This concord grape jelly recipe is easy to make, and a great way to use up that extra couple of punnets of grapes this Fall!
Why I love this recipe
Homemade concord jelly is so much better than store-bought grape jelly or jam. There are no added artificial flavors because homemade is all about bringing out the natural flavor of your concord grapes. This recipe shows you the best way to separate the seeds in the grapes for a smoother jam. This jam recipe even shows you how to incorporate the skin, and still make sure the jam is smooth. If you have an abundance of concord grapes, this is such a great way to preserve them! I love making jams and jellies every summer and autumn to take advantage of that bounty of delicious fruits (like this strawberry jam, plum jam, fig jam etc.).
Ingredients
Concord grapes – concord grapes have a deep purple / blue skin. They can be eaten as table grapes (grapes that can be consumed while fresh), but you can also use them to make juice or jam. Due to the dark pigmented skin, this grape gives the juice and jam that characteristic intense, purple color. I also find that concord grapes have a distinct musky flavor that I absolutely love and isn’t as pronounced in other green or red grape varieties. Granulated sugar – I use white sugar to make jam. White sugar has no molasses, so it doesn’t interfere with the flavor of concord grapes. Usually in jam recipes, the fruit and sugar are mixed at a 1:1 ratio. In this recipe, the amount of sugar is less than for a regular recipe, but it still works. Sugar also plays a huge role in jam making.
Obviously sugar acts as a sweetener. It also helps to activate the pectin, which is responsible for the jam thickening and setting. Sugar also acts as a preservative in jams.
Unfortunately, you cannot reduce the sugar amount more than stated in this recipe, without making adjustments or additions to the recipe (such as additional pectin). Lemon peel – Lemon peel adds a little acidity to the jam, which helps to brighten up the fruitiness of the concord grapes. Lemon peel (with the white pith), also adds a little extra pectin to help with setting this jam (since I’m not using any added pectin in this recipe). While concord grapes have more pectin than other grape varieties, this recipe uses just a little less sugar than other recipes. So a little extra pectin from the lemon peel will help with setting the jam. Salt – The addition of salt does not make this jam salty. Sugar by itself can be overbearingly sweet, especially in a jam recipe. The addition of just the smallest amount of salt helps to balance that sweetness, without adding saltiness to the jam. Just like how salt enhances the flavor of your savory dishes by not making it bland, salt does the same to your sweet dishes too. It makes the flavor and sweetness more nuanced.
How to make concord grape jelly
Making concord grape jelly (concord grape jam) is super easy. However, the only problem with these grapes when it comes to making jelly or jam is the seeds. There are some varieties without seeds too, but I haven’t come across those yet. But the good news is that there are several ways to remove the seeds from the grapes, and any which way is fine, as long as it gets the job done. I do like to use a slightly different method for preparing my grape jelly compared to most recipes out there (especially if the grapes have seeds). But this recipe results in a very smooth, luscious grape jelly! So it’s absolutely worth your while. Following are the steps to make this delicious concord grape jelly (concord grape jam).
Step 1 – Prepare the grapes by separating the grape skin from the flesh (pulp). Step 2 – Remove the seeds. This can be done in two different ways as mentioned below. Step 3 – Blend the skin/peel (and optionally, pass the blended skin through a sieve). Step 4 – Cook the jam to the correct consistency (and the jam test to check if the jam is properly cooked). Step 5 – Sterilize the canning jars before adding the hot jam. Step 6 – Canning and storage.
How to first remove the grape skin
Some recipes swear by cooking the concord grapes whole, with the skin. While this works for concord grapes without seeds, I find that first separating the skin from the grapes makes it easier to remove the seeds. This can be a tad time-consuming, but it’s absolutely worth it in my opinion. All you need to do is just pinch one end of the grape (opposite from the stem) and squeeze. The pulp inside will pop right out from the stem end of the grape. But remember NOT TO throw away the grape skins! The skin is what yields that deep purple color in this concord grape jelly. Also note that the grape skin can stain your clothes, so be careful not to get it on your clothes when you’re removing the skin.
How to remove the seeds
There are two simple ways to do this as I mentioned above. You can push the grape pulp through a sieve at the beginning, to separate out the seeds. OR you can soften the pulp a little by cooking it for a few minutes, and then push it through a sieve. It’s also a good idea to blend the skin and pass it through a sieve as well, so that you don’t end up with big pieces of skin in your concord grape jam. But this is an optional step. I sometimes don’t do this step, and it always comes out perfectly delicious.
Jam test to check if the jam is properly cooked
You can test doneness with the jelly test / jam test method (I talk about this more in my plum jam post as well). First make sure to keep a few small saucers in the freezer before you start to make the concord grape jam. When you’re almost done cooking the jam, place a little of it on a cold saucer and freeze for about 1 minute (until it’s cooled down). Then run your finger through the jelly and check how the jelly spreads/flows. If the jelly parts with your finger track and then meets up in the middle again immediately, then it’s still too runny. If the jam doesn’t join back up in the middle immediately and fill the streak, and it’s still jelly-like to your touch (i.e. not stiff), then it’s at the correct consistency.
Storage instructions
Make sure to sterilize the bottles that you will be using to store this concord grape jam. If you’re planning on eating it within a week, then you don’t have to do this. BUT, if you want to keep the jam for longer, then sterilize the canning jars / bottles first. You can do this by keeping the jars in boiling water for about 6 minutes, OR by keeping them in a preheated oven (350°F/180°C) for about 10 minutes. Then while the bottle and concord grape jam are both warm, ladle the jam into the jars and close. The jars will form a vacuum seal as they cool down. It is ABSOLUTELY important to ensure that both the jelly and jars are hot/very warm when you do this. If you ladle cooled down jelly into hot jars (or vice versa), the jars WILL break due to the temp. difference (trust me, it’s happened to me!). See the notes section in the recipe card below for more information on how I can this jam.
Serving suggestions
This concord grape jam is absolutely addictive. If you’ve eaten concord grapes before and liked that delicious combo of tart and sweet flavors, then you’ll love this concord grape jelly recipe!
The classic way – peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I’ve made the best damn peanut butter & jelly sandwiches in the world with this jam and my homemade white bread. Make these amazing sweet and salty jam and cheese palmiers for your next party, and use this grape concord jelly instead of berry jam. Substitute the spicy fruit relish with concord jelly in this easy 3 ingredient sausage roll! A spicy chicken sausage pairs wonderfully with this sweet grape jelly. A delicious grape jelly croissant bread pudding (made with homemade croissants if you’d like to get super fancy!). Substitute the raspberry jam with this concord grape jam, and fresh raspberries with fresh concord grapes. Make concord grape crumble bars, like these rhubarb crumble bars. Substitute the rhubarb filling with concord grape jelly instead. You can also spread this on regular toast, cinnamon toast, French toast etc., and pair it with these classic cream scones. I also spread this on crumpets, and eat it with pancakes, waffles, and crepes too!
Frequently asked questions
