After visiting a lychee farm and picking our own fresh lychees, I decided to try and preserve some in an easy to make jam. This homemade lychee jam is quick and easy to make as tastes great on a slice of toast for breakfast.
Homemade Lychee Jam
Lychees are already so sweet, that you do not need much sugar as it will make the jam too sweet.
When making this jam, you will need fruit that is ripe and has no blemishes or mould on them. They will smell lovely and sweet.
What are Lychees?
Lychees are a little ball-shaped fruit that are sweet and juicy. They have a leathery-type shell that is peeled off to revel an opaque, white-fleshed fruit. Inside this fruit is a large black seed that is not eaten.
Though they are very good for you – high in antioxidants, vitamins B and C, as well as loads of other minerals, they are high in sugar, so if you’re diabetic, you may want to enjoy them in moderation.
Pectin
For jams to thicken and set, they need a substance known as pectin. Some fruits naturally contain more pectin than others. When making jams and jellies with low-pectin fruits, such as mango, lemon or lime juice is added.
High-pectin Fruits
- Apples
- Blackcurrants
- Redcurrants
- Gooseberries
- Raspberries
- Plums
- Cranberries
- Oranges
- Lemons
- Apricots
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
Low-pectin fruits
- Strawberries
- Rhubarb
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears
Can I freeze Lychee Jam?
This Lychee Jam should last about three months in the freezer.
Using Lychee Jam
Lychee jam can be used in a multitude of ways including:
- On toast
- On top of ice cream!
- A sandwich, with peanut butter, I’m told is good
- On top of some fried pork chops
- Try a dollop or two in a trifle along with other jams
- On top of crackers
Other Jams and Spreads
- Homemade Bread
- Strawberry Jam
- Rosella Jam
- Mulberry Jam
- Slowcooker Apple Butter
- Apple Scrap Jelly
- Blueberry Jam
- Orange and Lemon Marmalade
- Passionfruit Curd
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need to make this lychee jam are:
- 1 kg lychees, peeled and seeded
- 100g sugar
- 8g pectin
Make Lychee Jam
To make lychee jam, add the fruit and sugar to a large saucepan.
Slowly bring to the boil over medium heat.As it is heating up, mash the lychees with a potato masher until you get the fruit to the consistency that you want.
For a very smooth jam, process the lychees in a food processor before adding them to the saucepan.
Add the pectin and boil until the mixture is set.
The mixture will need to boil and thicken and you will need to stir it frequently so that it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pot. If you have a candy thermometer, it needs to read 105°C (220°F), though you will need to keep a close eye on the mixture when it starts getting around this temperature.
If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use the jam / cold plate test. Before starting your jam, simply place 3 or 4 small plates in the freezer. When you think the jam may be ready, place a small teaspoon amount of jam onto one of the cold plates from the freezer and let it sit for about 30 seconds. Then run your finger through the middle of the blob of jam. If the line starts to fill back over, it means the jam is too runny and is not ready yet, so keep cooking and repeat again in about five minutes. If the line remains, then the jam has reached setting point and is ready.
This jam needs to be placed into sterilised jars. So make sure you have them ready for when the jam has reached the gel stage.
Pour the homemade lychee jam into the prepared sterilised jars, leaving ¼” headspace. Clean the rims and place the lids on the jars.
Store in the fridge and eat within two weeks or freezer.
Homemade Lychee Jam
Ingredients
- 1 kg lychees, peeled and seeded
- 100 g white sugar
- 8 g pectin
Instructions
- To make lychee jam, add the fruit and sugar to a large saucepan.
- Slowly bring to the boil over medium heat. As it is heating up, mash the lychees with a potato masher until you get the fruit to the consistency that you want.
- For a very smooth jam, process the lychees in a food processor before adding them to the saucepan.
- Add the pectin and boil until the mixture is set.
- The mixture will need to boil and thicken and you will need to stir it frequently so that it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pot. If you have a candy thermometer, it needs to read 105°C (220°F), though you will need to keep a close eye on the mixture when it starts getting around this temperature.
- If you don’t have a thermometer, you can use the jam / cold plate test. Before starting your jam, simply place 3 or 4 small plates in the freezer. When you think the jam may be ready, place a small teaspoon amount of jam onto one of the cold plates from the freezer and let it sit for about 30 seconds. Then run your finger through the middle of the blob of jam. If the line starts to fill back over, it means the jam is too runny and is not ready yet, so keep cooking and repeat again in about five minutes. If the line remains, then the jam has reached setting point and is ready.
- This jam needs to be placed into sterilised jars. So make sure you have them ready for when the jam has reached the gel stage.
- Pour the homemade lychee jam into the prepared sterilised jars, leaving ¼” headspace. Clean the rims and place the lids on the jars.
- Store in the fridge and eat within two weeks or freezer.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. The values may vary according to the ingredients and tools that are used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed information.
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Jacklyn
Hello!
Quick question:
How much jam does this recipe make? How many jars did you fill and how big were those jars?
I’m just trying to gauge how many lychees to buy.
Thank you!
S Jones
This is one thing I forget to do when I made it. From memory, I think it made around 4 smallish jars.