Pomegranate Jelly
Pomegranate Jelly is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked jelly made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Notes
Use bottled, unsweetened pomegranate juice or reconstituted juice from unsweetened frozen concentrate. Or extract your own pomegranate juice from fresh pomegranates. Best instructions we’ve found for seeding and juicing a pomegranate are on a blog called The Shiksa in the Kitchen.
Servings 5 cups
Ingredients
- 4 cups pomegranate juice
- 4 teaspoons calcium water see step #1
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice bottled
- ½ cup up to 1 cup honey or ¾ cup up to 2 cups sugar
- 3 to 4 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin powder mixed into sweetener. 3 teaspoons gives a softer jell; 4 teaspoons gives a firmer jell
Instructions
- Before you begin, prepare calcium water.To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
- Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Wash lids and bands and set aside.
- Measure juice into sauce pan.
- Add calcium water and lemon juice, and mix well.
- Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener. Set aside.
- Bring juice mixture to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jam comes back up to a boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
- Remove hot jars from canner and fill jars with (marmalade/jam/jelly), leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove trapped air bubbles, wipe rims and put on lids and screw bands, tightening bands only to “fingertip tight” (until resistance is met, and then just the tiniest bit more).
- Place jars in the hot water, on the rack inside the canner. (Make sure jars are upright, not touching each other or the sides of the canner, and are covered with at least 1-2 inches of water). Place the lid on the canner, bring the canner to a rolling boil, and boil for 10 minutes. (Add 1 minute additional processing time for every 1000 feet above sea level.)
- Turn off heat and allow canner and jars to sit for 5 minutes. Then, remove jars from canner. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 12-24 hours. Then, confirm that jars have sealed, then store properly. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.
Would you get the same results using a sugar substitute like stevia or Splenda?
I know many use only Stevia and get great results using Pomona’s!
Hello, I see on the create your own recipe page (https://pomonapectin.com/create-your-own-recipe/) that lemon juice is listed as optional for pomegranate jelly. However, nothing in this recipe suggests that it is optional. I was wondering if it would it be okay to make pomegranate jelly without the lemon juice and with little/no sugar (yes I know it will be quite tart without sugar, hence why I’d prefer to avoid the lemon juice if possible)? It does NOT need to be shelf stable, I’m hoping to make gingerbread cookies filled with the jam which I don’t expect to last longer than a week at room temp anyways. Thanks!
I just made this with 4tsp lemon off my tree, white pomegranate juice from my tree( seeds quickly blitzed in blender and put through jelly bag, leaving powdery residue behind when measuring) 1&1/3 c sugar and 3&1/4 tsp on your pectin and 4 tsp of the calcium water mixture. It is bright, obviously already indicating set from jelling in pan after filling sterilized jars, but still a bit sweet for my taste. Next time I’ll use the 3/4 cup sugar to see if I like that better. I water bathed it for 10 minutes. I’m not blaming the recipe, my juice is very sweet to start with, so I thin’ that caused it.
Next I’ll juice the regular pomegranate jelly from the fruit off my ‘wonderful’ variety tree. I can’t wait. I use the jelly as holiday gifts along side lemon curd from my Mayer lemon tree. Happy holidays☺️
I normally put my pomegranate seeds into a blender then strain through a jelly jar. Then I let it rest in the fridge overnight to let the white powdery substance fall to the bottom( possibly tartaric acid?) should I do this with your pectin or should I just use it after putting through jelly bag?
You will not want to make the jelly until after the juice has been strained through the jelly bag.
I love your product, and have excellent results using my steam canner. We have a bumper crop of pomegranates and are ready to make jelly for the first time. If I add Tbsp of lemon or lime juice to your recipe, could I use a steam canner instead of water bath?
That was incredibly easy! I’ve been picking, seeding, and juicing my backyard pomegranates and freezing the juice for weeks. Today I canned half the juice which made 25 half pints and one pint of jelly. This process is so so so much easier than making plum jam! I was surprised that there was no mention of adjusting the pH so I checked it — 2.6 – wow! I did three batches, the first using the most sugar and the third using the least amount of sugar in the recipe. I far prefer the jelly with less sugar – and there was absolutely no problem with any batch setting up. Next time, I’ll go with the minimum amount of sugar and add do a batch with grated ginger and one with habanero. Fun!
my jars are not filled to 1/4 inch from top , more like 1 1/4 , my fault entirely . Will that have an effect on the safety or shelp life ? Sealed fine but that is a lot of air space huh .
Hello Sharon,
We would recommend moving your jars to the freezer for storage!
I made 2 batches. One with 4C juice, and a little over 1/2 C honey. It setup immediately.
The following day I made another batch using 4C juice and 1 cup of sugar. This is the third day and it doesn’t appear to be setting up. I always double check my ingredients so I’m positive I had the measurements of calcium water, pectin correct. Should I just be patient?
PS – I love this pectin. Love.
Hello Judi,
Could it be that the “following day” batch was over cooked or in the waterbath canner longer than 10 minutes? That would account for the lack of jell you are describing.
Hi Dawn, it sounds like the recipe you have is just skipping the final canning step for shelf stability. You are more than welcome to do that, but if you skip the final water-bath canning process, there is no certainty that your final product will be shelf stable. You can keep it in the fridge for a short time, or store in the freezer this way. If you follow our final instruction for water bath canning, then you can safely keep your jelly on your pantry shelf.
Happy Jamming!
My pomegranate jelly recipe calls for cooking the juice/sugar mixture at a boil for 2 minutes then ladling the mixture into jars. It does not require placing those same filled jars back into the canner to cook any longer. Would I be able to get the same results doing this as what the Pomona recipe calls for?
HI to all:
Just completed a double batch of pomegranate juice jelly and it turned out wonderful. Little different w/o sugar but satisfying. As we have a small pomegranate orchard using the seeds frozen from last years harvest the first batch was completed. Now thanks to your wonderful pectin product will make the second batch w/one half cup of honey for xmas gifts.
Can I make a much larger batch like 16 cups of juice?
Because of the performance of your product canning has become fun in my late years. Thanks again, Mike
So wonderful! Yes, you can absolutely make double or triple, etc. batches! (as long as you have a stove powerful enough and pots large enough to accommodate that much jam/jelly at one time.)
Happy jamming!
Isn’t the jelly awfuly tart with so little sugar used?
Hello Patty,
Thanks so much for choosing Pomona’s Pectin! We have not experienced the jelly bring overly tart with this recipe. If after the called for sugar/pectin has been dissolved, if you wish to add additional sugar, you are welcome to do so.
Happy jamming!
This turned out perfectly for me. I put in maybe 3.25 tsp pectin and got a gel I’m happy with, though if I had added more it wouldn’t have been a disaster in the slightest. I also whirred one really small jalapeno that I deseeded with one of the four cups of pomegranate juice in the food processor until there were no visible chunks, and then I added that to the recipe as usual. I ended up with the taste of jalapeno but really no heat. My holiday giftees will enjoy this one, I think.
I discovered Pomona’s Pectin at my neighborhood New Seasons store in San Jose, CA. While only using 1/2 cup of honey, my Pomegranate Jelly set perfectly. I made 4 pints with the first batch, and I’m getting ready to make more. I’m so pleased!
Hello Kathryn,
Thank you so much for writing to us about your experience with Pomona’s Pectin and Pomegranate Jelly. Comments like yours make our day!
I’d like to package my jelly into 12 ounce crystal quilted jelly jars. Does anyone know if the jelly will set in the larger jars?
Hi Ellie,
You should have no problem with the jelly setting in 12 ounce jars. The size of the jar doesn’t affect setting.
The most important thing for setting is to use the ingredients as specified in the recipe and to follow the recipe directions.
When you do the water bath, the timing in the recipe covers 4 oz up to 16 oz jars.
Thanks for using Pomona’s Pectin — and happy jamming!
I made this recipe today, but I accidentally grabbed the lime juice bottle instead of the lemon juice bottle. It’s really good with lime juice instead of lemon!!
Hi Jo-Ann,
Thanks for letting us know — sounds like a delicious combination to me!
Glad you’re enjoying your Pomona’s Pectin.
Would there be any reason this recipe would not work with unsweetened bottled saskatoon berry juice (it has been pasteurized but is unfiltered). If I were to use the optional lemon juice and higher amount of sugar would it be safe/shelf stable after boiling water bath canning?
Dear Tracie,
It is not the sugar amount but the acidity (pH) of the saskatoon juice that determines whether it is safe for shelf-stable storage after water bath canning. From what we have read, saskatoon juice has a variable pH depending on the cultivar.
Our advice is to use 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice per cup of saskatoon juice (1/4 cup for a 4 cup batch) in order to ensure safety.
I hope this helps. Thanks for using Pomona’s — and happy jamming.