Whether you prepare this Persimmon Jam recipe for yourself, or to give out to friends, you'll find this recipe both easy and delicious! My favorite way to enjoy persimmon jam is on sourdough toast with a light layer of cream cheese, yum!
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Lately, I have been making a lot of jams. Today, however, we're focusing on Persimmon Jam! We'll be using a combination of Hachiya and Fuyu Persimmons to make this jam. Although there are other varieties including Cinnamon, and Sweet Pumpkin, I have not tried this recipe with them.
I follow a similar ratio for most of my jams (apple preserves, fig preserves, plum preserves, and strawberry-fig preserves) to name a few. So get your hands on some ripe orange Hachiya and Fuyu persimmons and let's get this party started!
🫙 How to Make Persimmon Jam
Step 1: Rinse, peel, and pulp enough Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons to yield 2 pounds of pulp. Use a kitchen scale to get an accurate weight. Puree using a food processor or blender.
Step 2: Add persimmon pulp to a medium-sized saucepan and cover with 3 cups of sugar. Sprinkle with cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir all the ingredients and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
Step 3: Stir the jam occasionally to prevent burning, and simmer for an additional 25 minutes, or until thickened. Because of the high content of pectin in persimmons, this jam thickens up a lot quicker than most jams.
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Step 4: Ladle hot jam into sterilized jars and process in a boiling water bath for an additional ten minutes. For higher altitudes, add an additional 5 minutes.
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Persimmons are native to China and come in many varieties; the two most common being Hachiya and Fuyu.
Hachiya persimmons are very astringent because they contain a high content of tannins. As a result, they are undesirable to eat until very ripe and mushy. They are perfect for making Persimmon Bread!
Fuyus, on the other hand, have fewer tannins and may be eaten while crisp. If you have the Fuyu variety, be sure to check out my Fuyu Persimmon Preserves recipe.
Hachiya persimmons have shiny skin and a sweet, jelly-like texture. When ripe, they taste super sweet and don't even require teeth to enjoy; I'm not kidding! You can literally suck the pulp right out of the soft skin.
Fuyu persimmons, on the other hand, have a firmer texture, similar to juicy apples. Fuyu persimmons taste good even while firm, while Hachiya persimmons need to be very soft in order to avoid the astringent taste.
Persimmon skin is very soft and delicate and easy to eat. Although, some choose to peel the skin and eat the flesh inside. In the end, it's a matter of preference.
• Persimmons boast a wealth of health benefits including the following:
• A great source of antioxidants.
• Abundant amounts of vitamins B, C, and thiamin.
• Aid digestion
• Improve eyesight
• Reducing the risk of cancer
• Build up the immune system
• Lower blood pressure
• Aid weight loss.
If you'd like to grow a persimmon tree, I'm happy to report that they do well in the U.S., in Zones 4 through 9.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- If you don't use ripe Hachiya persimmons, the end result will be an astringent tasting jam that's hard to eat.
- Because persimmons have high pectin content never add extra pectin to persimmon jam or the texture will be too thick.
- If you have a large harvest of ripe persimmons, you can peel and puree the persimmon flesh and freeze in one to two cup portions. The pulp can be used to make persimmon bread, jam, and protein shakes.
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📖 Recipe
Persimmon Jam
Ingredients
- 2 lbs persimmon pulp (combination of Fuyu and Hachiya)
- 3 cups sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice (fresh)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Rinse, peel, and pulp enough Fuyu and Hachiya persimmons to yield 2 pounds of pulp. Use a kitchen scale to get an accurate weight. Puree using a food processor or blender.
- Add persimmon pulp to a medium-sized saucepan and cover with 3 cups of sugar. Add cinnamon, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Stir all the ingredients and bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
- Stir occasionally to prevent burning, and simmer for an additional 25 minutes, or until thickened. Because of the high content of pectin in persimmons, this jam thickens up a lot quicker than most jams.
- Pour jam into sterilized jars and process in a water bath for an additional ten minutes.
Notes
- If you don't use ripe Hachiya persimmons, the end result will be an astringent tasting jam that's hard to eat.
- Because persimmons have high pectin content never add extra pectin to persimmon jam or the texture will be too thick.
- If you have a large harvest of ripe persimmons, you can peel and puree the persimmon flesh and freeze in one to two cup portions. The pulp can be used to make persimmon bread, jam, and protein shakes.
Robin says
Why do you add sugar when persimmons are so sweet themselves? Will this work if I cut out the sugar or greatly reduce it? How about if I use a little honey instead?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Robin,
Sugar is a necessary ingredient to make jam, it helps it to jell. However, you can definitely reduce the sugar if you'd like. I usually wouldn't recommend messing with the sugar amount because it can cause the jam not to thicken. However, persimmons have a ton of pectin, so you shouldn't have any issues with it not thickening or jelling. Try halving the sugar amount and I'd love to hear how it goes.
Victoria says
I made the jam tonight. It is delicious but the tannins are so strong it feels like all of my mouth. Will this mellow as the jam cools? The fruit was ripe and delicious and not tanic to the mouth raw.
HildaSterner says
Hi Victoria,
Sorry to hear that. I think this issue is hard to control with persimmons. I've had a few batches do the same, while others have been great. This is one of the reasons I make this jam in smaller batches.
Debra says
What size canning bottles and how many for 1 batch of jam?
HildaSterner says
Hi Debra,
This recipe should yield right around 2 8oz jars of jam.
Eve Canyon says
I will stick to making persimmon bread. I made one batch of jam and won't do that again.
HildaSterner says
Hi Eve,
No worries, enjoy your persimmon bread. For the record, between the two, I'd take persimmon bread too! 🙂
Janet Vanvalkenburg says
I'm want to make persimmon jam, but I'm highly allergic to citrus. What can I use besides lemon
HildaSterner says
Hi Janet, I'm not sure what part of the citrus fruit you're allergic to. Is it the flesh, the peel, certain chemical in the fruit? I was thinking you could try citric acid, but it might have similar components that you're allergic to. If you can use citric acid (also called sour salt) a 1/4 teaspoon of Citric Acid is equivalent to 1 Tablespoon lemon juice. If you are allergic to citric acid, you can try one to one ratio of white wine. I want to be clear that I haven't tried substituting either in jam personally, but I do know that they are both common substitutes for citrus. Maybe test it out with a smaller batch and see if it works first? I hope that helps, good luck! If you try it, I'd love to hear how it goes.
Mia says
Some of my Hachiya persimmons are ripe - others are not. I picked them because they are forecasting a winter storm this week. If I put them in a paper bag with an apple for a few days I have read they will ripen. But ripening through that process, will it improve the sweetness such that they will make a tasty jam?
HildaSterner says
Hi Mia,
I don't have a persimmon tree, so I've never had to resort to ripening persimmons like that, but I'm sure it will be fine. I don't see why that would make a difference. Not to mention, the sugar will help sweeten them right up! 😉
PAULA OSBORNE says
I made this recipe for my brother. We love the taste but it is too thick. I couldn't even cook it for 25 minutes. Is there any way I can correct this?
HildaSterner says
Hi Paula,
Thanks for your question! You can make the consistency not as thick by adding a little water while it's simmering to get the consistency that you want. You can also reduce the heat while it's cooking so that it's simmering at a lower temperature. Another option is to cook it for a shorter period. The longer you cook it the thicker it gets, so cook only until you achieve the consistency that you like. Remember jam will thicken as it cools, so you can test it out by placing a small amount in the fridge to see what the final result will be. If it's thicker than you want you can add a little more water and simmer it for a few minutes. If it's too watery, cook it a bit longer. I hope that helps!
Annette says
Hi Hilda ...this is the first year our little Fuyu Persimmon tree has born more than just two or three Persimmons ..this year it is LOADED ...i have already picked over two hundred pieces ..of course the neighbors are loving the bounty..i want to make some jam to keep in the panrty ..(NOT IN THE FREEZER) CAN YOU SUGGEST A RECIPE that i dont have to water bath again ..ALSO LIKE TO TRY A RELISH OR A CHUTNEY ...i live in Tasmania ..Australia..
HildaSterner says
Hi Annette,
You lucky woman, sounds like you hit the jackpot this year! I've been out of town so I haven't received any yet, hoping my friends still have some to spare to share with me when I get back. I recommend making the https://hildaskitchenblog.com/recipe/persimmon-preserves/ recipe. I keep it in the pantry, no need to freeze. I have not tried making chutney, only because I'm not a fan of chutney. Hopefully, you can find a recipe online. Good luck, let me know how it goes!
Grace Rasmussen says
Hilda, am looking for help. I made persimmon jam and I used a packet of pectin in doing so. The initial flavor is good then it's chalky. Why did this happen? I used hachiya persimmons.
HildaSterner says
Hi Grace, I don't use pectin in persimmon jam or preserves due to the high content of pectin that persimmons naturally have. That's due to the amount of tannins that's naturally in the fruit. Were your persimmons ripe enough? if not, then that could attribute to the chalky flavor you mentioned. Unlike other varieties, Hachiya persimmons are very high in tannins which makes them impossible to eat, unless very ripe.
GiGi Eats Celebrities says
This looks very interesting! Can you believe I have never had persimmons before in my life! 😮
HildaSterner says
Nope, I refuse to believe that you've never tries a persimmon. Get out there quick and grab one from the supermarket before they're no longer available! Hurry.... go!