Is It Jam or Jelly? (2024)

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Canned fruit jam; Penn State University, Martha Zepp

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Jelly, jam, preserves, conserves, and marmalade are usually fruit products that are jellied or thickened to some extent. Traditionally they contained adequate amounts of sugar to serve as a preservative agent.

• Jelly is a clear product firm enough to hold its shape when turned out of the jar, but quivers when moved.
• Jam is a thick, sweet spread made with crushed or chopped fruits. The pieces of fruit are very small. Jams tend to hold their shape but are less firm than jelly.
• Preserves are small whole fruit (such as cherry preserves) or uniform-size pieces (such as peach preserves) cooked in a clear, slightly gelled syrup. The fruit should be tender and plump.
• Conserves are jam-like products that may be made with a combination of fruits and often contain nuts, raisins, and/or coconut.
• Marmalades are soft fruit jellies containing small pieces of fruit or peel evenly suspended in the transparent jelly. They often contain citrus fruit as in orange marmalade.

While not truly a jelly or jam, butters, honeys, and syrups are other fruit spreads made by cooking fruit and/or juice and sugar to the desired consistency.

• Fruit butters are made by cooking fruit pulp with sugar to a thick consistency. Spices may be added. Apple butter is perhaps the most common example.
• Honeys and syrups are made by cooking fruit juice or pulp with sugar to the consistency of honey or syrup. They are much thinner than the other spreads.

Research-based recipes and directions for making these products can be found in Penn State Let's Preserve: Jelly, Jam, Spreads and at the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

References

LaBorde, L.; Zepp, M.; & Hirneisen, A. (2023, August 3). "Let's Preserve: Jelly, Jam, Spreads". Penn State University.

National Center for Home Food Preservation. (n.d.).Jams and Jellies.