Jams and jellies come in so many fun varieties, they’re super easy to make, and are a great way to use up fruit in a sustainable manner. You can use older or bruised goods and preserve them in the form of jams and jellies that will last for months on end. If you want to make your own jam, check out recipes like this homemade raspberry jam.
If you have already made your jams or have a surplus on hand, there are a bunch of fun ways to incorporate jellies and jams into your meals. Most of the suggestions below can be made with whatever jam you have, there are a million different flavors so pick whatever one you want!
Classic Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
What better way to reminisce about your childhood than by eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? If you want the “fancy” version, I love having whole grain bread or sourdough with natural peanut butter and low-sugar jam like this raspberry jam by GoodGood’s made with stevia. I was sent a few of their jams as samples and I love how fresh they taste, the majority of the jam is fruit which I love and they’re not sickeningly sweet like some jams are. Back to the toast, I’m also a huge fan of adding some extra fruits like bananas or berries along with a drizzle of yogurt or honey to make it extra ~fancy~.
Yogurt Berry Parfait
Super delicious and super easy to make for a sweet treat in the morning or as dessert. Use plain, vanilla, or a fruit-flavored yogurt as the base. Layer with berries, jam, and granola or crushed graham crackers. Top with nuts or a drizzle of nut butter and some chia seeds and you’re set! I’ve also made this by crushing up cookies like Nilla Wafers. Recommended combo: Foragers’ dairy-free unsweetened yogurt, GoodGood's blueberry jam, fresh blueberries, crushed graham crackers, and almond butter = a million heart eyes.
Glazes and Sauces
Using jam as a glaze or sauce for all sorts of items brings and unexpected sweetness to the meal. Try using apricot jam to glaze tofu or chicken, roast and serve with a side of rice and greens. You can find a recipe for apricot glazed tofu here.
Baked Goods!
Jam is great to use for glazes for different tarts and pies, would definitely recommend adding an apricot glaze to any baked good using apples. I make these mini apple pies/tarts and the apricot glaze on top heightens the taste of the dish. Try making these apricot mince pies for a warm fall dessert. You can also make jam thumbprint cookies! I recommend using GoodGoods’ strawberry jam in this recipe for vegan thumbprint cookies.
Serve With Cheese
Another classic combo brought to us by the French, there are many beautiful parings of cheese+wine+fruit+bread/crackers+jams and jellies! Some favorites are brie with blackberry jam and sourdough bread, sharp white cheddar cheese with crackers and chokecherry jam, and so many more. Try this brie jam roll up for a fun, jam-filled take on grilled cheese.