This banana jam recipe is great to make any time of year, especially since bananas are so inexpensive. You have never had such a delicious peanut butter and banana sandwich as one made with this jam! 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. 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 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 makes a great edible gift. The banana is 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. It also makes a wonderful topping for waffles, pancakes or ice cream.
No. You will need lemon or lime juice to ensure there is enough acid in the jam. If you are not keen on it you can swap 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
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons 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 it 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.
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.