Red Currant Jam

By
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith
Leda Meredith is a food writer and certified botanist who has written five books on foraging and preserving food.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 10/13/22
Red currant jam in a glass jar and on a spoon, set on a plate

The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Canning Time: 5 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 64 servings
Yield: 2 pints

Currants naturally possess a perfect combination of pectin and acidity, which ensures a good gel without the need to add commercial pectin. The result is a delicious jam with a color as brilliant as that of the fruit.

Currant jam is both sweet and tart in flavor. It can be used in many ways, such as spreading on bread, serving with roast lamb, or as a delicious topping for homemade vanilla ice cream.

This is for a small batch recipe because currants can be both difficult to find and expensive unless you grow your own. But if you are blessed with an abundance of them, by all means, double the recipe.

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Ingredients

  • 1 quart (900 grams) ripe red currants

  • 2 1/4 cups (510 grams) sugar

  • 1/4 cup (59 milliliters) water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Red currant jam ingredients gathered

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. Wash the currants and remove them from their stems.

    Red currants in a glass bowl with currant stems adjacent on a white plate

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. Place red currants and water in a large, non-reactive pot. Gently crush the currants with a potato masher.

    Red currants in large white pot with a potato masher

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. Add the sugar and cook the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, raise the heat to high and boil, stirring often, until the jam reaches the gel point.

    Red currants and sugar cooking in a large white pot with a thermometer in it

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Remove the red currant jam from the heat and skim off any foam that has formed on the surface.

    Skimming foam from cooked red currants in a large white pot

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  6. Ladle the hot jam into washed and sterilized jars leaving 1/4 to 1/2-inch headspace. Screw on canning lids. You can simply allow the jars to cool and then store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

    Red currant jam in glass jars with lids

    The Spruce Eats / Julia Hartbeck

Canning

  • If you are canning the jam, you can place a canning kettle full of water on to boil at the same time as you wait for the jam to boil. When the canning kettle water reaches a simmer, use it to simmer the jars and lids for 5 minutes to sterilize your canning jars. Then fill jars as instructed in the recipe, and place lids on the jars. Use a jar rack, if you have one, to lower the filled jars into the boiling water in the canning kettle. Make sure there is at least an inch of water over the jars. Boil for 10 minutes, lift the jars out of the water and let cool.
  • If the jam reaches the gel point before the jars are sterilized, simply remove the jam from the heat until the jars are ready. Reheat the jam, just barely back to a simmer, before filling the jars.
  • Jars of red currant jam that have been processed in a boiling water bath will keep unopened for up to one year. The jam is still safe to eat after that, but the quality will decline. Once opened, store the jars in the refrigerator just as you would with store-bought jams.

Tips

  • Freeze the currants, still on their stems, before the first step. It will be easier to remove them from the stems when they are frozen. No need to thaw the fruit before proceeding with the recipe.
  • Keep in mind that as with all jams, red currant jam will firm up as it cools. It will still be somewhat runny while it is still hot.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
31 Calories
0g Fat
8g Carbs
0g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 64
Amount per serving
Calories 31
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 0mg 0%
Total Carbohydrate 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 3mg 14%
Calcium 2mg 0%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 19mg 0%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)