Instant pot plum jam without pectin or cornstarch is a small batch freezer friendly fruit jam (not meant for canning) which is very delicious and can be easily prepared with just 4 ingredients including ripe plums (with peels on), sugar, lemon juice and water.
If you wonder what to do with lots of leftover ripe plums (if you have a plum tree this is possible or if one of your friends or family members have gifted you with plums also this can happen), go ahead and make the delicious plum jam to enjoy with toast, waffles, pancakes etc for breakfast or add to ice cream, yogurt etc.
Just chop the washed plums roughly along with the peels (discard the seeds) and add the sliced plums to the pot along with the rest of the ingredients to make this delicious plum jam.
Make sure to use fresh, good quality, ripe sweet plums for the best plum jam in the instant pot!
You can also prepare refreshing, fresh plum juice in a blender if you have got ripe plums at home!
The plum jam I prepared in the instant pot had a spread consistency and it thickened further as it cooled down in the refrigerator.
Should You Peel Plums To Make Plum Jam?
Plum skins are very delicate and you do not need to peel the skin of plums unless your preference is to peel the plums before you make the jam.
In this plum jam recipe, I cooked the plums for about 15 minutes, and then simmered the fruits for another 15 minutes which helped the peels dissolve into the jam and you really can’t feel it in the jam once its done.
However, if you are not sure if you would like the texture, you can go ahead and peel the plums before making the jam, though this is not necessary in my opinion as I never do that.
How To Make Instant Pot Plum Jam
You will need the following ingredients to make the plum jam.
- ripe plums
- sugar
- lemon juice and water
Once you have gathered the ingredients, you can start making the plum jam in your instant pot.
Steps To Make Instant Pot Plum Jam – Process Of Making Plum Jam
- Wash the plums and chop the plums, add this to the instant pot.
- Also add sugar, lemon juice and water, mix everything well so the juice of the plums will release and the sugar will dissolve.
- Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook for 15 minutes. Do a natural pressure release. Once done, carefully open the lid. Stir and mash the contents using a potato masher.
- Simmer the contents for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the cooked plums have almost reached a spread consistency. Keep stirring and mashing in between which will help you to get a smooth consistency. Make sure to stop cooking when the contents have reached spread consistency, because the plum jam will thicken further as it cools down.
- Allow the jam to cool down slightly and transfer to dry, clean glass jars and keep refrigerated for about a couple of weeks!
(The detailed instructions and ingredient measurements are given in the recipe card further down the page)
How Do You Thicken Plum Jam
Plum jam will further thicken as it cools down, so you have to make sure to stop the cooking once it reached the spread consistency.
Usually store bought pectin is used to thicken fruit jams.
In this recipe, I haven’t used any store bought pectin but the jam is thickened by simmering down the contents.
The sugar and lemon juice in the fruit mixture helps the plum jam to thicken on its own as you simmer the contents.
If you wish to further reduce the simmering time, you may try to use cornstarch mixture to thicken the jam faster, just like I have used the cornstarch mixture in this instant pot strawberry honey jam recipe to make it thicken faster.
This instant pot method is much easier than the traditional stove top method of making the plum jam and if you wish to reduce the simmering time and fasten the process further you may use cornstarch mixture too in the preparation, as explained in the notes section in the recipe card.
While making jams using cornstarch mixture, you cannot can the jam, however its fine to use the cornstarch mixture in small batch instant pot jams since we do not intend to can these (they are only stored in the refrigerator for few days).
Plum Season
Plum season in the United States run from May through October though this can vary from state to state.
Mostly plums are available in plenty in markets during the months of July and August.
So as I am writing this post in October, the plum season is coming to an end and so if you have picked up any plums lately from the market or from the plum tree, its the right time to try this plum jam before they are completely gone before the next season starts!
What Kind Of Plums Are Used To Make This Plum Jam?
I used the red plum variety to make this plum jam, but you may also try other varieties of plums that you usually use to make jam in this instant pot plum jam recipe.
Can you double the recipe?
Yes, you may double the recipe for plum jam if you wish.
Just double the ingredients accordingly if you want to double the recipe.
The process and cooking time will remain the same.
But since you use more ingredients, the pot will take more time to come to pressure and also it will take more time for pressure release.
More Instant Pot Jam Recipes In This Blog:
How To Store Plum Jam?
This is a small batch plum jam recipe and it is not meant for canning.
You can store this small batch plum jam without pectin in air tight glass jars or containers and refrigerate for a couple of weeks and some more time in the freezer.
If you want to look into a stove top plum jam recipe for canning, try this recipe.
Or you can also follow the instructions for preserving plum jam here if you want to do the canning (my recipe is not meant for canning).
You can also find more information on canning jams and jellies here.
So here is the detailed instant pot plum jam recipe below.
Instant Pot Plum Jam – Just 4 Ingredients
Equipment
- instant pot 6 quart duo or lux
Ingredients
- 1 lbs plums ripe
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice taken from half of a medium sized lemon, seeds removed
- 2 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Chop the plums roughly, discard the seeds and add the sliced plums to the instant pot.
- Add the sugar, lemon juice and water, mix everything well.
- Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook for 15 minutes in high pressure. This helps the plums cook really soft and the peels will also get dissolved into the jam as we further prepare the jam.
- Do a natural pressure release.
- Once the pressure is all released, carefully and slowly open the lid and stir the contents. Also gently mash the contents using a potato masher.
- Press the saute button and simmer the contents for about 12 to 15 minutes or until the cooked plums have almost reached a spread consistency. Keep stirring in between to avoid the contents burning at the bottom of the pot, and also mash the contents in between as they are simmering, which will help you to get a smooth consistency. Plum jam will further thicken as it cools down, so make sure to stop the cooking once it reached the spread consistency.
- Allow the jam to cool down slightly and transfer to dry, clean glass jars and keep refrigerated for about a week!
Thank you for your help
You are welcome! Thank you for stopping by!
Can I freeze it?
Yes, you may freeze the jam in freezer safe containers once the jam is cooled enough. However, the instant pot jam is not canned jam so I usually store this in the refrigerator only for a couple of weeks and freeze it for some more days if needed. I do not recommend storing for longer periods since the jam is not canned and I am not sure about storing for more time.
Just wondering why this recipe can’t be canned after making (if cornstarch is omitted)?
Hi, I believe the instant pot jam is not recommended for canning. It is a small batch jam you may store in refrigerator or freezer for few days and use. I am not very familiar with canning process at this point, so I am not sure how to explain this further. Thank you.