ‘This is how they do it in Europe’…they may do in mainland Europe, but we definitely don’t in the UK. I learned to make jam from my grandma and mother and here, we just use fruit and sugar, boil using a jam thermometer to ensure the mixture spends at least 10 minutes at a rolling boil (and must reach 104 degrees C to achieve a set) and fill sterilized jars with hot mixture no less than 90 degrees C, put lids on immediately, allow to coll and store straight in cupboard for up to a year. I’ve never yet had any spoil and my under stairs cupboard looks like an Aladdin’s cave of jewelled preserves whenever I go in. Homemade pluot jam in the midst of December…nothing can beat it 🙂 Thanks so much for your lovely recipe.
Thanks for the lovely comment, I’m so glad to meet you Reb! I think the Flavour Kings are my favorites, what a joy it must be to have a whole tree of them! I hope you try the jam, it was my husband’s all time favorite, and he’s been begging me to make more…but as a blogger I’m always onto new things!
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This looks wonderful!
Oh. My. Gosh.! Made this jam this morning and it is out of this world! I hope and pray I will find more Pluots at the market. Looked like I was buying the rest of the lot but will be keeping my fingers crossed. What a lovely little gifty this would make. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
I just bought more pluots yesterday to make more,my husband thinks it’s the best jam he’s ever had.
How much sugar???
There are 2 cups of sugar in this recipe.
I love pluots, this jam sounds so good. How long does in keep in the fridge?
This jam should keep at least a month, Laura!