This banana jam recipe is great to make any time of year as the fruit is always readily available. It is one of the most budget friendly homemade jam recipes too, since overripe bananas are so inexpensive.
Until you try a peanut butter banana jam sandwich you don't really know what your favorite jam is! This preserve is a fantastic edible gift idea too.
Banana Jam - A Family Tradition
When I was a kid (ahem...way back in the 1970's), my mother used to make us this banana jam that we LOVED. We lived in a rural area, and she did a ton of canning and made other preserves. The jars in the cupboard that really drew me though were filled with banana jam.
A few years back, I asked her dig out this old banana recipe for me. I can't remember if she found it, or we grabbed another version off the web, but I made a few batches. It was good, but not quite the way I remembered it.
Over this past weekend, I ended out buying a lot of overripe bananas cheap. I was long overdue to make another batch of this jam, and decided introduce it to my daughter rather than making banana bread yet again. This time, I was going to figure out how to replicate the original recipe though.
How to Make Banana Jam
The banana jam recipe I'd made last time came out a little too "orangey". I wanted the banana flavor to stand strong, with just a subtle citrus accent. I chose to use less OJ and add a little lime juice*. I also reduced the sugar slightly, so it could also double as a banana topping for waffles or ice cream.
The results were spot on (in my opinion anyway), and I now have the new recipe version readily available right here next time I want to make a batch.
*lemon juice would also work well.
So here it is, my easy banana jam recipe for you. If you are trying to avoid HFCS and preservatives in your family's diet, this might be a good choice to try.
The homemade jam recipe makes a great edible gift. Bananas are one of the few fruits that is affordable in bulk for jam making year round. You can even make this inexpensively in December for Christmas gifts.
Serving Banana Jam
While the banana preserves are of course fabulous on a peanut butter sandwich, that is just the start. Banana jam is great spread on English muffins, banana bread or scones. Use it as a banana sauce on desserts or a wonderful topping for waffles, pancakes or vanilla ice cream.
No. You will need lemon or lime juice to ensure there is enough acid in the jam as bananas aren't acidic. If you are not keen on it you can stir in 1 teaspoon of citric acid in instead.
The bananas should be from yellow ripe to slightly over ripe with brown spots.
Banana Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 cups ripe bananas sliced
- 2 cups sugar granulated sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice , or lemon juice
- generous pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
- Put all ingredients in large pot over med heat.
- Once the jam starts to bubble, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- While the jam is cooking place jars, lids and any equipment that will come in direct contact with the jam into the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, then shut off oven, but leave items in there until you are ready to use them.
- Once jam is cooked, ladle the hot jam into the jars and place lids and screw tips on. As jam cools vacuum will be created and lids will seal (you will generally hear a pinging sound when the seal happens).
Notes
Nutrition
Becky says
This was a first time ever making Banana Jam. I have stunned many when I say what I was making. This stuff is soooooo good! Easy too. The only thing I wish was added in recipe would be an approximate number of bananas to use, and not just cups. Oh well, that's no big deal. Delicious!!
Robin Gagnon says
Hi Becky, with variation in banana size I thought that might throw some people off. I'll add a range next time I make a batch.
Tara says
Can you make this in like a water bath instead of the oven cuz I'm much more secure making it in a water bath or pressure canner if I need to.
Robin Gagnon says
Yes, absolutely.
Randi says
How do you store this? Fridge, shelf, cabinet, pantry?)
Robin Gagnon says
I store on shelf until open. I personally don't keep it around nearly as long as berry jams out of caution, but my mom used to store it for months in the cabinets.
Laura says
I'm looking forward to making this, I'm having to impatiently wait for my bananas to ripen a bit more! It'll be my first time making banana jam after only making my first ever jam yesterday. I've read on other sites that banana jam doesn't keep as long, how long does this keep for?
Robin Gagnon says
I personally don't keep it around too long, a couple months at most... but my mom kept it a lot longer. I'm leery about suggesting long term storage, since someone is bound to skip a step or something.
Pat says
Can i replace orange juice?
Robin Gagnon says
You can up the lime juice a little to maintain the acidity. It will be a bit thicker, haven't actually made a batch without it myself.
Pat says
Could i use frozen bananas?
Thanks
Robin Gagnon says
That should be fine.
Hazel says
Was very impressed w my banana jam as I like to do w different Hawaii fruits.. I blended my whole 🍋 and tasted awesome. I didn't canned it as I wanted to taste ASAP.
Very grateful for sharing
Aloha
Hazel
Cristi Kordus says
Do I use pectin in these recipes ?
Robin Gagnon says
no
Linda says
It’s delicious and do simple to make !
Bana says
Made banana butter years ago but didn't quiet care for it. tried this one because it had oranges and not sure jell. Got a bunch of bananas for free so I try this recipe The other thing was I didn't have oranges but i had clementines, so I used them. It came out a little sweet, but the taste was great even warm. put a drop or two of hazelnut extract in the left over and that's even more tasty. Going to try this again with the extract. This would be a great ice cream topper.
Robin Gagnon says
I added a little vanilla extract before, but it didn't make much difference, perhaps I'll try hazelnut or almond in my next banana jam batch.
Margaret says
I'm trying to cut refined sugar way back in recipes so can I use date sugar or coconut sugar as an alternative? Thank you!
Robin Gagnon says
In theory it should work. You would need to taste test for sweetness level. Not so sure those sugars would have a preservative effect in the jam either.
Beverly says
Can I use Splenda in place of sugar?
Robin Gagnon says
If it measures the same you can, but it will absolutely need to stay in the fridge unless you do a full hot water bath canning process. The pectin in the bananas should make it thick enough, but it will have a reduced shelf life even in the refrigerator. Sugar acts as a preservative in jams.
Beverly says
Would it help if I use fruit fresh also?
Robin Gagnon says
It isn't a product I use, so I can't say whether it will help with preserving the jam.
Cheryl Tilden says
Love this Jam this is a keeper recipe