Larder Love

The best preserving recipes plus easy cooking and baking too

  • ALL RECIPES
    • PRESERVES & LARDER
    • COOKING & BAKING
    • COLLECTIONS & CUISINES
  • TIPS & TRICKS
    • HOME HINTS
  • MY COOKBOOKS
  • ABOUT
    • CONTACT ME
    • PRIVACY
Home » Homemade Jam » Spiced Black Grape Jam With Rosemary (no pectin)

Spiced Black Grape Jam With Rosemary (no pectin)

Author: Karon Grieve Published : October 2020

Recipe
spiced black grape jam
black grape jam pin image

Black grape jam is super easy to make. Adding the warming spices and the herbal depth of rosemary takes it from being just any old jam to something really rather special.

black grape jam with rosemary

Why you’ll love this jam recipe

  • Black grape jam is SUPER easy to make just as it is, the rosemary and spices are optional but make your jam realy special.
  • Versatility – this grape jam goes as well on toast as it does with a cheeseboard. It can also be used as a glaze for roasting meats too.
  • Economical – when you get those boxes of grapes cheap in the supermarket grab them and make this amazing jam!

Grape jam is incredibly popular in Italy. Actually anywhere in the Mediterranean where the great grape is found in such abundance. In the USA grape jam is big too of course.

But my spiced black grape jam with rosemary is much more Mediterranean in its make up and tastes amazing.

top down shot of jam with spoon

The inspiration

Foodie inspiration comes in all sorts of ways. From seeing something in a movie or an image in a magazine. To walking in the woods and spotting mushrooms that would be just perfect being turned into garlic mushrooms preserved in aromatic olive oil.

Sometimes inspiration can be far more mundane. For this grape jam it was the local supermarket and half a kilo of seedless black grapes being sold for a mere 20p.

jar of jam

Grape preserves

As many of you will know I’ve done grape preserves before.

My Bordeaux Jelly (aka red wine jelly) that I made on Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas TV show when I was a finalist in the hamper class is still one of my favourite preserves.

This spicy black grape jam is so easy to make and unlike my grape jelly you don’t have to let it drip overnight.

No, this black grape jam is made in less than an hour. Fast jam with fabulous flavour. What more could you want.

No-fuss easy jam recipe

There is no need to peel the grapes. Come on, as the saying goes – life’s too short to peel a grape! No need for pectin either, the lemon juice will be sufficient to make this grape jam set beautifully for you.

ingredients

Ingredients for this black grape jam

Basically this is a 3 ingredient grape jam

I’ve used just 400g of seedless black grapes. There was 500g in the box but someone ate the rest.

Juice and zest of half a lemon

300g granulated sugar (no need for jam sugar or preserving sugar for this simple jam recipe)

Now for those spices to liven this jam up

I used ground ginger and black pepper to give my black grape jam a good kick of warmth.

Plus a sprig of rosemary for that lovely fragrant earthiness this wonderful herb is so famous for.

The complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this recipe can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

jar of jam with spoon at side

How to make black grape jam

Like all my jam recipes (and let’s face it, I’ve made a few over the years) this is a super easy recipe to make.

Simply remove the grapes from their stalks and throw them into a heavy-based pan with high sides. Basically any soup type pan will do. You just don’t want hot jam boiling up and over the sides which is why you want to use a cooking pot as opposed to a saute pan/frying pan for jam making.

Grate the zest of the lemon and squeeze out the juice and add both to the pan. Add the sprig of rosemary and the ground ginger and black pepper plus the sugar.

Let the sugar dissolve at low heat. If you have the heat too high the sugar will stick and burn and ruin everything. So a nice low heat till that sugar dissolves completely, please.

Now raise the heat till the jam is boiling and bubbling like lava. The grapes will have popped in the heat and be breaking down nicely releasing all that tasty juice.

Help them along with a potato masher to really break them down completely.

Skim off any foam on the top and carefully remove the rosemary and discard.

Jam is ready to pot when it reaches 105C, that’s the magical setting point with jams and jellies.

If you don’t have a thermometer you can test if the jam is ready by using the chilled saucer test. See my jam-making tips below for all the information you could need.

My black grape jam was ready in 20 minutes.

overhead shot of jar and spoon of jam beside it

How much jam does this make

Since I only used 400g of black grapes I didn’t expect to get a whole lot of jam. However, this amount made 2 250ml jars of spiced black grape jam with rosemary.

New to preserving? Then don’t panic, I can take you from zero to hero in the preserving stakes in no time at all!

Just check out these quick articles to get you started;

  • How to make great jam and marmalade
  • How to make cool curds
  • How to make great jelly
  • How to make chutney and relish
  • How to sterilise jars and bottles
  • Sticky situations – troubleshooting your preserving problems
  • My favourite preserving kit
  • Different types of preserves

How long will black grape jam keep

Like all of my jams with standard sugar content, this black grape jam will keep for up to a year. Store your jam in a cool dry place. Once opened store jam in the fridge and use within a month.

Please Note – We do not usually do water bath or other canning methods here in the UK. Our preserves keep perfectly well without this.

jamjar with grapes

How to serve this jam

Black grape jam goes just as well with your toast in the morning as it does with a cheeseboard in the evening.

The spices and rosemary in the grape jam make it particularly good with cheese.

Try some as a glaze when roasting pork. Simply loosen the black grape jam with a little water and paint it on to the pork before roasting. It gives a wonderfully sweet yet spicy and aromatic flavour to the meat.

Thin with just a tablespoon of rich red wine and use this lovely grape jam as a topping for really good quality vanilla ice-cream to make a super easy dessert.

New to preserving? Then don’t panic, I can take you from zero to hero in no time at all.

Just check out these handy articles to get you heading in the right direction fast;

How to make great jam and marmalade

How to make cool curds

How to make great jelly

How to make chutney and relish

How to sterilise jars and bottles

Sticky situations – troubleshooting your preserves

Different types of preserves

My favourite preserving kit

This recipe makes a great foodie gift, so why not check out my post on how to make Christmas hampers.

larder links

Looking for more great ways to use grapes? Then check out these recipes before you go;

Baked grapes with labneh and pistachios

Bordeaux red wine jelly

Baked grapes with whipped feta bruschetta

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
black grape jam with rosemary

Spiced black grape jam with rosemary

Karon Grieve
Super easy black grape jam to serve on toast or with a cheeseboard and as a glaze for roasting pork too
5 from 5 votes
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Course preserves
Cuisine Italian
Servings 2 250ml jars
Calories 704 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 400 g black seedless grapes
  • 1/2 lemon juice and grated zest
  • 300 g granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • sprig of fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary)
Metric – US Customary

Instructions
 

  • heat all ingredients in a high sided pan on low temperature till the sugar has dissolved
  • raise temperature and boil mashing down the grapes with a potato masher till it reaches setting point 105C. Discard the rosemary and spoon into sterilised jars

Notes

calories are shown for the full amount of grape jam made

Nutrition

Calories: 704kcalCarbohydrates: 181gProtein: 2gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 453mgFiber: 9gSugar: 150gVitamin A: 141IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 84mgIron: 1mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Autumn/Fall, Homemade Jam

« Fig And Prosciutto Pizza Bianca With Blue Cheese And Walnuts
Pumpkin Pesto Pasta Bake + Video »

Comments

  1. Melissa says

    October 1, 2021 at 2:12 pm

    Do you water bath after putting in the jars to seal? How are the lids sealed for storage?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      October 11, 2021 at 12:18 pm

      Hi Melissa
      In UK /Europe we don’t do waterbath caning as this keeps perfectly well for up to a year. I guess you can can it same as any jelly, sorry can’t be of more help.
      K

      Reply
  2. Damaris says

    July 31, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy :). I made 3x the quantity and it was very manageable, definitely worth doing

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      August 1, 2022 at 9:03 am

      Hi Damaris
      Glad you liked this one so much, enjoy!
      K

      Reply
  3. Marie Sophie says

    December 14, 2023 at 2:10 pm

    5 stars
    This jam is stunning! Though I made a jelly instead of a jam since I still had 3 liter of grape juice in my freezer from last summer’s harvest. It’s like a warm cuddle on a spoon, toast or bit of cheese! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      December 20, 2023 at 9:42 am

      Hi Marie
      So glad you like the recipe so much, love it with toast and cheese too,
      K

      Reply
  4. Cheri says

    February 4, 2025 at 5:41 pm

    Hi there! This looks and sounds very delicious!! Can I ask, where could I find jars like this? They’re lovely!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      February 6, 2025 at 9:07 am

      Hi Cheri
      Glad you like the look of this recipe. That isn’t actually a jar in the photo it is a glass which should be used for tealights. I use them for jam sometimes for photos, glad you like it.
      K

      Reply
5 from 5 votes (3 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Karon Grieve

SEARCH MY SITE

Follow Larder Love

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Trending Now

elderflower jelly
wild garlic salt
homemade dandelion liqueur
gentlemans relish on toast with jar behind
rich and creamy mushroom soup
quick and easy simple scones recipe by larderlove

Summer Recipes

raspberry jam
chocolate scones on plate
dandelion and walnut pesto
smoked salmon muffins
chicken fajita traybake
red pepper chutney in jar with sandwich
blackcurrant jelly with coffee
nasturtium caper in jar

See more Summer recipes...

BUY MY BOOKS

Karon Grieve books
my foodgawker gallery

Follow Larder Love

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Privacy Policy & Disclaimers

 

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright Karon Grieve - Larder Love © 2018. All Rights Reserved.

  • 16

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.