Looking for a way to use up those sad cherries? Inspired to try rhubarb for the first time? Make this homemade Cherry Rhubarb Jam with just 6 ingredients in under 1 hour! You’ll quickly forget how much you thought you loved store-bought jam!

One of my greatest joys every summer is stirring a pot of hot and bubbly jam on the stovetop.

There’s just something so grounding about this very basic activity. It’s one that has been done dutifully and faithfully summer after summer by millions of people for centuries.

And it’s humbling to think that I, in my tiny place in this world, have taken part in this very human tradition. No matter what kind of jam I make, it’s still made using the same (or nearly the same) process as it was hundreds of years ago.

The outcome, while differing by flavor, is always the same: jars of thick, warm, and fruity jam that begs to be slathered on biscuits and toast or stirred into yogurt.

This cherry rhubarb jam isn’t one I ever thought of making until I had a pile of fresh rhubarb in the fridge that had no particular plan, which my friend picked from her yard just for me.

I also had a bag of cherries that needed to be used up. And on a quick flip through my new favorite baking cookbook, I knew exactly which direction my morning was going in.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Jam is one of those things that only requires a couple of ingredients, and this cherry rhubarb version is no different. Here’s what you’ll need (be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient amounts!):

• Sweet cherries
• Rhubarb
• Sugar
• Lemon juice
• Table Salt
• Vanilla extract

The Uni-Tasker Tool of My Dreams

The most labor-intensive part of making this jam is prepping the cherries.

Let’s be real: pitting cherries is not a fun process. It’s messy, takes forever, and feels like a chore maybe not worth doing. Until now.

Enter the most incredible uni-tasker tool I have ever used. This cherry pitter is the tool I never knew I needed in my life. For this jam, I pitted 12 ounces of cherries in under 2 minutes. Can you imagine?!

How to Make Cherry Rhubarb Jam

Here’s the very basic process for how to make this jam. Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full Instructions list!

STEP 1: Prep the cherries and rhubarb.

STEP 2: In a medium saucepan, mix the fruit with the sugar, lemon juice, and salt.

STEP 3: Simmer the fruit, stirring often, until the rhubarb is completely soft, the cherries have mostly broken down, and the jam is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the vanilla.

STEP 4: Allow the jam to cool for 15 minutes off the heat. Transfer to clean jars and allow to cool for another 15 minutes. Refrigerate for about 1 day before using.

To Can or Not to Can…

If you’re up for it, you can certainly can this jam to preserve it for many months to come. I, however, was not up for canning on the morning I made this jam on a whim.

Instead, I jarred my hot jam in 3 of my seemingly endless supply of empty Bonne Maman jam jars to store in the fridge.

One of the 3 jars went right over to my friends who gave me the rhubarb as a “thank you” for the rhubarb supply. I knew I’d be using the rest of the jam up fairly quickly so I wasn’t at all worried about how long it was going to stay fresh in the fridge.

If you’re not up for the canning process but want to keep the jam for a few months anyway, you can always freeze it. These silicone containers work great for freezing and portioning jam!

What We Love About this Homemade Jam

Aside from the fact that I live for making homemade switches for store-bought items in my own kitchen, this jam is incredibly delicious! It’s a little sweet, a bit tart, and fully of chunky cherries.

Does a slather on some morning toast get any better?!

More Homemade Jam Recipes You’ll Love

• Strawberry Vanilla Bean Jam
• Blueberry Jam
• Salted Brown Sugar Roasted Peach Jam
• Peach Vanilla Bean Jam
• Rhubarb Strawberry Jam
• Vanilla Bean Fig Jam