How to Make Grape Jam (Concord Grape Jam Recipe)

Homemade concord grape jam is one of the most delicious things I've ever made. The flavor absolutely blows away every commercial grape jam I've ever tried. Spread on scones? Heavenly! On a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? You've elevated a lunchtime classic to something absolutely amazing. Homemade grape jam is absolutely worth the effort to make.

Three jars of homemade concord grape jam, one open with a knife balanced on the rim of the jar, with text overlay reading "How to make grape jam (Even with Seeded Grapes)."

Grape jam can be made with seedless grapes, or any variety of grape, certainly, but the most classic grape to use is the concord grape, a seeded grape. Those pesky seeds aren't difficult to remove if you have the right tools, so don't let them intimidate you!

Concord grapes, freshly washed in a steel mesh collander.

I was lucky enough to be given amazing, home-grown concord grapes from a friend's backyard vine. When such beautiful bounty is shared, I love to preserve it for the months to come.

If you have more grapes than you need to make grape jam, check out this amazing grape pie [1] recipe!

Concord grapes being removed from stems and measured in a silver measuring cup.

The first step is to wash and remove the grapes from the stems. Measure the whole grapes as you go along. You'll want 8 cups of grapes for this recipe (full recipe, including a one page, printable version, is down lower in the post).

Concord grape fruit being squeezed out of its skin.

Next you'll want to remove the flesh and juice of the grape from the skins. Luckily, this is incredibly easy with concord grapes! They are a slip-skin grape, which means that you can just gently squeeze the grape and the fruit inside will just pop right out. I loved having this job when I was a kid helping my mom make grape jam! If you're eating concord grapes fresh, just pop the fruit into your mouth and throw away the thick skins of the grapes. But if you're making jam, keep the skins of grapes in a separate bowl!

Concord grapes separated into two bowls, one holding the skins, one holding the fruit and juice.

We want to use them in the jam, both for the naturally occurring pectin and the gorgeous, deep purple color.

Concord grape skins being chopped in a food processor.

Put the grape skins and a small amount (about half a cup) of water in a food processor, and give it a blitz to chop up the grape skins.

You don't want to put the whole grapes in the food processor, because that would chop up the grape seeds, which can be quite bitter.

Collage of concord grape fruit and skins being cooked separately to make grape jam.

Simmer the grape pulp and juice in one pot for 10 minutes to soften the fruit. Simmer the chopped grape skins and water in a separate pot, also for 10 minutes.

Concord grape puree being made with a food mill to remove the seeds and grape skins.

Run the softened grape fruit through a food mill [2] to remove all the seeds. I don't have a lot of single-use kitchen gadgets, but the food mill absolutely earns its space in my kitchen cupboards. It's brilliant for removing seeds and skins, and making fruit puree.

Ingredients for homemade concord grape jam recipe on a white wooden surface.

Once the fruit and skins have been processed with the food mill, you'll be left with a gloriously colored grape fruit puree.

Ingredients for Concord Grape Jam:

Puree from 8 cups of whole grapes
6 cups sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon commercial jam (optional)

Concord grape jam being cooked in a stock pot, stirred with a wooden spoon, with a candy thermometer clipped to the pot.

Combine all of the ingredients except the optional teaspoon of commercial jam (I'll explain that later) in a LARGE stock pot [3]. I used my 8 quart stock pot. The hot, sugary liquid bubbles and expands quite a bit when it's at full boil, which makes using a big pot critical for this recipe.

Cook over medium heat and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring with a wooden spoon the whole time the jam cooks, until the mixture reaches the gel stage, 220 degrees Fahrenheit. Watch carefully, because this could take only a few minutes, or it could take 30-40 minutes. It depends on many factors, including water content in the fruit, sugar content in the fruit, and elevation. Use a candy thermometer [4] to let you know when you've reached the 220 degree gelling point.

A freezer pop being used to test whether homemade grape jam is done.

At this point, I also like to do a wrinkle test to make sure the jam has set properly. The classic, old-fashioned way to do this is to put a small plate in the freezer to get nice and cold while you're cooking the jam, then dab a small bit of the hot jam on the cold plate. The jam on the cold plate cools very quickly, allowing you to test the jam by pushing it with your finger. If it wrinkles, the jam is ready. If it doesn't, keep cooking and test again.

My problem is that I usually forget to put the plate in the freezer, which lead me to improvise and come up with my favorite wrinkle test hack. I always have ice pops in the freezer for my kids, so I just drop some of the hot jam on a frozen ice pop. It chills the grape mixture for the wrinkle test instantly, and I can just rinse off the popsicle and put it back in the freezer. Much easier than the plate test for this forgetful cook!

Three jars of homemade grape jam, two closed in the background, and one open, with a knife tipped in grape jam balanced on top of the open jar. Fresh concord grapes and a floral tea towel sit in front of the jam.

Remove the pot from the heat, and stir in one teaspoon of commercial grape jelly. Actually, it doesn't have to be grape--use any commercial jam or jelly you have in the fridge. This is entirely optional, but is a clever trick my mother learned when she was in school to become a pastry chef. Her instructor told them that whole homemade jam tastes much better, it doesn't have any preservatives so doesn't last as long as commercial jams. But the commercial stuff has SO many preservatives that if you stir in just one teaspoon into your large batch of homemade preserves, it will dramatically increase the shelf life of your open jams. It doesn't change the flavor of your homemade jam, it just makes it last longer.

Grape jam dripping off the end of a knife onto the jam lid below. The knife rests on the open jar of concord grape jam.

Pour the hot jam into sterile glass jars, wipe rims of jars clean, and screw on the lids. I used wide-mouth Ball canning jars [5]. Either freeze the jam or follow the directions from Ball canning to water bathe [6] your sealed jam jars for preservation.

Two pieces of white bread on a white plate, one covered in homemade concord grape jam, the other in peanut butter. An open jar of concord grape jam is in the background.

The finished product is a gorgeous color with the most amazing grape flavor. I made myself the best PB&J for lunch the day I made this jam! I also made some absolutely amazing jammy dodgers cookies [7]. You can also use this grape jam in savory recipes! The classic holiday appetizer meatballs with grape jelly and bbq sauce [8]? Transformative with homemade grape jam!

White plate with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich cut in triangles, next to an open jar of homemade concord grape jam and two clusters of concord grapes. A jam-covered knife rests on the open jam lid.

This recipe made three 12 ounce jars of jam--plenty to eat, keep, and share with the generous friend who gave me the grapes!

Printable Concord Grape Jam Recipe:

Want a one page, printable, PDF version of this grape jam recipe? Click the image below to print or save the PDF directly to your device.

[9]

Other Jam Recipes You Might Like:

[10]

[11]

[12]