Typically, at the end of the summer, I harvest way more tomatoes than I can consume fresh. When that happens, it's time to make tomato jam. Cook the tomatoes down, low and slow, until it becomes nice and jammy. Tangy, sweet, and in this case, packed with umami and spicy notes, and no pectin required: this tomato miso jam is an easy crowd pleaser!
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- Great use for summer tomatoes. Summer tomatoes are the gift that keeps on giving. But if you've made all the Caprese salads in the world and you're sick of making passata or confit, this is the way to go!
- Limited hands-on prep time. Some people like taking the peels off, but I think they add texture and nutrition! This tomato miso jam requires limited hands-on preparation, making it the perfect weekend activity!
- Super versatile. I love slathering this on toast, on bruschetta, on pasta, on tacos, honestly, it's such a versatile condiment!
📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need fresh summer tomatoes, miso paste, habanero peppers, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, cumin and apple cider vinegar.
Notes and Variations
- Types of summer tomatoes: You can use almost any type of summer tomato. I used Sungold cherry tomatoes and Cherokee Purples. The two characteristics to watch out - sweetness and water content. If your tomatoes are not sweet, you could increase the sugar content. If your tomatoes are naturally too watery, you might consider coring them.
- Spice tolerance: I used two habanero peppers since we love a good spicy note in our jams. However, you can swap this with red chili flakes, jalapeno peppers, or leave it out altogether!
📖 Step-by-step instructions
This recipe is going to blow your mind with how easy it is. You literally wash the tomatoes, chop them up if they're large, throw them in a skillet or sauce pan along with the other ingredients, and then let them cook down for about 2 hours on low-medium heat.
So, with almost no active time, no canning or pectin, tomato jam is done!
👩🏽🍳Top tips and FAQs
You can use it like any other jam! I usually slather it on toast, add it to pizza, tacos, or even top up my pasta with it sometime!
Tomatoes are full of water, so it takes a while for them to cook down. Typically, the jam also thickens more once you take it off the heat.
Well, jam has more of a jammy consistency! Ketchup is typically made with boiled, pureed tomatoes with spices added after, while jam is made with all the spices upfront.
No! I use whole tomatoes (sometimes sliced to speed up cooking process). I like the texture of skins in my jam and it preserves more of the nutrients that way. But if you want to peel them, you can either freeze the tomatoes first (then the skins slide right off while you thaw) or you can boil and peel first before making the jam.
No! You can substitute with jalapeno peppers, red chili flakes, or leave it out altogether if you don't want the spice.
No, this is not a canning recipe. Store the tomato miso jam in the fridge in an airtight container and consume within two weeks!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
Tomato jam stores well in the fridge in an airtight container for about two weeks. But honestly, it never lasts that long in my house! I don't recommend freezing the jam because I find it gets clumpy and then once, thawed, very crystalline. If you have a ton of tomatoes and want to freeze it, I suggest making tomato passata instead!
If you like this recipe, check out my other tomato recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Tomato Miso Jam
Ingredients
- 2 lbs tomatoes
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1.5 tablespoons miso paste, I used white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 habanero pepper, adjust to spice tolerance
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a pot over medium heat. Cook over medium heat for 75 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Your jam is ready when it coats the back of a serving spoon like a thick, viscous consistency!
Notes
- Types of tomatoes: Try to use fresh garden tomatoes (I used a combination of Sungold cherry tomatoes and some vine tomatoes). Roma tomatoes are also excellent, but make sure to core large tomatoes (otherwise it gets watery!)
- Reducing amount of sugar: I use ⅔rds cup of sugar. I find that reducing it more than that makes the jam taste like marinara.
- Adjust seasoning: I use simple seasoning here, but you can also add star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and any other warm spices.
- Thickening the jam: You ideally want all the extra water to evaporate and for the tomatoes to cook down to a thick consistency that coats the back of your spoon. The jam does thicken after you take it off the heat!
- Skin versus no skin: I like leaving the skins on because, it's easier that way and the skin is where all the nutrients are! But if you don't like the texture of the skin you can remove it two ways: either freeze the tomatoes and then thaw them (the skin slides right off) or you can boil and then remove the skins.
Is this fresh or powdered ginger?
I use frozen ginger! Typically scrape and freeze them 1 teaspoon increments, but you're welcome to use powdered ginger too (I would probably reduce the amount since it can sometimes be more concentrated in flavor that way).