Quince Jam (Easy, 3 Ingredients)

Tangy-sweet, fragrant and chunky! This is the best quince jam recipe. Using only 3 ingredients, my favourite quince jam is super easy to make.

Quince is a nutritious ancient fruit with many health benefits. The most popular use of quince is to make jams. Jam isn’t jam without sugar, but even the healthiest lifestyles welcome a bit of sweet indulgence (good mood food for mental health) from time to time.

Besides, there is no better way to mark the 100th blog post than sharing a luscious quince jam recipe I really love! To help me celebrate this milestone, the talented Paul Cafcae made an instrumental soundtrack for the quince jam recipe video. I really like the original song, which you can listen to here.

What Does Quince Jam Taste Like

The best jam I have ever had is quince jam I bought at cape cod.

Quince jam is fragrant and the flavour is so unique. To me, quince tastes like the combination of apple and pear, with even a hint of plum and pineapple. 

The first taste of quince jam left me a strong impression. So when I spotted quince at a grocery store, I bought a big batch to make my own quince jelly.

Best Quince Jam Recipe Tips

• The skin of quince is high in pectin. And pectin is what gives jam and jelly the gel-like texture. Therefore, please don’t peel the quince. 
• I spent most of my time testing the texture of the quince jelly. Then I learned that puréeing cooked chunks of quince makes an apply sauce like product. So don’t purée the cooked quince, unless you want your jam to resemble baby food. 
• In order to achieve a thick and chunky texture, first chop the quince in a food processor before cooking. Be sure to process quince to the size you want them to be in the final product, not too big and not too smooth either. I process them to the size of half to a full grain of rice. 
• After that, boil down the chopped quince until they are soft and all the water has evaporated. This heating process also turns the quince jelly a beautiful pinky golden colour, instead of a pale yellow. 
• Then I played with different kinds of sugar and honey. And I ended up using an organic unrefined cane sugar for the best taste and consistency. In addition, the unrefined cane sugar also adds a hint of blondness to the jam. However, you can use a regular white sugar instead. 

How to Make Quince Jam

Follow this simple work flow for the best tasting quince jelly.

1. Core and cut the quince into big chunks. 
2. Then use a food processor to chop the quince into desired size for the jam, not too big and not too smooth either, for a chunky texture.
3. In a sauce pan, bring the chopped quince and water to a boil. Turn to medium heat, cover the sauce pan with a lid, and simmer the quince for about 30 minutes.
4. Check the quince and stir often near the end, to ensure the quince sauce is not burned. If the quince sauce is not thick enough, remove the lid and continue cooking while stirring until the sauce is a little thicker than what you desire (it will thin out more later after adding sugar and lemon juice).  I like my quince jelly thick, so I let as much water evaporate as possible.
5. Remove the sauce pan from heat. While the quince sauce is still hot, add sugar and stir to let sugar melt into the quince sauce. Add lemon juice and stir again to combine. 
6. Pour the finished quince jam into a glass jar. Seal and store in the fridge for up to 12 months. 

Can You Eat Quince Raw?

Quince is one of those fruits that don’t taste good raw – they are sour and woody. Although I enjoy raw jams from time to time when I use fruits typically consumed raw to make jelly, I will always cook the quince jam.

The cooking process softens the texture, and brings out the fragrance and colour in quince. Therefore, I recommend you always cook the quince whether you are using them in jams, pies, cakes or sauces. 

Serving Suggestions

The good thing about jam is that they lasts a long time as the sugar and lemon juice preserve the content. I am making a big batch to give out as gifts and eat for the next many months. Here are some suggestions to serve the jam with.

• Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Coconut Scones
• Paleo Coconut Kabocha Squash Muffins
• Overnight Banana Spelt Pancakes
• Kefir Fermented Honey Thyme Sourdough Cornbread
• Injera (Fermented Ethiopian Teff Flatbread)
• 5 Ingredient Gluten Free Zucchini Crepe
• Paleo Baked Ribs
• Raspberry Kefir Cream Cheese Spread
• Mango Kefir Ice Cream
• Cardamom, Saffron & Vanilla Poached Pear

Quince Jam

Tangy-sweet, fragrant and chunky! This is the best quince jam recipe. Using only 3 ingredients, my favourite quince jam is super easy to make.

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Condiment

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Servings: 3 cups

Calories: 352kcal

Author: Yang

Cost: $5

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Sauce Pan

Ingredients

• 2 large quince
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 1/4 cup unrefined cane sugar
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Instructions

• Core and cut the quince into big pieces. Quince skin contains high level of pectin, do not peel the quince.
• Then use a food processor to chop the quince into desired size for the jam, not too big and not too smooth either, for a chunky texture. I process the quince to the size of half to a full grain of rice.
• In a sauce pan, bring the chopped quince and water to a boil. Turn to medium heat, cover the sauce pan with a lid, and simmer the quince for about 30 minutes.
• Check the quince and stir often near the end, to ensure the quince sauce is not burned. If the quince sauce is not thick enough, remove the lid and continue cooking while stirring until the sauce is a little thicker than what you desire (it will thin out more later after adding sugar and lemon juice).  I like my quince jelly thick, so I let as much water evaporate as possible.
• Remove the sauce pan from heat. While the quince sauce is still hot, add sugar and stir to let sugar melt into the quince sauce. Add lemon juice and stir again to combine. 
• Pour the finished quince jam into a glass jar. Seal and store in the fridge for up to 12 months. 

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 352kcal | Carbohydrates: 93.1g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 146mg | Fiber: 1.3g | Sugar: 83.8g | Calcium: 8mg

Tried this recipe?Tag me @YangsNourishingKitchen on Instagram!