Name: How To Make Rhubarb Jam -With And Without Pectin
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 12 h 20 min
Yield: 500
Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients: 6 cups of chopped rhubarb for each batch; 1 to 2 cups of sugar for each batch ( we used 1 cup for the batch without pectin, and 2 cups for the batch with pectin); juice of 1 lemon for the jam with pectin

Last updated on March 27th, 2023 at 09:00 pm

Making rhubarb jam is a great way to preserve your rhubarb, so that you can make it last a little longer. There are a number of ways to make rhubarb jam, and we will be comparing two of them. Learn how to make rhubarb jam, with and without pectin.

two mason jars with rhubarb jam on a wooden railing next to a white bowl with jam and a silver spoon, as well as several pieces of chopped rhubarb — homemade rhubarb jam

Rhubarb has that very tarty taste, which when added to something sweet, makes for an intense burst of flavour on the palette.

Because I absolutely love this tartness, rhubarb has been one of my favourite spring crops for a very long time.

We recently planted a new rhubarb patch at the farm. This special patch will be ready to harvest from in several years.

In the meantime we are harvesting from our extra large family patch, which is at least thirty years old, and possibly much older.

The rhubarb stalks are large, but tender, and absolutely full of flavour.

To use up rhubarb, it’s always good to get creative and try some rhubarb recipes.

FUN FACT: Did you know that rhubarb is actually a vegetable? For the longest time I thought it was a fruit!

Preserving some of your rhubarb by making jam is a great way to enjoy this wonderful seasonal vegetable, in and off season.

sliced rhubarb pieces in front of a green blurred background — Preparing the rhubarb for jam

Here are some commonly asked questions about the process of making rhubarb jam:

How Do You Thicken Rhubarb Jam?

Rhubarb jam naturally thickens on it’s own during the cooking process. Even rhubarb jam without pectin naturally thickens as it is cooked down. This jam has a consistency similar to stewed rhubarb. Rhubarb jam with pectin is also thick, however has more of a gelled consistency than the jam without pectin.

Do You Peel Rhubarb For Jam?

There is no need to peel rhubarb when preparing it to make jam. The skin of the rhubarb will soften completely during the cooking process. Those stringy bits that you may notice in the skin in raw rhubarb will not be noticeable after the jam is cooked and the pulp has softened.

Rhubarb does have a tendency to get stringy, especially after it has been in the fridge for a few days. However after it is cooked you will not even notice these pieces, as they become moist and softened.

Does Rhubarb Have Pectin In It?

stems and leaves — rhubarb contains a small amount of pectin

Rhubarb contains a small amount of pectin. Adding additional pectin is not necessary for rhubarb jam, as the jam can be easily made with just rhubarb and sugar alone. However pectin can be added to give the rhubarb jam a more gelled consistency, and there are a number of ways that this can be done.

Pectin can be aded naturally with the addition of lemon juice, either fresh or bottled.

Packet pectin can also be added, either in powdered or liquid forms.

In the jam that we made with pectin, we used the juice of a freshly squeezed lemon to provide the pectin.

Bottled lemon juice is preferred by many due to it’s guaranteed acidity content .

How To Make Rhubarb Jam

We decided to preserve some rhubarb by making several types of rhubarb jam.

We made our first batch without pectin, and our second batch with pectin.

Each batch contained the same amount of rhubarb, with six cups in each batch.

We varied the amount of sugar, using one cup for the batch without pectin, and two cups for the batch with pectin.

The pectin that we used was citrus pectin from one whole lemon. The citrus was added to the second batch of jam.

1. Maceration

We used a process called maceration to draw the juice from the flesh of the rhubarb.

chopped rhubarb mixed with sugar — macerate the rhubarb in the sugar for twelve to twenty-four hours

This process is similar to what many do with strawberries as they are prepared for strawberry shortcake. Adding the sugar to the fruit draws out the juices.

The maceration process works equally as well on rhubarb.

Sugar was added to the rhubarb and was left to sit overnight for about about twelve hours. You can leave the rhubarb even longer during this process, up to twenty-four hours.

After sitting in the sugar for a twelve hour period there was a good amount of juice in the bottom of the bowl. This juice is then used to start the rhubarb jam.

2. How To Make Rhubarb Jam Without Pectin

The first batch was made without pectin.

We prepared our canning jars in the oven at 225°F for 10 minutes, and boiled the lids for the same amount of time.

Ingredients:

6 cups of chopped rhubarb

1 cup of white sugar

Preparation:

rhubarb being chopped on a cutting board with a knife — rhubarb being chopped into small pieces

Combine the rhubarb with the sugar and mix.

Set aside for twelve to twenty-four hours to macerate. We placed ours in the fridge overnight for this process.

After the rhubarb has been allowed to sit in the sugar and the juice has been drawn into the bowl, it’s time to drain the juice.

closeup of chopped rhubarb in juice — rhubarb macerated in sugar for twelve hours

juice being poured out into a strainer below — strain the rhubarb

Drain the juice and place in a pot.

pink bubbles of boiling juice — boil the rhubarb juice

Boil the rhubarb juice for several minutes, then add the rhubarb pieces back into the pot.

chopped pieces of green and red rhubarb in juice — add the rhubarb to the pot and boil

Cook for approximately five to ten minutes on medium to high heat until the rhubarb softens completely and the mixture becomes thick.

stewed rhubarb cooked — cook the rhubarb until thick- for five to ten minutes

Pour into canning jars, and place lids on the jars.

Boil in a hot water bath for ten minutes using a water bath canner for further safe preservation and a longer shelf life.

two mason jars of rhubarb jam on a railing next to a white bowl with a spoon and jam, against a blurred green background — homemade rhubarb jam without pectin

End Results:

I really liked this jam and the proportions of sugar to rhubarb were practically perfect for my taste. Not too sweet, and with a perfect balance of tart and sweetness.

This recipe filled two 250 ml jars plus a a dollop more in a small bowl.

The jam was lovely and light, with a texture much like a stewed rhubarb cooked down to a more jam-like texture.

jam on a silver spoon against a blurred green background — rhubarb jam without pectin

3. How To Make Rhubarb Jam With Pectin

Our second batch of rhubarb jam was made with pectin. We also increased the sugar amount, doubled in fact, compared to the first batch.

This batch was much sweeter in taste, and had a more gelled consistency.

Ingredients:

6 cups of chopped rhubarb

2 cups of white sugar

Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon

Directions:

The directions are similar to the first batch.

a hand holding half a lemon squeezed above a bowl below — squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl of rhubarb and sugar before setting it aside to macerate

The only difference is the addition of the lemon, and of course the increased sugar.

Add the lemon when you are adding the sugar to the chopped rhubarb, as you are preparing to macerate the rhubarb.

Allow to sit for twelve to twenty-four hours. We placed the bowl in the fridge for this process.

a silver bowl containing rhubarb and juice on a grey wooden box — macerated rhubarb in sugar and lemon juice

chopped rhubarb in a colander — strain the rhubarb from the juice

a colander containing chopped rhubarb and a silver bowl containing pink rhubarb juice on a grey wooden box — rhubarb strained and separated from the juice

Strain the juice from the rhubarb and place the juice in a pot.

Bring the juice to a boil and boil for several minutes.

Add the rhubarb to the juice in the pot and cook for five to ten minutes until thickened.

Pour into prepared canning jars.

Place in water bath canner for ten minutes to further preserve for storage.

End Results:

two mason jars containing rhubarb jam on a wooden railing , next to some pieces of raw rhubarb — rhubarb jam with pectin

This recipe filled one 500 ml mason jar plus an additional one third of another 500 ml bottle, which we used up right away.

This jam was also delicious, and definitely on the sweet side.

I preferred the gelled texture of this jam to the first, which was a result of the added pectin from the lemon.

My next batch will be a combination of the two.

The next batch will have the added pectin, however I will reduce the sugar back to one cup per six cups of rhubarb for my own individual preference.

You can make adjustments to the sugar content with these two methods. If using packaged pectin, follow the directions on the package for sugar amounts.

a square plate holding a mason jar of milk, a white bowl filled with jam and a spoon, and two pieces of toast with jam — homemade rhubarb jam on toast

Will My Jam Thicken As It Cools?

After the jam has cooled down it can thicken even more.

Any jam with pectin can take some time to set.

Our jam with pectin was even thicker by the next day.

In general, both of these jams tended to be quite thick even before they had cooled, due to the nature of rhubarb.

Does Lemon Juice Thicken Jam?

Lemon juice contains pectin, which is a naturally occurring substance found in plants. Lemon juice will help to thicken the jam due to the high pectin content in the fruit.

a hand holding a yellow lemon against a blurred green background — does lemon juice thicken jam?

Here is a great article from thekitchn.com explaining why you have to add lemon juice when making jam, and the role pectin plays in jam set and safety.

It’s actually a bit scientific, and has to do with ph and neutralizing negative charges on pectin strands.

Essentially, if you add pectin to your jam while it is being cooked and heated, it will help the jam to thicken and set.

The acidity of the lemon also plays a role in safety and reduction of bacteria for safe preserving.

Bottled lemon juice is better than fresh lemon juice as it has a guaranteed acidic content, whereas with a fresh lemon the acidity will vary.

Of course your don’t always have to add lemon juice, as there are other sources of pectin.

And as well, you don’t always have to add pectin, as was the case for our jam without pectin.

How To Make Rhubarb Jam -With And Without Pectin

Yield: 500 mls plus a bit of each type of jam

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 12 hours

Total Time: 12 hours 20 minutes

We decided to preserve some rhubarb by making several types of rhubarb jam. We made our first batch without pectin, and our second batch with pectin. Each batch contained the same amount of rhubarb, with six cups in each batch.

Ingredients

6 cups of chopped rhubarb for each batch
1 to 2 cups of sugar for each batch ( we used 1 cup for the batch without pectin, and 2 cups for the batch with pectin)
juice of 1 lemon for the jam with pectin

Instructions

For each batch, macerate the rhubarb in a bowl with the sugar for 12 to 24 hours.
Add the lemon juice to the bowl for the batch with pectin, at the same time that you add the sugar, as this will be the pectin source.
After macerating, strain the juice from the rhubarb.
Pour the juice into a pot and boil for several minutes.
Add the rhubarb and continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes until thick and soft.
Pour into prepared and sterilized mason jars, and cap with sterilized lids.
Place in water bath canner for ten minutes to further preserve for storage.

Notes

Sterilize jars by placing in oven at 225°F for 10 minutes, and sterilize jar caps and lids by placing in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 32 tbsp Serving Size: 1 tbsp
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 60Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 0g

Have you ever made rhubarb jam, with or without pectin? Be sure to leave us a comment below to share your thoughts!

How To Make Rhubarb Jam – With And Without Pectin

How Do You Thicken Rhubarb Jam?

Do You Peel Rhubarb For Jam?

Does Rhubarb Have Pectin In It?