Rhubarb jam is so simple to make and a great jam recipe for beginners. The perfect balance of tart and sweet, this is the easiest homemade jam.

Don’t lose this recipe! Enter your email below and we will email this recipe to you, plus more yummy recipes weekly.
Jump to:
Here is why this rhubarb jam recipe is amazing:
- Super simple ingredients let the tartness of the rhubarb shine through while being balanced out by the sugar in this jam.
- Small batch of jam will give you 6 half-pint jars of jam. Perfect for gift-giving or popping open for a Sunday Brunch.
- Use fresh or frozen rhubarb for this jam recipe. Be sure to include any juices from the frozen bag of rhubarb.
- Use this rhubarb jam as a part of a charcuterie and cheese board as the sweet and tart element to the board.
🥫 Ingredients needed to make small batch homemade rhubarb jam:
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the recipe at the bottom for quantities.
- Rhubarb - fresh rhubarb washed, leaves removed and chopped into 1" pieces
- Orange juice - fresh if you have it but for this recipe I use bottled juice because that is what I had. Lemon juice can also be substituted.
- Sugar - white sugar
- Pectin - powdered pectin. Sure Jell is what I used for this recipe.
- Butter - butter will help keep the foam down. Unsalted butter is what I use
How to make Rhubarb Jam
1. Prepare the jars
- Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water.
- Fill the canner with water and place the jars on the rack. Cover the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce heat and keep the jars hot while you prepare the jam. See more canning tips in my Canning 101 post.
2. Prepare the Rhubarb Jam
- Prepare the rhubarb by washing, removing the leaves and chop the rhubarb into 1 inch pieces.
- Combine the chopped rhubarb and the orange juice in a non reactive 4 quart saucepan, bringing to a boil and cooking for 2 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender.
- Stir in the pectin and the butter to the softened rhubarb.
- Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
- Add the sugar to the rhubarb and return to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute stirring constantly.
- Remove from the heat and skim any scum that has risen to the top.
3. Canning The Jam
- Ladle the hot jam to within ¼" of the hot, clean jars. Wipe the rim with a wet, clean cloth. Add a clean lid and a clean ring. Finger tighten the ring.
- Return the filled jar to the hot water canner.
- Repeat with the remaining jars, returning each filled jar to the water bath canner when filled.
- Process the jars for 10 minutes.
- Remove the jars from the hot water canner and allow them to rest on a towel lined counter.
- Once the jars have cooled, check each lid for flex. If a jar flexes, place it in the refrigerator.
FAQs, answers and tips:
A full rolling boil is a boil that doesn't stop boiling when stirred. Be careful when stirring a full rolling boil of jam.
🪴 More Rhubarb Recipes:
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam - This strawberry rhubarb jam recipe can be made with fresh or frozen rhubarb and your choice of fresh or frozen strawberries.
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cast Iron Crisp - My mouth-watering strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe is easily made with minimum clean-up in a cast-iron skillet.
- Rhubarb Chutney - The perfect addition to any charcuterie board this easy chutney recipe is a delicious balance of savory, sweet and spice.
- Rhubarb Crumble - Rhubarb crumble is the one dish dessert that is delightfully tart, sweet with a crunchy topping that is delicious served warm with ice cream or chilled with a hot cup of coffee.
- Rhubarb Basil Smash - Tart rhubarb is balanced out with the sweet syrup and the muddling of basil gives the cocktail a brightness of flavor.
- Blackberry Dump Cake - Crunchy, sweet cobbler-like topping over blackberries is a delicious dessert.
- Rhubarb Jam - Rhubarb jam is so simple to make and a great jam recipe for beginners. The perfect balance of tart and sweet, this is the easiest homemade jam.
- Rhubarb Syrup
- Rhubarb Basil Smash Cocktail
Don’t lose this recipe! Enter your email below and we will email this recipe to you, plus more yummy recipes weekly.
More Jam Recipes:
- Canning Cranberry Juice
- Canning Pizza Sauce (Fresh Tomatoes)
- Preserved Figs In Syrup
- Homemade Fig Preserves Recipe Without Pectin
Rhubarb Jam Recipe
There is more to a recipe than just the recipe card. Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups rhubarb (washed, chopped)
- 1 cup Orange juice
- 1 package package Sure Jell Original
- 1 Teaspoon butter
- 6 ½ cups sugar
Instructions
Prepare the jars
- Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water.
- Fill the canner with water and place the jars on the rack.
- Cover the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Reduce heat and keep the jars hot while you prepare the jam.
Prepare the Rhubarb Jam
- Prepare the rhubarb by washing, removing the leaves and chop the rhubarb into 1 inch pieces.4 ½ cups rhubarb
- Combine the chopped rhubarb and the oreange juice in a non reative 4 quart sauce pan, bringing to a boil and cooking for 2 minutes or until the rhubarb is tender.1 cup Orange juice
- Stir in the pectin and the butter to the softened rhubarb.1 package package Sure Jell Original
- Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
- Add the sugar to the rhubarb and return to a full rolling boil and boil for 1 minute stirring constantly.6 ½ cups sugar
- Remove from the heat and skim any scum that has risen to the top.
- Ladle the hot jam to within ¼" of the hot, clean jars. Wipe the rim with a wet, clean cloth. Add a clean lid and a clean ring. Finger tighten the ring.
- Return the filled jar to the hot water canner.Repeat with the remaining jars, returning each filled jar to the water bath canner when filled.
- Process the jars for 10 minutes.
- Remove the jars from the hot water canner and allow them to rest on a towel lined counter.Once the jars have cooled, check each lid for flex. If a jar flexes, place it in the refridgerator.
Notes
What is a full rolling boil?
A full rolling boil is a boil that doesn't stop boiling when stirred. Be careful when stirring a full rolling boil of jam.Nutrition
Nutrition Disclosure
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
Sharing of this recipe to social media is both encouraged and appreciated. Please share the direct link back to the recipe. Copy/Pasting and/or screenshots of the recipe to any social media is strictly prohibited. Content and photographs are copyright protected. SavoringTheGood®
👩🏻🍳 Sarah Mock
CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger
Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 14 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.
JM Traxler
Can I use liquid certo pectin in place of the powdered pectin?
Sarah Mock
I did a bit of research and turns out powdered bernardin pectin can be substituted in equal parts for surejel.
Sarah
Carli
I wold like to make your rhubarb jam but I only have powdered bernardin pectin…. How much of that would I use in place of your surejel please???
Maya
4 1/2 cups of rhubarb to 6 1/2 seems like a lot of sugar to rhubarb
Sarah Mock
Lois,
Thank you so much for sharing! This is one of my favorite jam recipes as well! I hope you find more easy and delicious recipes here at Savoring The Good.
Sarah
Lois M
I tried this recipe today and now it's my new favorite recipe. Easy, easy, easy...and very tasty! I multiplied the recipe for larger batches and it was still perfection.