Quick Summary: Creative ways to use jams, jellies, and chutneys beyond spreading on toast. Includes appetizers, marinades, sauces, cocktails, sandwiches, and desserts. Perfect for using up homemade preserves or elevating store-bought jams.
Jump to: Appetizers | Savory Sauces | Marinades | Smoothies | Breakfast | Dips | Drinks | Sandwiches | Desserts | Vegetables | Toast | FAQ
Jams, jellies and chutneys can definitely go beyond toast and add interest and deliciousness to many different baked goods, holiday food boards, or savory sauces. I sold premium jams at the Minnesota farmers’ markets for 10+ years, including my Good Food Award-winning Blueberry Lavender Merlot jam, and I’ve found dozens of ways to use them in cooking. Here is a list of more than 15 ways to use jams and jellies to enhance your home recipes in the easiest way possible.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I also earn from qualifying purchases. You can read our disclosure information here–
1. Easy Appetizers
Quick & Easy:
- Spread jams or chutneys over a round of brie and microwave briefly
- arrange jams on a cheese plate to pair with cheese
Recommended Preserves for Appetizers
- Hot pepper jellies
- Herbal jellies
- Fruit chutneys
2. Savory Sauces
Quick & Easy Recipes:
In saucepan, mix preserves with some orange juice, cornstarch, soy sauce and mustard; heat over med-high until thoroughly combined and use as a sauce for meatballs, little smokies, or any of your favorite proteins;
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- Red Currant jelly
- Plum jams
- Sour cherry jams
- Low sugar blueberry jams
3. Marinades
Quick & Easy Recipes:
Heat 1/2 jar of fruit jam in saucepan and mix in 1 Tbsp. mustard, 2 cloves garlic and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper.
Place protein of choice (chicken, pork, fish or ribs) in plastic bag, pour marinade over it and refrigerate 2 hours to overnight.
Remove meat or fish from bag and place on grill or roast in oven. Use any marinade that has accumulated in the bottom of the roaster to baste the meat the last 5-10 minutes.
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- Blueberry Bourbon BBQ Sauce on Pork Chops
- Tart cherry jams
- Peach jams
4. Shakes or Smoothies
Smoothie Ideas:
In blender, add some frozen vanilla yogurt, a banana, some jam of your choice, some skim milk and/or some fruit juice or water (to help liquefy).
Add protein powder or flax to blender if desired. Blend to desired thickness.
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- Blueberry jam is my favorite for this
- All jams will work for smoothies…pick your favorite fruit
5. Breakfasts
Easy Ideas:
- Spread soft jams over pancakes or waffles
- dollop tomato jam or savory jam on omelets
- stir fruit jams into plain yogurt or into oatmeal.
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- hot pepper jellies
- berry jams
- tomato jam
6. Sauces & Dips
Easy Ideas:
- add Dijon mustard to a citrus jam and use with fish
- melt hot pepper jellies and use as dipping sauce for eggrolls, wontons, samosas, etc.
- use fruit jam as a base for your favorite BBQ sauce recipe
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- citrus jams
- hot pepper jellies
- berry jams
7. For Beverages:
Creative Ideas:
Jellies can be used as an easy enhancement to cocktails, turning a simple cocktail into a “craft cocktail”. There is a range of cocktails and mocktails that can be made with fruit syrups (which is often just a jelly without the pectin).
Here is an ideas to get you started:
Prosecco Sparkler: warm up your favorite jelly (not jam) until liquefied and stir several tablespoons into glass of chilled prosecco or other sparkling white wine.
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- pear jellies
- strawberry jelly
- herbal jellies
Blueberry Mojito: Check out this easy recipe for making your own blueberry mojito with fresh or frozen blueberries
Lime marmalade margarita: Add several tablespoons of lime or lemon jams to your recipe for margaritas and blend.
8. Sandwiches & Burgers
Easy Recipes:
Panini: Use basting brush to spread olive oil or softened butter on outside of 2 slices of robust bread (or sourdough bread); layer inside of sandwich with cheese and a fruit jam or fruit butter (prosciutto or other meat sliced thin can also be added);
Place sandwich in Panini machine, oiled sides of bread on outside (touching grills) and close machine until cheese is melted and bread slightly browned.
If you do not have a Panini machine, just grill above sandwich like a grilled cheese sandwich.
PBJ’s: Try peanut-butter-jelly sandwiches with a bold jam or jelly to get a taste treat.
Hamburgers: I use a sweet-tart jam on one side of bun, ketchup on the other side of the bun and the hamburger of your choice in the middle for a wonderful tart and savory combination.
I love this with a ground chuck patty and an egg as the protein in the middle, and jam on the buns…scrumptious).
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- chutneys
- pumpkin butter
- fruit jams
9. Sweet Treats & Desserts
Here are a few of the many ways jams can be used in desserts
Chocolate-Raspberry Panini with Mascarpone: Butter 4 slices of French bread and arrange on baking sheet, buttered side down. Spread each with 1 Tbsp preserves.
Sprinkle chopped bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao) over each, leaving 1/2-inch border. Spread 6 Tbsp mascarpone cheese evenly over plain side of remaining 4 bread slices.
Sandwich cookies: Spread generous tsp of jam between two of your favorite cookies (oatmeal or ginger cookies work great).
Bars: Use as filling in any of your favorite bar recipes (i.e., raspberry-almond bars)
Empanads: Use as a filling for empanadas
Mini-tarts: Try these easy jam tarts for an easy recipe to do with kids) Basically roll out a pie crust and line a small circle of dough in miniature muffin cups or some sort of shallow mold. Fill with jam and bake until crust is golden and filling bubbles thickly.
Ice cream topping: Spoon sweet jams over ice cream fruit jams are especially good with ice cream, but the hot pepper jams are a nice twist.
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- sweeter jams
- hot pepper jellies
- citrus marmalades
10. Mustard-Jam Mixtures for Vegetables:
Easy Idea:
Vegetable toppings: combine 1/3 cup jam (go for less sweet jams or chutneys) with 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard and 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp lemon juice; heat until melted and drizzle over vegetables
Protein toppings: mix 1/2 cup of mustard (coarse grain) with 1/4 jam and top a pork tenderloin with the mixture. Wrap in foil and cook 25 minutes at 350 F.
Recommended Jams/Jellies
- currant jelly
- stone fruit jams
- fruit chutneys
11. And, of course, TOAST!
All of the jams, jellies and preserves are wonderful with toast and all kinds of breads (bagels, cornbread, etc.)
FAQ
Less sweet jams like red currant, sour cherry, and stone fruit jams work well. Hot pepper jellies and chutneys are also excellent for savory applications.
Yes. Warm the jam slightly to thin it, then mix into cocktails. Jellies (without fruit pieces) blend more smoothly than chunky jams.
Refrigerator jam keeps 2-3 weeks. Properly canned jam keeps a year or more unopened.
Jam is made with crushed fruit. Jelly is made with fruit juice only (no pieces). Preserves have larger chunks of fruit.
Fig jam with blue cheese, hot pepper jelly with cream cheese, and fruit chutneys with aged cheddar are classic pairings. Here is a pairing chart. for jams and cheeses.
If you like my articles about cooking and gardening, subscribe to my weekly newsletter, where I share free recipes and gardening tutorials.
wow i am loving this
Thank you so much for commenting (and for liking it!).
Great back pocket ideas. Thanks for taking the time to share them. Into my recipe folder they go.
Thanks for commenting Cheri. Someday I’ll get around to updating the photos. The ideas are solid but the photos need an overhaul!