This has to be the best, hands down, pineapple jam I’ve ever made which I’ve used in my pineapple tarts. The jam is made from ripe pineapples. I have made it various times and I took care not to use pineapples that are too ripe. Overly ripe pineapples can be very juicy when cut. I’ve made it once with 4 ripened pineapples and it took me 4 hours to totally reduce the pineapples to the right jam texture. The result was totally worth the while as my mummy gave a raving review of my jam and even requested for a jar of it to spread on toast for her breakfast. I really couldn’t be happier. However I do not want to stand in front of the hot stove and keep stirring it for 4 hours. The ideal case is to use 2 just about ripe pineapples, grate it well and not too mushy, cook it in a large base non-stick pot so the liquid gets boiled off quicker. That took me about 1 hour to boil it down to the right texture.
How to choose the right pineapple to make this jam?
Using the right type of pineapple is important as it affects the amount of time you will spend cooking it and the amount of sugar you will need to add. The rule of thumb is to choose pineapples that look fresh, with green leaves and a firm skin. It should feel heavy and substantial, not hollow. When you gently squeeze it, it should be slightly soft. The colour of the pineapple should be in a consistent light yellow from top to bottom. Pineapples that have parts in dark yellow or orange colours are usually too ripe. In addition, if you smell it with your nose close to the bottom of the pineapple, there should be a sweet pineapple smell.
This jam is perfect for my closed and open-faced pineapple tarts, spread on toast, and I’m thinking of serving it on my next charcuterie board. Before I knew it, I’ve used up all the jam on the pineapple tarts I made a day after.
BTW, if you have an air fryer with a dehydrate mode, you can also cook it using an air fryer. See my Air Fryer pineapple jam recipe.
This recipe uses very basic ingredients, just ripe pineapples, Demerara unrefined cane sugar (or you can also use brown sugar, or honey rock sugar or just sugar), freshly squeezed lemon juice, cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. Boiled and reduced over 1 hour to a rich, fragrant, gorgeously caramelised glossy jam. When the liquid has reduced to about 10% of the entire jam, that’s the right time to add in the sugar and lemon juice. It’s important to keep stirring it to prevent the jam from getting burnt, something I would never want after slogging so long at the stove.
The final jam is moist to the touch, no visible residue liquid, soft and tender, yet thick and dry enough to spread on toast and use as fillings or toppings for pineapple tarts. This is the perfect jam, as compared to store bought jam which is usually quite stiff and a little too sweet, even though it says it’s low sugar content. Don’t get me wrong, I have definitely used store bought jam for making pineapple tarts but homemade jam is a totally new level.
Use this pineapple jam to make pineapple tarts
Do check out my recipes on making the different shapes of pineapple tarts:
Melt-in-your-mouth Bunny Shaped Pineapple Tarts 玉兔凤梨酥 (Rabbit Shaped Kue Nastar)
Bunny Pineapple Tarts are all the rage during lunar year of the rabbit. Here’s how you can easily make it, without using a mould.
Melt-in-Your-Mouth Pineapple Tarts
How about pineapple tarts in the classic open tart face or the pineapple shaped?
Watch my pineapple jam recipe on YouTube
The Perfect Homemade Pineapple Jam for Pineapple Tarts (Kue Nastar) | 自制凤梨果酱
Detailed Step-by-Step Video
Ingredients
- 2 pineapples, about 1.5kg each
- 85 g Demerara unrefined cane sugar, sweeten according to your preference, add up to 150g, can substitute with honey rock sugar, brown sugar or plain sugar
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise
- 3 cloves
Instructions
- Cut off top, bottom, skin, core and eye of 2 pineapples. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Cut pineapples into smaller pieces. Grate in food processor until pineapple chunks become fine pieces of pineapple, but not until it turns completely puréed.
- Transfer grated pineapple into large base non-stick pan and boil over high heat. Add 1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise, and 3 cloves and stir well. Once boiled, reduce heat to a simmer.
- The pineapple jam will thicken and liquid will reduce. Stir frequently to prevent from being burnt.
- When the liquid reduces to about 10% of the pineapple, add 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice and gradually add 85g Demerara unrefined cane sugar, adjust sweetness according to preference.
- Continuously stir the pineapple jam over low heat until the jam thickened and there is no visible liquid. Turn off the heat. Remove cinnamon, star anise, and cloves. Allow the jam to cool completely.
- If there is still liquid in the pineapple jam after it is cooled down, cook again over low heat and keep stirring until there is no more liquid. Store in air-tight container in refrigerator until ready to use.
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