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Instant Raw Jam

September 28, 2018 by PetraScott 20 Comments

raw jam with dried fruitRaw jam is not only easy and quick - possibly the quickest jam you've ever made, but it also has a very deep and intense flavor you've probably never tasted before. It's made entirely from dried fruit - no added sugar or pectin.

If you’ve ever read the label on a jar of store-bought jam, the sugar content will catch you by surprise. Store-bought jam is mostly made with corn syrup (or some other type of fructose-glucose syrup) and standard white sugar. Not to mention the amount of pectin used to thicken it up.

Jam made from dried fruit is the opposite of that. Since the fruit is dried, aka concentrated in natural sugar, there's no need to add additional sugar. Also, dried fruit has very low water content - dried apricots, for instance, contain only about 22% water - and so there's no need to add pectin or some other type of thickener.

Perhaps most importantly, when you dry fruit, its flavor magnifies, resulting in an intensely flavorful, delicious jam.

dried apricot jam recipe

Tips for Making Raw Jam

Ingredients

  • Dried fruit: the juicier the dried fruit, the better. I have made this raw jam using apricots, plums, cherries, and figs, and they all work great. As you might know, dried fruit is commonly treated with preservatives. The most common are sulfites, which not only prevent bacterial growth but also preserve the fruit color. Without preservatives, all dried fruit becomes dark-colored. The choice is yours. I try to purchase sulfite-free sun-dried fruit whenever possible. While it doesn't have the prettiest color and perhaps spoils quicker, it's chemical-free, which, in my opinion, is worth it. 
  • Maple syrup (optional): if you're not working with particularly sweet fruit, you might want to add a liquid sweetener. It's important to use liquid sweeteners because the liquid consistency helps with blending. You might have heard that liquid sweeteners are not ideal in jams because they don't adequately react with the fruit to set it. Well, that's not a problem for this recipe because we are not cooking the jam.

ingredients for dried apricot jam

How to Make Raw Jam

Dried fruit jam is about as easy as it gets:

  1. Soak the dried fruit. Since dried fruit contains less water than fresh, you'll want to rehydrate it first. Re-hydrating makes the fruit soft and easier to blend. So, add the fruit to a bowl, cover it with warm water and let it soak for a few hours. Once soaked, strain the fruit and discard the soaking water.
  2. Blend. Transfer the soaked fruit to a high-speed blender and blend on high until pureed. If your blender is struggling, add a little bit of water, 1 Tbsp./15 ml at a time, until the fruit breaks down into a smooth puree. You can blend the dried fruit until it's completely smooth, e.g., the dried apricot jam - or until the fruit has broken down but still has some texture, e.g., the dried cherry jam.

dried apricots in a Vitamix blender

how to make raw jam with dried apricots

How to Serve Dried Fruit Jam

Just like fresh fruit jam, dried fruit jam is very versatile. You can use it in place of jelly on a classic PB&J sandwich, spread it on crepes, use it as a topping for flaxseed porridge or chia pudding, stir it into yogurt, or place small spoonfuls in your next batch of thumbprint cookies.

If you are looking for some variation, add fresh ginger for some spice, lemon juice for tanginess, or a sprinkle or two of cinnamon for warmth. Experiment with what you like best, but just go lightly on the quantities.

How to Store Dried Fruit Jam

  • Refrigerating: transfer the jam to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 1 month.
  • Freezing: transfer the jam to an airtight container and freeze it for up to 3 months. 

dried cherries in a Vitamix blender

dried fruit jam

More Jam Recipes

  • Chia seed jam: chia jam is a great alternative to store-bought jam. It's raw, made with fresh fruit only, and thickened with chia seeds.

If you try any of these recipes, please, leave a comment and rate the recipe below. It always means a lot when you do.

raw jam
Print Recipe
4.75 from 4 votes

Raw Jam

Raw jam is not only easy and quick - possibly the quickest jam you've ever made, but it also has a very deep and intense flavor you've probably never tasted before. It's made entirely from dried fruit - no added sugar or pectin.
Prep Time5 mins
Total Time5 mins
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, How-To
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dried fruit jam, jam, jam recipe, raw jam
Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dried fruit, soaked*
  • maple syrup (to taste)
  • pinch sea salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Soak the dried fruit. Since dried fruit contains less water than fresh, you'll want to rehydrate it first. Re-hydrating makes the fruit soft and easier to blend. So, add the fruit to a bowl, cover it with warm water and let it soak for a few hours. Once soaked, strain the fruit and discard the soaking water.
  • Blend. Transfer the soaked fruit to a high-speed blender and blend on high until pureed. If your blender is struggling, add a little bit of water, 1 Tbsp./15 ml at a time, until the fruit breaks down into a smooth puree. You can blend the dried fruit until it's completely smooth, e.g., the dried apricot jam - or until the fruit has broken down but still has some texture, e.g., the dried cherry jam.
  • Store. Leftover jam keeps well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. For longer-term storage, freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Equipment

Vitamix Ascent blender
blender
mixing bowls
mixing bowls
measuring cups
measuring cups

Recipe Notes

*Soak the dried fruit in water until completely rehydrated, about 4 hours. To quick-soak, pour boiling water over the dried fruit and soak it for 15 minutes. (Note: if you do the quick soak, the jam will no longer be raw).
So far, I have tried making this jam with dried apricots, cherries, figs, and plums, and they all work great. Whenever possible, purchase unsulphured dried fruit: apricots, cherries, figs, and plums.

Filed Under: Breakfast, Dessert, How To's

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rajaa Dawood Dolly

    January 28, 2019 at 3:17 am

    5 stars
    Great job thanks Chef Petra ❤️

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      January 28, 2019 at 5:35 am

      Thank you so much, Rajaa! ❤️

      Reply
  2. Geraldine

    June 25, 2019 at 10:55 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. Thanks Petra. When out hunting for dried fruit that was available in Port Elizabeth.
    Looked for the cheapest to practice this recipe. Found one with fruit roll ups in it, cut up already. I just
    went with it. So i poured the boiling water over them and cover the bowl with a plate. When it was time
    to make the jam the fruit roll ups have disintegrated into the water and thickened it. I took my emergent
    blender and blended the whole lot. Boy did that came out amazing. Thanks for this amazing recipe. This would be nice with a vegan scone.

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      June 27, 2019 at 12:06 am

      Lol - fruit roll ups! That's awesome. Thank you so much for sharing your feedback, Geraldine. I am so happy the jam turned out so well 🙂

      Reply
  3. Debbie

    June 30, 2019 at 4:19 pm

    Can a healthy jam be made of fresh raspberries?

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      July 01, 2019 at 7:22 am

      Hi Debbie - yes, you can but you would have to use a thickening agent. Fresh raspberries contain a lot of water, so without a thickening agent, it would be more like a raspberry puree. If you want to keep the jam raw, your best bet are chia seeds as a thickener (either whole or ground).

      Reply
  4. Debbie

    July 01, 2019 at 11:00 am

    Thank you so much Petra!!!! You are awesome! Btw... I make your nut bread regularly! I have it for lunch every day with almond butter!!!! Love it! Thank you for your easy to follow videos! I look forward to them! Bless you !

    Reply
  5. Debbie

    July 01, 2019 at 11:11 am

    Oh, and I was wondering if it would be possible to add the nutritional information with your recipes?

    Reply
  6. Ghada

    July 03, 2019 at 6:57 am

    Tank you Soo much . ILike all your r a copies an

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      July 03, 2019 at 10:00 pm

      Thank you Ghada!

      Reply
  7. Shannice

    October 08, 2019 at 8:34 am

    5 stars
    Hi, Petra. May I know can we use honey instead of maple syrup?

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      October 08, 2019 at 2:05 pm

      Yes, definitely!

      Reply
  8. Shannice

    October 08, 2019 at 8:47 am

    Dear Petra, can we use granulated sugar instead liquid sweetener?

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      October 08, 2019 at 2:05 pm

      Hi Shannice - yes, any sweetener will work here 🙂

      Reply
  9. Estefania Restrepo Rojas

    June 21, 2020 at 12:18 am

    Hi Petra! Thank you I love you, in the second jam did you used ground chia seeds? Have you tried with ground linseed?

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      June 22, 2020 at 7:42 am

      Hi Estefania - yes, I used ground chia seeds. I have never tried it with flax seeds. The reason I used chia seeds is that they are more bland, almost tasteless, especially in their ground form. Flax seeds, on the other hand, have a much stronger flavor and are slightly nutty.

      Reply
  10. Nina

    November 10, 2020 at 5:39 pm

    Hi Petra , have you got any tips how to preserve raw jam in jars that I can keep out of the fridge until open ,if I make a lot I don’t like to fill up the fridge or freezer with jam thanks

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      November 11, 2020 at 9:50 pm

      Hi Nina - it is certainly possible to can the jam. You can either add a sweetener or can without it. My mom always cans without any added sugar and never has any problems. I am no expert at canning, but here is what I have learned:
      1. Sugar affects the acidity that is crucial for safe canning. All you need to do is add more lemon juice to boost the acidity.
      2. Typically, you would also need sugar to make the fruit gel. In this case, it is unnecessary since you're working with dried fruit, which has the perfect consistency when blended.
      If you have any specific questions, please, let me know and I will do my best to help 🙂

      However, in that case I would recommend adding a sweetener (say, for 2 cups dried fruit use 1/2 cup maple syrup).

      Reply
  11. Lenny

    September 04, 2022 at 8:45 pm

    4 stars
    Hi Petra, Which brand of monk fruit sweetener do you use? I tried to search one but it seems like most of them contain erythritol and wonder if there is anything pure.

    Reply
    • PetraScott

      September 05, 2022 at 10:16 pm

      Hi Lenny - there are several options. If you Google 'pure monk fruit sweetener', you'll find it. You can actually even choose from a powder and a liquid extract. The monk fruit I am using right now is by NOW Foods - Monk Fruit Extract. You can typically tell whether the extract contains any erythritol based on the price. Pure monk fruit is more expensive than a blend. The one I have right now costs CA$35 (for 0.7 oz/19.85 g).

      Reply

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