Pink Grapefruit and Vanilla Bean Jam ~ I bet you’ve never tasted it, but that just means you’ll be all the more amazed when you do…this small batch vanilla scented grapefruit jam is unforgettable!
Citrus jam is something you must experience. I’ve been experimenting with them for a while now, and I think they have such a bright, fresh, not-too-sweet flavor that puts them in a category all by themselves. If you’ve tried my CLEMENTINE JAM or my BLOOD ORANGE JAM you know what I mean.
This citrus jam is a little different because grapefruit has a characteristic bitter flavor which most people either love or they don’t. You can adjust the amount of sugar you use to either accentuate or tone down this bitterness, but it will be there no matter what, so if you’re not a fan of bitter flavors, this probably isn’t the recipe for you. Another way of putting it is ~ if you like marmalade, then you will probably like this.
Pink grapefruit jam is heavenly on a thick slice of whole grain toast, or with warm scones and biscuits…
how to prep your grapefruit for jam
Remove the peel from your grapefruits by slicing off the top and bottom, and then around the fruit with a sharp serrated knife to remove the outer peel and any white pith. I slice them thickly and then am careful to remove any seeds.
I then puree the fruit in my food processor or blender. It will be like pulpy juice at this point. It goes into a pot and onto the stove for about 45 minutes, give or take.
TIP: You want to use a heavy bottomed pot for jam making so the fruit cooks evenly and doesn’t scorch. I use cast iron or a good quality stainless steal. A heavy nonstick pot will work, too.
how long will this jam last?
This is a small batch, refrigerator jam, it will keep up to 2 months in the refrigerator, or you can freeze it for up to a year.
how to use your grapefruit jam
I love to eat this jam on toast, biscuits, and scones, but I also love it swirled into Greek yogurt.
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Grapefruit and Vanilla Bean Jam
Ingredients
- 5-6 large pink grapefruits, about 5-6 pounds, you can also use Ruby Red grapefruit
- 1 1/2 cups sugar, or more to taste
- 2 vanilla beans
Instructions
- Remove the rind from the grapefruits. Thickly slice the fruit and then cut or break apart into pieces. Discard any seeds.
- Puree the fruit in a food processor or blender, and then pour it into a heavy bottomed pot, along with the sugar.
- Cut the vanilla beans in half and then make a slit down the length of each piece. Pry the beans open with the tip of your knife and scrape out the seeds, adding them to the pot with the grapefruit. Throw the pods right in, too.
- Bring the pot up to a boil, then turn down and boil for about 40-50 minutes. You won’t have to tend it much at first, but toward the end you’ll need to keep an eye on it and stir often to prevent scorching. It will be greatly reduced, darker, and thicker at about the 40 minute mark. The longer you boil it the thicker the jam will be, but I found about 45 minutes was sufficient. Remove the vanilla bean pods and discard.
- Pour the hot jam into jam jars and let cool before covering and refrigerating. Use within 2 months, or freeze.
Notes
- Try using cardamom instead of the vanilla beans.
- Turn this into a hot pepper jam by adding chopped habanero peppers toward the end of the cooking process. See my Pink grapefruit habanero jam for inspiration.
Nutrition
Just finished putting the jam in my quilted jelly jars. The color is beautiful and the jam is very tasty. I love grapefruits and will certainly enjoy this. So easy will definitely make this again.
Thanks Michele 🙂
My mother-in-laws grapefruit tree yields a couple of hundred fruit, at least. So good, but what to do with all the fruit.
I’m so happy i found your recipe, as I wasn’t looking forward to a major marmalade production, days in the making … and so much work.
Your recipe was ideal, no fuss and simple to follow. I used white grapefruit and followed the rest of the recipe exactly. The boil took about forty minutes to complete, for the perfect consistency.
We enjoy our marmalade, so the bitter-sweet flavour of your jam came as no surprise. It’s so yummy. Thanks!
Thanks so much! I’m so glad that you liked this one, I love the mix of slightly bitter fruit with the vanilla, so sophisticated 🙂
Sue..I’ve only made jams and marmalade a few times. I’ve always fillled, capped, then boiled the jars to preserve the content. Will you please explain why your recipe.. and others I’ve read don’t use this canning method? I’m considering using the idea of cardamom, so thanks for that idea.
As long as the ph of your jam is 4.6 or lower, you can can it, Darlene. Since I’m not much of a canner, (I prefer small batch jams,) I didn’t test the ph on this one.
I’m so excited to get this recipe! I just moved to Arizona last year and I have a gorgeous grapefruit tree! As soon as they’re ripe, I’m going to make this recipe and give it as gifts to all my friends!
I have a huge grapefruit tree in my yard too, Cheryl, but mine produces white grapefruit. This year I’m going to try this recipe with them.
I made this as you directed. Poured it into the jars and refrigerated overnight. It is still more like a dip than a spread. Tastes very good , but not what I wanted. Any suggestions?
Hey Gail ~ it sounds like your jam didn’t get cooked quite long enough. You can actually reheat it and cook it longer. It should get dark and thick toward the end of cooking, and you can always check by putting a drop on a cold plate that’s been in the freezer. The jam should thicken as it cools on the plate, if not, it needs more cooking.
I tried to make the jam. The grapefruit made my finger pruney and i had to stop myself from eating it. It didn’t come out as expected. I miss read and did not realize I needed to boil it for 40 to 50. Instead I simmered it and it never really thickened until I figured out my mistake. I love grapefruit it’s tart and bitter but light. Cooking it down took away what I loved about grapefruit and the bitterness of the jam is so shocking. It really is not good. It could be extra bitter because how long I took to cook it (3hrs total)or it could be that way. But I’m not wasting 5 to 6 beautiful grapefruits again to find out.
Also people who leave comments may you also leave comments about the product. It’s great to see feed back about what others went through. Half the comments were just blowing smoke and most never wrote wether they even made it.
Sorry to hear this didn’t work out for you JaCara ~ cooking the 3 hours may have had something to do with it, but I will say that this is definitely slightly bitter, in the way that a marmalade might be. It’s a pleasant, but different, flavor I think. Did you use the vanilla bean? I find that balances out the bitterness of the grapefruit, too.
I would like to make this jam but was wondering…can this be water bathed?
I can’t say for sure because it hasn’t been ph tested for safe canning.
So often jam is only made with the juice of fruit… so I love how you’ve used the entire fruit in this scrumptious jam Sue! I absolutely love grapefruit so long as it has a bit of sugar with it – so this is just what I love (with those scones.. OMGgggg!). My hubs would LOVE this! And you had me at Vanilla Bean! Thank you for sharing Sue! 😀
haha, of course I had you at vanilla bean 😉
What a beautiful pot of jam! I am not a grapefruit lover but my husband is. Perhaps this would work for a Father’s Day breakfast! Now that would be a surprise!
Nice idea ~ You’ve just reminded me I need to get my dad something!!
I am a huge fan of homemade jam and must make this for my daughter, who is a huge fan of grapefruit jam 🙂 Love the vanilla with it.