Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam Recipe
For the past three days, my lunch has been flaky crackers, vegan cream cheese, and tomato jam. Not the most healthy meal, for sure, but I can’t help it. It’s so delicious! The secret is all in fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes and the perfect savory tomato jam recipe. And I have one of those things for you here- although you’ll have to get the tomatoes yourself. This tomato jam recipe is sweet, but leans more so towards the savory with a hint of spicy. It is spiced with warming cloves, savory cumin, and spicy ginger, and also onions and fresh chili pepper.
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Magical, Magical Tomatoes
Tomatoes- that botanical fruit, culinary vegetable, that I’m using like a fruit- hard to define, but who cares, they’re super delicious. Don’t thank the Italians for this one though- tomatoes are an American crop, with a history of domestication that goes back to the Aztecs. Red, yellow, purple or green, tomatoes are juicy and flavorful, bursting with ripeness and flavor. We really recommend you use farmer’s market or homegrown tomatoes for this recipe, or any other tomato you can find that is picked ripe (not picked green and ripened with gas). Tomatoes are high in glutamate, an amino acid that gives us the umami flavor. It’s the same savory deliciousness that is found in seaweed, meat, and mushrooms. That’s what makes this tomato jam super magical- it’s savory tomatoes, condensed to their savory best, in a fruity, sugar, jam application. Since tomatoes are naturally high in pectin (the substance that makes jam or jelly more solid), it’s also the perfect fruit to make jam with.
Love Tomatoes? Check out These Other Tomato Recipes!
- Heirloom Tomato Summer Watermelon Salad
- Fresh Tomato Soup with Crispy Garlic Toasts
- Lion’s Mane Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) in Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Summer Tomato Vegan Caprese Salad
- Cornbread with Roasted Tomato and Sunflower Seeds
Do I need to Peel or Seed my Tomatoes?
Please, please, PLEASE, do not peel or seed your tomatoes. So much flavor, texture, and nutrients are lost, not to mention perfectly good food is wasted, and a good amount of time is lost. It’s a little bit of a pet peeve of mine actually- the skin is the most nutritious part of the tomato, and there’s nothing that tastes bad about it. Aside from that, if you removed the skins or seeds in this recipe, not only are you making extra work for yourself but you’re loosing a lot of the greatness of the jam- the texture. The seeds and skins give you a little variation in each bite, so although some recipes have you remove your skins, I want to strongly recommend that for this savory tomato jam recipe we keep it skins on.
How to Make this Savory Tomato Jam Recipe
The rule to making this delicious savory tomato jam recipe is low and slow. Sure, we add some spices and some flavors, but the best flavor you’ll find is already inside the tomato, and with some time and gentle heat, we can get the best taste from it. So step one is chopping your vegetables, and adding all the ingredients for the jam in a large pot. Step two is bringing the heat up to a boil, and reducing it to medium-low, stirring occasionally. Step three is to let that tomato mixture reduce for at least one hour- maybe two or more, stirring occasionally as you go. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you scrape your spoon on the bottom of the pot and liquid doesn’t come pouring in to fill the area you just uncovered. If you’re really having trouble getting it to set, you can cheat a little and add a tablespoon or two of pectin.
Sweet and Savory Tomato Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb. fresh tomatoes
- 1 serrano pepper (or another chili)
- ½ medium sized onion
- ½ cup white sugar
- 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- Pinch of ground ginger
- Pinch of ground cloves
Instructions
- Wash and core the tomatoes and chop into 1-inch cubes. Seed your chili pepper and mince, and mince the onion as well. Add the vegetables along with all the other ingredients into a large pot.
- Heat the pot on high until it begins to bubble, then reduce to medium-low, allowing it to slowly reduce. Stir every 5 or so, scraping down the sides of the pot as you go. Continue to reduce for at least one hour, stirring more frequently as it reduces. It is done once it’s achieved its jam-like state- it’s done if you scrape the jam from the bottom of the pan, and no liquid fills in the area you uncovered, you’re good to go.
- Allow to cool to room temperature, and store in a sealed container in the fridge.
Notes
Serving Tips:
For a great snack or appetizer, top crackers with some vegan cream cheese and savory tomato jam.
Take advantage of the tomato jam’s chutney-like qualities, and serve it with samosas.
Give it a starring role in your next charcuterie board.
Move over catsup- this savory tomato jam is the perfect condiment on your next veggie burger.
Switch it out for the hollandaise in these vegan crab cakes.
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