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
How do you thicken grape jelly without pectin?
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.
Can I reduce the amount of sugar in the jelly?
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.
Can I freeze concord grapes to make jelly later?
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.
Can you overcook this grape 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.
Why won’t my grape jelly set?
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.
Recipe
Concord Grape Jelly / Jam
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 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.
Recipe Notes
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.”
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