Pineapple Jam Recipe - How to Make Pineapple Jam without Pectin

This homemade pineapple jam is my personal favourite. I love eating pineapples and I definitely love using the fruit to make sweet treats, including jams.

This pineapple jam is a great way to use up any leftover pineapples you might have. And it’s a great way to use up pineapples that are not quite sweet and therefore not that great to be eaten plain.

This jam recipe is a super simple and super easy recipe. After all, you only need 3 ingredients to make it – fresh pineapple, sugar, and lemon juice. And all you have to do with these 3 ingredients is to cook them over low heat until they thicken to a jam consistency! Easy right?

I often resort to making my own jams when I have fruits in abundance and there is no way we can finish eating them before they go bad. Jams are a great way to preserve these fruits and prevent them from going to waste. And they make great gifts too.

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Pectin in Jams

If you read the labels on commercially sold jams, you will often find the term pectin. And if you wonder what pectin is, it is a substance that is naturally present in fruits. This substance helps fruit jellies and jams to set to a jelly-like consistency.

The thing about pectin is that it is not always present at the same level in all fruits – some types of fruits have a naturally higher content of pectin while others do not. And in some fruits, pectin is present in higher amounts depending on their level of ripeness. Given this variance, commercially produced jams and jellies often carry pectin as a stand alone ingredient – so that the jams and jelly are of consistent texture.

Pectin can be purchased separately and added to jams if you like. However, if you are not into large scale jam-making, it may not be cost effective to purchase pectin. Which is where the lemon juice comes in handy. Lemon juice works in the same way pectin does in jams. It helps the jams and jellies to set to a jelly like consistency.

Having said that, depending on the fruits you are using for making jam, pectin or lemon juice may not even be necessary (i.e. when the fruits used have a naturally high pectin content). In the case of pineapples, however, the level of pectin in the fruit is naturally low. Hence, the need for the lemon juice in the recipe.

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How to Make Pineapple Jam without Pectin

Check out my video here on how to make pineapple jam:

Ingredients

• Fresh pineapple
• Sugar
• Lemon juice

Preparing the pineapple

I use fresh pineapple to make my jam. The first step when using fresh pineapples is to cut and prepare the fruit.

I have a separate post written here (including a video) on how to cut a pineapple without waste, including tips on how to choose a ripe pineapple and you can check my techniques there. In short, below are the steps you need to take in cutting a pineapple:

1. Chop off the top and bottom sections of the fruit.
2. Place the pineapple upright on a chopping board and cut out a thin layer of the skin from top to bottom. In doing this, you should only be attempting to remove the coarse skin and not the ‘eyes’.
3. If there are any spots with the green or orange skin still on the fruit, cut them off too. At this stage, you will have a pineapple without its skin but with its eyes.
4. Next is cutting out the eyes. Start from the bottom of the fruit and make small wedged cuts to remove the eyes. You can do this 2 or 3 eyes at a time. Also, you will notice that the eyes are often present in a spiraled pattern around the fruit. Follow this pattern as you cut the small wedges to remove them.
5. Once the eyes are all removed, cut the pineapple into quarters, lengthwise.
6. For each quarter, cut out the core. You will see a line that separates the core and the fruit, so simply use it as a guide to cut out the core.

Cutting the pineapple and preparing the ingredients

1. Cut each quarter of the fruit into smaller pieces and place them in a food processor.
2. Pulse the fruits until they are crushed. At this stage, if you want a smooth jam, process the fruits until they are fine. If you want tiny chunks of pineapple in your jam, you can pulse the fruits as such. To start making the jam, place the crushed pineapple into a medium-sized pot or pan.
3. Measure sugar into it.
4. Add the lemon juice.

Cooking the jam

1. Turn on the heat to a low flame and let the jam cook slowly. Keep stirring to avoid the bottom burning.
2. Continue to cook the jam over low heat for about 15 minutes. Once the jam starts to thicken, you can use a candy thermometer to check if the jam is ready. Ideally, the temperature should be 105 degrees Celsius (220 degrees Fahrenheit).
3. If you do not have a candy thermometer, you would need to check the timing of your cooking. After about 15 to 20 minutes of cooking on very low heat and when you see the consistency of the jam thickening, spoon some onto a plate. Let it cool slightly and push with a spoon. If you see a skin on the jam such that there are folds as you push the jam, it is ready.
4. Turn off the heat and let the jam cool completely before spooning it into a glass jar or container.

If you know the correct canning process, you can go ahead and can your jam. If you do not (like me), you can scoop your jam into a clean and dry glass jar and store the jam in the fridge.

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Notes

How to choose a ripe pineapple

• This jam is best made with a ripe pineapple. Check out my post here on tips for choosing ripe pineapples.

Can you use canned pineapple to make this jam?

• Yes, you can. Drain the pineapple and discard the syrup.

Can the jam be stored at room temperature?

• If you observe the proper canning procedures, you would be able to keep the jam in a pantry at room temperature. If not, the jam is best stored in the fridge. It should be able to last in the fridge for at least 1 month.

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Pineapple Jam Recipe

Here is the full printable version of my homemade pineapple jam recipe.

And that's pretty much my homemade pineapple jam recipe for you.

Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

• Small Batch Strawberry Jam - A Homemade Recipe without Pectin
• Mango Jam - 3 Ingredients Homemade Recipe
• Jam Filled Shortbread Cookies with Mango Jam
• Pineapple Nata Jelly - An Easy Tropical Konnyaku Dessert

Enjoy!