Watermelon jam or watermelon jelly without pectin is made with fresh watermelon pieces which is so delicious, colorful and easy to make in the instant pot.
This watermelon jam recipe requires just 4 ingredients other than the watermelon itself. Use any leftover watermelon fruit to make this small batch watermelon jam which is a delicious summer treat and it almost looks like a watermelon jelly with it's smooth glassy looking texture!
More Instant Pot Jam Recipes & Fruit Butter Recipes:
- instant pot peach jam
- instant pot blueberry jam
- instant pot strawberry honey jam
- instant pot plum jam
- mango jam
- instant pot banana butter
- instant pot spiced peach butter
- instant pot strawberry apple butter
We use fresh watermelon fruit to make this delicious and colorful small batch fruit jam without pectin. This watermelon jam has an almost watermelon butter or fruit butter like consistency.
It goes great as a topping, fruit spread or side with bread, pancakes, waffles etc.
This small batch watermelon jam is made without pectin. It is easy to make the watermelon jam without pectin since we use lemon juice and also a little cornstarch to thicken the jam easily. Watermelon jam has a kind of candy like texture and its sweet and colorful with its golssy & smooth jelly like look!
These are unique treats that you can enjoy during the summer months, and so why not try something new?
How To Make Watermelon Jam In Instant Pot?
We use the following ingredients to make the watermelon jam in the instant pot.
Ingredients to make watermelon jam
- watermelon fruit 4 cups chopped
- sugar 1 cup
- lemon juice 4 tablespoons - I used the juice from a medium sized lemon, make sure to remove the seeds
- cornstarch 2 tablespoons
- vanilla extract 1 teaspoon
Step by step instructions
Step 1 - Add the fresh watermelon pieces to the instant pot.
Step 2 - Also add the sugar and lemon juice to the instant pot. Stir the contents very well so the sugar and lemon juice is mixed with the watermelon pieces well.
If any seeds are inside the fruits, many of those will float to the top once you stir the contents and you may remove them with a spoon as much as you can.
Step 3 - Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook in high pressure for 15 minutes.
Step 4 - Wait for a natural pressure release.
Step 5 - Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid.
Step 6 - Stir and mash the contents using a potato masher. Also add the vanilla extract, stir in. If there are more seeds, many of those will float to the top and you can easily remove many of those with a long spoon.
Step 7 - Simmer the contents (using saute function) while you keep stirring and mashing in between for about 10 to 12 minutes. Again, any seeds that may float to the surface, can easily be removed using a long spoon throughout the process. A few seeds here and there, are fine!
At this stage, the watermelon pieces will almost look like jelly like in texture but since its watermelon, there will still be little liquid left in the pot.
Step 8 - To thicken the liquid, we will make a cornstarch mixture and add it to the simmering contents to easily make the jam. To make the cornstarch mixture, carefully take about ¾ cup of liquid content from the instant pot (may adjust the amount of liquid slightly as needed) and make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with the liquid. Make sure to mix well so there are no lumps in the cornstarch mixture.
Step 9 - Add this prepared cornstarch mixture to the instant pot, quickly stir well with the contents so the cornstarch will evely mix with the contents in the pot.
Step 10 - Continue to simmer (and mash if needed) for another few more minutes (about 4 to 5 minutes or as needed) until the watermelon jam begins to thicken to jam consistency.
Step 11 - Press cancel button to stop further cooking and transfer the pot to a cool place so it won't cook further.
Step 12 - Once the jam is slightly cooled, transfer the jam to air tight dry, clean glass jars.
This is a small batch jam prepared in the instant pot and not meant for canning. You can store the glass jars with the jam in refrigerator for about two weeks time.
Notes: We have used seedless watermelon in this recipe to make the jam.
If you are using watermelon with seeds, make sure to remove the seeds before adding to the pot. There could be some tiny seeds in seedless watermelon too, they are fine and as I explained in the instructions, you can remove many of those seeds while they are floating to the top during the process using a long spon.
A few tiny seeds that may remain in the jam looked fine to me.
Below you can get the recipe for instant pot watermelon jam in detail.
Watermelon Jam In Instant Pot Without Pectin (Watermelon Jelly)
Ingredients
- 4 cups watermelon fruit chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the fresh watermelon pieces to the instant pot.
- Also add the sugar and lemon juice.
- Stir the contents. If any seeds are inside the fruits, many of those will float to the top once you stir the contents and you may remove them with a spoon as much as you can.
- Close the instant pot with lid in sealing position and cook in high pressure for 15 minutes. Wait for a natural pressure release.Once the pressure is all released, carefully open the lid. Stir and mash the contents using a potato masher. Also add the vanilla extract, stir in.
- Simmer the contents (using saute function) while you keep stirring and mashing in between for about 10 to 12 minutes. Any seeds that may float to the surface, can easily be removed using a long spoon. A few seeds, here and there are fine!
- At this stage, the watermelon pieces will almost look like jelly like in texture but since its watermelon, there will still be little liquid left in the pot. Continue to simmer, may need to adjust the heat as needed.
- To thicken the liquid, we wil make a cornstarch mixture and add it to the simmering contents to easily make the jam.To make the cornstarch mixture, carefully take about ¾ cup of liquid content from the instant pot (may slightly adjust the amount of liquid as needed) and make a cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch with the liquid.Make sure to mix well so there are no lumps in the cornstarch mixture.Add this prepared cornstarch mixture to the instant pot, quickly stir well with the contents so the cornstarch will evely mix with the contents in the pot.
- Continue to simmer (and mash if needed) for another few more minutes (about 4 to 5 minutes or as needed) until the watermelon jam begins to thicken to jam consistency.
- Press cancel button to stop further cooking and transfer the pot to a cool place so it won't cook further.Once the jam is slightly cooled, transfer the jam to air tight dry, clean glass jars. This is a small batch jam prepared in the instant pot and not meant for canning. You can store the glass jars with the jam in refrigerator for about two weeks time and in the freezer for few more days.
Kendell says
So going to try this. But I am wondering why it can't be canned.
Recipe Garden says
Hi Kendell, I do not think instant pot jam is safe to be canned. We also use cornstarch in this jam recipe, an ingredient which is not meant for canning I believe. You can store this in the refrigerator for few days and in the freezer for some more time. Hope you like it! Thank you.
Kendell says
I made this. I ran into a problem. I didn't have a potato masher so after the pressure cooking, I put in into the blender then back into the pot for the sauté part. Everything was going well until the cornstarch. I followed what was recommended but it wouldn't smooth out, so I dumped that into the sink and did the tried and true cold water and cornstarch. As a result, I lost 3/4 cup of the juice and replaced it with water so I think that affected the flavor a bit. It's still good, but not very watermellony but still yummy. Thank you for the recipe 🙂
Recipe Garden says
Hi Kendell, Thank you for your feedback! It is important to make a smooth mixture of cornstarch without lumps before adding it to the instant pot, or it can affect the texture. I am sorry you lost some of the watermelon fruit, since the cornstarch didn't mix well.
With regards to the flavor part, the flavor comes from the lemon juice and vanilla extract we use in the recipe since the watermelon flavor itself is not so strong when you cook it. Thanks again for stopping by, hope you will get even better results next time 🙂
Jessie says
The issue with adding the cornstarch to the watermelon juice is that the watermelon juice from the pot is hot. Cornstarch does not mix well at all with hot liquids, it needs to be cool which is why many recipes that use cornstarch say mix with cool water then add to the dish. Putting the juice in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes so it is cool will probably help. That's what I did.
Recipe Garden says
Hi Jessie, Thank you 🙂 It's important that cornstarch need to be mixed well with the liquid without any lumps. If you find it difficult to mix it properly with the hot liquid, it's always better to stick with the method of mixing with cold water (though it may increase the amount of extra liquid) to make the process easier. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this, much appreciated!
Susan Brown says
This is DELICIOUS! I can’t tell you how surprised I was. I love watermelon, but the one my hubby picked out wasn’t the best. I hate wasting, so I looked for a recipe. This came up and man am I glad. I even put some on a piece of toast and told my husband to try (he’s the type to eat the store bought stuff before homemade). He said “wow this is good….really good”! I will definitely make this more often. I didn’t have any lemons and used lemon juice. Everything else was just like the recipe. Thank you!
Recipe Garden says
Hi Susan, Thank you so much for the feedback! Much appreciated 🙂 I agree, this is such an easy way to use any leftover watermelons. I am so glad you and your husband enjoyed the jam. Thanks again!
Kim says
How do I make this without the insta pot?
Recipe Garden says
Hi Kim, you may make this on stove top as well. Just use a good, large sized saucepan that can hold the watermelon, sugar etc and cook until it's soft. Then you can simmer the contents while you stir it often, and you can add the cornstarch to thicken it. However, the contents may splatter as you simmer it, so it is a good idea to use a large saucepan and also use long spoons to make it more safer and easier. While using instant pot, the advantage is that the manual work is lesser. Hope this helps. Thank you.
June says
Help! I made this and it turned out watery, orange and it tasted like pumpkin. I followed the recipe. What went wrong and can I fix it?
Recipe Garden says
Hi June, I am sorry to hear it didn't turn out good for you. If it turned out orange color and tasted like pumpkin, I wonder if you used a different type of watermelon than regular ones. Also, it is important to use fresh, good quality watermelon to make jam or it could affect taste and texture. With regards to the watery texture, we use a cornstarch slurry to thikcen the jam which is explained in the recipe. If necessary, you may slightly increase the amount of cornstarch as needed to thicken the jam. f you want to change the flavor, I think adding one teaspoon of vanilla extract may be good. Hope this helps. Thank you.
Lois Sheppard says
Can you make this in regular canning pot?
Recipe Garden says
Hi, I haven't tried but I guess you can if you are familiar with the process! If you try, please let me know. Thank you!