Perfectly tart and sweet, this homemade concord grape jelly recipe (concord grape jam) is delicious on everything from toast to crumpets to pancakes and PB & J sandwiches, or to just eat it straight out of the jar!
This concord grape jelly recipe is easy to make, and a great way to use up that extra couple of punnets of grapes this Fall!
Why I love this recipe
- Homemade concord jelly is so much better than store-bought grape jelly or jam. There are no added artificial flavors because homemade is all about bringing out the natural flavor of your concord grapes.
- This recipe shows you the best way to separate the seeds in the grapes for a smoother jam.
- This jam recipe even shows you how to incorporate the skin, and still make sure the jam is smooth.
- If you have an abundance of concord grapes, this is such a great way to preserve them! I love making jams and jellies every summer and autumn to take advantage of that bounty of delicious fruits (like this strawberry jam, plum jam, fig jam etc.).
Ingredients
Concord grapes – concord grapes have a deep purple / blue skin. They can be eaten as table grapes (grapes that can be consumed while fresh), but you can also use them to make juice or jam. Due to the dark pigmented skin, this grape gives the juice and jam that characteristic intense, purple color. I also find that concord grapes have a distinct musky flavor that I absolutely love and isn’t as pronounced in other green or red grape varieties.
Granulated sugar – I use white sugar to make jam. White sugar has no molasses, so it doesn’t interfere with the flavor of concord grapes. Usually in jam recipes, the fruit and sugar are mixed at a 1:1 ratio. In this recipe, the amount of sugar is less than for a regular recipe, but it still works. Sugar also plays a huge role in jam making.
- Obviously sugar acts as a sweetener.
- It also helps to activate the pectin, which is responsible for the jam thickening and setting.
- Sugar also acts as a preservative in jams.
Unfortunately, you cannot reduce the sugar amount more than stated in this recipe, without making adjustments or additions to the recipe (such as additional pectin).
Lemon peel – Lemon peel adds a little acidity to the jam, which helps to brighten up the fruitiness of the concord grapes. Lemon peel (with the white pith), also adds a little extra pectin to help with setting this jam (since I’m not using any added pectin in this recipe). While concord grapes have more pectin than other grape varieties, this recipe uses just a little less sugar than other recipes. So a little extra pectin from the lemon peel will help with setting the jam.
Salt – The addition of salt does not make this jam salty. Sugar by itself can be overbearingly sweet, especially in a jam recipe. The addition of just the smallest amount of salt helps to balance that sweetness, without adding saltiness to the jam. Just like how salt enhances the flavor of your savory dishes by not making it bland, salt does the same to your sweet dishes too. It makes the flavor and sweetness more nuanced.
How to make concord grape jelly
Making concord grape jelly (concord grape jam) is super easy. However, the only problem with these grapes when it comes to making jelly or jam is the seeds. There are some varieties without seeds too, but I haven’t come across those yet. But the good news is that there are several ways to remove the seeds from the grapes, and any which way is fine, as long as it gets the job done.
I do like to use a slightly different method for preparing my grape jelly compared to most recipes out there (especially if the grapes have seeds). But this recipe results in a very smooth, luscious grape jelly! So it’s absolutely worth your while. Following are the steps to make this delicious concord grape jelly (concord grape jam).
- Step 1 – Prepare the grapes by separating the grape skin from the flesh (pulp).
- Step 2 – Remove the seeds. This can be done in two different ways as mentioned below.
- Step 3 – Blend the skin/peel (and optionally, pass the blended skin through a sieve).
- Step 4 – Cook the jam to the correct consistency (and the jam test to check if the jam is properly cooked).
- Step 5 – Sterilize the canning jars before adding the hot jam.
- Step 6 – Canning and storage.
How to first remove the grape skin
Some recipes swear by cooking the concord grapes whole, with the skin. While this works for concord grapes without seeds, I find that first separating the skin from the grapes makes it easier to remove the seeds. This can be a tad time-consuming, but it’s absolutely worth it in my opinion.
All you need to do is just pinch one end of the grape (opposite from the stem) and squeeze. The pulp inside will pop right out from the stem end of the grape.
But remember NOT TO throw away the grape skins! The skin is what yields that deep purple color in this concord grape jelly. Also note that the grape skin can stain your clothes, so be careful not to get it on your clothes when you’re removing the skin.
How to remove the seeds
There are two simple ways to do this as I mentioned above.
You can push the grape pulp through a sieve at the beginning, to separate out the seeds.
OR you can soften the pulp a little by cooking it for a few minutes, and then push it through a sieve. It’s also a good idea to blend the skin and pass it through a sieve as well, so that you don’t end up with big pieces of skin in your concord grape jam. But this is an optional step. I sometimes don’t do this step, and it always comes out perfectly delicious.
Jam test to check if the jam is properly cooked
You can test doneness with the jelly test / jam test method (I talk about this more in my plum jam post as well). First make sure to keep a few small saucers in the freezer before you start to make the concord grape jam.
When you’re almost done cooking the jam, place a little of it on a cold saucer and freeze for about 1 minute (until it’s cooled down). Then run your finger through the jelly and check how the jelly spreads/flows. If the jelly parts with your finger track and then meets up in the middle again immediately, then it’s still too runny.
If the jam doesn’t join back up in the middle immediately and fill the streak, and it’s still jelly-like to your touch (i.e. not stiff), then it’s at the correct consistency.
Storage instructions
Make sure to sterilize the bottles that you will be using to store this concord grape jam. If you’re planning on eating it within a week, then you don’t have to do this.
BUT, if you want to keep the jam for longer, then sterilize the canning jars / bottles first. You can do this by keeping the jars in boiling water for about 6 minutes, OR by keeping them in a preheated oven (350°F/180°C) for about 10 minutes.
Then while the bottle and concord grape jam are both warm, ladle the jam into the jars and close. The jars will form a vacuum seal as they cool down. It is ABSOLUTELY important to ensure that both the jelly and jars are hot/very warm when you do this. If you ladle cooled down jelly into hot jars (or vice versa), the jars WILL break due to the temp. difference (trust me, it’s happened to me!).
See the notes section in the recipe card below for more information on how I can this jam.
Serving suggestions
This concord grape jam is absolutely addictive. If you’ve eaten concord grapes before and liked that delicious combo of tart and sweet flavors, then you’ll love this concord grape jelly recipe!
- The classic way – peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I’ve made the best damn peanut butter & jelly sandwiches in the world with this jam and my homemade white bread.
- Make these amazing sweet and salty jam and cheese palmiers for your next party, and use this grape concord jelly instead of berry jam.
- Substitute the spicy fruit relish with concord jelly in this easy 3 ingredient sausage roll! A spicy chicken sausage pairs wonderfully with this sweet grape jelly.
- A delicious grape jelly croissant bread pudding (made with homemade croissants if you’d like to get super fancy!). Substitute the raspberry jam with this concord grape jam, and fresh raspberries with fresh concord grapes.
- Make concord grape crumble bars, like these rhubarb crumble bars. Substitute the rhubarb filling with concord grape jelly instead.
- You can also spread this on regular toast, cinnamon toast, French toast etc., and pair it with these classic cream scones.
- I also spread this on crumpets, and eat it with pancakes, waffles, and crepes too!
Frequently asked questions
Concord grapes have a higher pectin amount compared to other grape varieties like green or red grapes. So it doesn’t require pectin if there’s enough sugar in the jam.
Pectin requires sugar to activate and thicken the jam. However, if there is not enough sugar in the jam, you will need to provide additional pectin (which I do indirectly to an extent with the lemon peel in this recipe) to help set the jam.
This recipe already uses a little less sugar than other grape jelly recipes, which is why I have added lemon peel to add extra pectin.
If you want to reduce the sugar even further, I recommend following a low sugar or reduced sugar concord grape jelly recipe that may use additional pectin, or a freezer jelly recipe.
Absolutely! However, as the grapes thaw, they will become softer, so it might be harder to separate and discard seeds while keeping the skin. My recommendation is to at least separate the grape skins from the grapes first and to freeze the flesh and peels separately. So that it’ll be easier to separate the seeds from the flesh when you’re ready to cook the jelly.
Yes, you can. As you cool the grape jelly longer, the sugar concentration becomes higher. This will result in grape jelly that hardens too much as it cools down. Overcooked grape jelly will set too hard, and won’t be spreadable. You could also burn the jelly too, and make it taste bitter.
Grape jelly won’t set if it wasn’t cooked long enough. The cook time provided is a guide, and it will change depending on the size of your pot or the heat of your stove. The most reliable and best way to check if the jelly has cooked to the correct consistency is to perform the jam test. If it passes the jam test, then the grape jelly will set.
Grape jelly also won’t set if the amount of sugar has been reduced, or if you increase the amount of grapes.
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Concord Grape Jelly / Jam
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs concord grapes about 6 – 7 cups
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- Lemon peel (from ½ lemon)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions:
- Place a few small saucers in the freezer before you start cooking the jam.
- Rinse the concord grapes.3 lbs concord grapes
- Remove the pulp from the grapes by squeezing one end of the grape (opposite from the stem side). This will pop the pulp right out (see picture in post).3 lbs concord grapes
- Place the pulp in one bowl, and the skins in a separate bowl.
- Mix the pulp, sugar, lemon peel and salt in a saucepan. Cook the pulp for about 5 – 10 minutes until softened, and the sugar is dissolved.3 cups granulated sugar, Lemon peel, Pinch of salt
- Pass the softened pulp through a sieve to remove the seeds (doesn’t need to be a fine sieve, just small enough to catch all the seeds) and place it back in the saucepan.
- The lemon peel will also be caught in the sieve. Remove this and add it back into the saucepan.
- Add the concord grape skins into a blender and add about 1 – 2 cups of the pulp. Blend until smooth.
- OPTIONAL – You can pass this grape skin mixture through a sieve as well to have a super smooth jam, but it's not necessary.
- Add the concord grape skin mix (sieved or not), to the rest of the pulp in the saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, and bring the mix to a boil. Stir frequently to make sure that the jam doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook for about 45 -50 minutes. Do the jelly test (as described below) at around 45 minutes – place a small amount of jam on a freezing cold saucer. Put it back in the freezer for about 1 minute (until the grape jam has cooled down, but not frozen). Then track your finger through the jam to test the consistency.
- If the parted jam flows back easily and meets in the middle again, then it’s too runny. A slightly thicker consistency where the jelly/jam flows back a little, but it's slow and doesn't meet in the middle again, is the perfect consistency for me.
- If the grape jelly is still a tad too runny, cook for a few minutes longer. Test the jelly every 5 – 10 minutes until you get the desired consistency. I don’t cook for longer than 60 minutes because this overcooks the jelly/jam on my stove. The time may change according to your stove and pan that you use.
- Remove the lemon peel, and let the jam cool down slightly.
- While the jam is still hot, ladle the jam into hot sterilized jars. Leave a ½ inch headspace in all the canning jars. Wipe the rims of the jars and place the sterilized lids and close it tightly. Allow the jam to cool down to room temperature.
- FRIDGE – Store in the fridge for up to 3 months. But once opened, use within 2 weeks.FREEZER – Store in the freezer for up to 1 year.See recipe notes below for canning information.
Sterilizing jars
- Wash the jars and lids before sterilizing them. Place the jars and lids on a steaming rack, and fill the pot with water. Bring the water to a boil, and allow the jars and lids to boil for 10 minutes in the water. Remove the jars from the pot (use tongs), and place them on a tray. Fill the jars immediately with the hot jam and close with the lids.
- You can start sterilizing the jars while the jam is cooking. Then leave the jars in the hot water, until you’re ready to store the jam.
Tips & Tricks
Canning information
I am not a canning expert. However, when I do can jam, this is the method I follow.- Use jars that have specifically been made for canning, like ball mason jars with the lid and screw bands. I also sterilize the jars, lids, and bands before using them.
- Fill the sterilized (and still hot) 1/2 pint jars with the hot jam, leaving a 1/2 inch headspace, making sure not to get the jam all over the sides of the jar.
- Use a clean knife or chopstick and run it through the jelly and glass jar to make sure there are no big bubbles trapped inside.
- Clean the headspace rim and threads of the jar, with a clean napkin.
- Place the lids, and screw on the threads until just tight. You do not want to overtighten the lids.
- Place a rack in the bottom of the largest pot you have in your kitchen, which will comfortably fit the jars.
- Carefully place the jars on the rack, making sure they aren’t touching each other. Fill the pot with water, making sure the water level is about 1 inch above the tops of the jars.
- Bring the pot to a boil. Start the timer when the water comes to a boil. Boil the cans for about 10 minutes (for 1/2 pint jars).
- Turn off the heat, and let the jars cool in the water for another 5 – 10 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars from the water using a rubber spatula (so that it grips better), or a canning jar lifter. Let it cool and settle for 12 – 24 hours at room temperature on a wire rack.
- Once cooled completely, check if the jars have sealed. If the middle of the lid isn’t popping or moving when pressed, the cans have been successfully sealed.
- You can remove the bands, wipe the jars, and store the jams in a dry, cold, and dark place.
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Pip McDonald says
So, I’m keen to try this, but never seen Concord grapes here in NZ. Do you think we call them something else? Any suggestions for a substitute?
Dini says
Hi Pip!
The grape variety called Albany surprise is the NZ equivalent to concord grapes. They orginated from concord grapes, and are a hybrid (also known as Isabella).
I definitely grew up in NZ eating grapes that are similar in flavor to concord, and after some research, I’m 90% sure they were probably Albany surprise.
I hope that helps!
Carole Anne Elliott says
Hi Dini! Thank You for this awesome recipe. I am making it today as some friends gave us a ton of fresh concord grapes. Do you know if it can also be freezed for future use? I did not see any reference to that in the questions so thought I would ask!
Dini says
Hi Carole!
I’m sorry for the late reply!
I have frozen my jam for up to 3 months without any issue. I just let it thaw out in the fridge before using it again. I probably could have stored in the freezer longer, but we always use it up before that. 🙂
I hope that helps!
Debbie Johnson says
Can i use lemon juice instead of the peel?
Dini says
Hi Debbie
Freshly squeezed lemon juice doesn’t have as much pectin as the peel unfortunately. But juice can work too. Just be mindful that is can change the taste to a lemony concord grape jelly.
Mandy Dockery says
A brilliantly clear recipe, and just what I was looking for. I have Grapeful thanks!!
Genny Gofar says
First time making Concord Jam/Jelly and it turned out amazingly. The perfect amount of sweetness and great texture. I loved the whole process but my favourite was blending the skins with the pulp then added it back to the pulp and seeing the beautiful colour. Fantastic!
Marion C Adler says
l loved the flavour but it didn’t thicken and I was nervous about going over the hour limit you mentioned. It’s been in jars over night in the fridge and is ver runny. Can I pour it all back into a pot and boil it more? Or add a thickening agent?
Dini says
Hi Marion
You can re cook the jam if you like. The jam may not have thickened because the stove heat might have been lower than my stove, and this can cause changes in the cook time unfortunately.
Regina Farmer says
I’m trying this recipe today. First time making grape jam! If processing in a water bath, how long would it need to process?
Jane Miller says
Is this recipe missing something? Sure jell? I made it and it is great but didnt thicken. Quite runny. Cooked per your recipe.
Dini says
Hi Jane
This doesn’t require any sure jell. It needs to be cooked until it reaches the thickness you prefer. It does thicken as it cools too. If your stove heat is low this can take longer than stated in the recipe. You can test the consistency by adding a small amount on a chilled spoon and leaving it in the freezer for about 30 seconds to see if it has thickened enough. Hope that helps!
Jan Gordon says
Trying this recipe as we speak. I’m leaving the skin on them, hope it works
Sean says
I have made grape jelly for many years and use a jelly bag letting the grapes drain over night. No separating our seeds.
Glenda says
This jelly will keep for a year in the pantry if the jars are. Sealed.
Nancy says
Mine did not set at all. I doubled the recipe-perhaps that’s why it didn’t set? Or my grape skins didn’t have enough pectin?
I ended up using pectin at the end and it turned out delicious!
Dini says
Hi Nancy!
It could be… This recipe doesn’t quite set as firmly as storebought jelly, but doubling the recipe can make it runny too (as it will need a longer cook time to achieve the same consistency). I heat it up till it registers 220°F, then I know the jelly will have the consistency I like. But pectin definitely helps set the jelly too 🙂 I’m glad that you were able to get the jelly consistency with pectin!
lisa says
does this jelly need to be kept in the frig. or does it seal well enough to be kept on the self?
Dini says
Hi Lisa!
I haven’t canned this myself, so I always keep the jelly in the fridge. But if it is canned properly, it should seal well enough to be kept on your shelf. Hope that helps!
Aparna says
Hi Dini
Will lime work instead of lemon?
Dini says
Hi Aparna
The taste of lime is stronger than lemon, so the flavor of lime will be far more prominent than if you use lemon. I personally prefer lemon, but if you don’t mind lime flavor, you’re welcome to substitute it.
I wouldn’t recommend reducing the amount of lime juice added because there’s no pectin in the jam.
Hope that helps!
Aparna says
Thank you! My daughter loved the jam It’s setting in the fridge but she got to lick the pot
Deloris Sarpey says
First time making grape jam. Great recipe. It took some it taking the seeds out. Was worth it. Jamcame out great.
Jennifer says
You are right! This jam is perfectly tart and sweet!
Kalee says
I can’t believe how much better fresh jelly is! This recipe is a must for back to school season!