Rhubarb Freezer Jam
You are only 3 ingredients away from the best homemade jam you will ever make! This Rhubarb Freezer Jam goes together quickly and is delicious.
When I was young, I really didn’t care much for the rhubarb. I think maybe because of it’s tartness and seeing my Dad pick a stalk and eat it fresh just like celery, kind of made me cringe. However, later on, when I began baking, I quickly realized that when you pair strawberries with the rhubarb, the taste is like nothing else.
I haven’t baked or cooked with Rhubarb a lot, but each time I do, I’m reminded how much I love it. After making the Strawberry Rhubarb Almond Crumble Dessert last month, I knew I needed to try another recipe.
Then while browsing through my Mom’s recipe box, I came across a recipe for Rhubarb Jam – perfect!
Rhubarb is grown locally around here and is available in the late Spring. We often find it at Farmer’s Markets or the grocery store. Recently, after mentioning Rhubarb on my Facebook page, after receiving a comment, I realized that not all parts of the country grow it. We found the Rhubarb we used this time at Meijer grocery store. (they have a wonderful produce section, by the way)
Stalks of Rhubarb look similar to celery, but it has a strong, tart taste if eaten raw. Rhubarb used to be considered a vegetable, but in 1947 a court decided to call it a fruit. Rhubarb is also often grown in greenhouses, making it available throughout much of the year, however, we typically only see it in the Spring and Summer here in the Midwest.
Making freezer jam is super easy, and this Rhubarb Jam has only 3 ingredients – rhubarb, sugar and strawberry jello.
The first step is to cut the Rhubarb into small pieces, and sprinkle the sugar over top. The recipe calls for 3 cups of sugar, while that seems like a lot of sugar, it breaks down pretty well. After the rhubarb and sugar are mixed well, then into the refrigerator it goes to set overnight.
Then the next morning, pull it out of the fridge. You can see how the sugar combined with the juice from the rhubarb to make a nice syrup. Add the rhubarb to a large pot and sprinkle it with 2 packages of strawberry jello. Bring it to a boil and cook for 10 minutes. Then cool before adding it to freezer containers.
There are several options when it comes to freezing jam. We have used glass jars before and they work fine. You can read all about the safety issues with using glass jars to freeze in.
This time we used plastic containers from Ball, the recipe filled 3, 8-ounce containers, with a little leftover to enjoy right away.
The jam will last in the freezer for up to 1 year. After thawing, store in the refrigerator for up to 6 weeks.
Rhubarb Freezer Jam
You are only 3 ingredients away from the BEST homemade jam you will ever make! This Rhubarb Freezer Jam goes together in a snap and is SO delicious!
Ingredients
- 5 cups fresh rhubarb, cleaned and cut into small pieces
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 (3 oz) boxes strawberry jello
Instructions
- Clean and cut rhubarb and place in a large bowl
- Sprinkle with sugar and mix well
- Place in refrigerator to set overnight
- Remove and add rhubarb to a large pot on the stove
- Sprinkle with strawberry jello and stir until mixed
- Bring mixture to a boil and cook for 10-12 minutes
- Cool completed
- If you have large chunks of rhubarb still, use a potato masher to gently break them down
- Spoon jam into freezer containers
- Freeze up to 1 year
- Thaw in the fridge, store in fridge up to 6 weeks
You may also like our Strawberry Freezer Jam.
Made this recipe yesterday, even after reading the reviews! It turned out and tastes great. The recipe called for 5 cups small chopped rhubarb and 3 cups sugar and the result after an over night sit in the frig was juicy good so far but after the comments I thought bring to a boil per recipe but wait on the jello. After boiling time still mixable so I turned off the heat sprinkled on the jello(only 1box I was still nervous about the comment) and mixed it in the hot rhubarb sugar mixture till it was incorporated, I let it cool then put it in containers. Thanks for a very easy recipe I will surely use it again?
So glad you liked it! Thanks Marie!
~Liz
Made homemade freezer jam did not add jello to mine I think it was very good added 4 cups frozen rubarb and 3 cups sugar was really good but it was light pink not deep red so re made it and o my it was so good have to get more containers and sugar
Glad you liked it Danielle! Thanks for letting us know!
-Liz
I bet you could add a little red food coloring. I do that when I make rhubarb sauce.
when I make rhubarb sauce, I put red Cinnamon candies in it to give it more color.
That is an interesting idea Donna, thanks for sharing!
-Liz
Hi, Great going for the jam! I made it for the first time today May 12, 2020.
10 cups of rhubarb (from the garden), 3 cups sugar, placed in fridge 24 hours (lots of juice with some sugar left at the bottom of the glass dish).
* Before heating I put the mixture in a blender first to see if that would make it come out more creamy, it did. Heated the mixture on the stove adding in 3/4 cup strawberry jello. Think I added the jello too soon but it didn’t seem to make any difference.
Comment was right-on, it won’t totally blend but what had been blended turned out nice and creamy. While I didn’t follow the instructions to the T, reducing sugar and jello, made little difference in the taste or texture. There will be one more harvest and I’ll use the same recipe next time. Thank you, it was really a fun experience. Bunny in Yakima WA
Awesome! So glad you liked it Bunny! Thanks for letting us know!
-Liz
Hi Liz, just made this recipe. Just love it, so simple. It turned out awesome. I’ve made freezer jam before but I think this is the best recipe yet. Thanks for sharing. 😊
Oh that’s great to hear Barb! Thanks for letting me know!
-Liz
Just tried this recipe for the first time…..it is simple and fabulous! My rhubarb and sugar sat in refrigerator for 24 hours, and I stirred it well several times during that period. No sugar crystals in the jam as a result!
So glad you liked it Kathleen! Thanks for letting us know!
-Liz
I’m making this right now, and plan to put it in freezer jars into the freezer but I was curious, can I also can it like regular jam in a hot water bath?
Hi Molly, I have never tried canning the rhubarb freezer jam before.
-Liz
sorry I meant to mention I only use 1 box of jello and use a food processor for the rhubarb or an immersion blender.
I can mine
I am going to try this recipe , just cut up my rhubarb , mixed in my sugar ,in the freg.until tomorrow , hope it turns out ok .
followed the recipe to the letter but it is so stiff and hard. disheartened, was my first attempt at any type of jam. Think i will stick to buying from the farmers markets.
I think it might be getting too stiff because too much Jell-o is being added. Most other recipes call for 5 cups cut up rhubarb, 4 cups sugar, and 1 3-ounce pkg. strawberry gelatin.
The recipe I used was one my Mom used and passed down to me. She did use 2 boxes of jello, however I do see other recipes using only 1.
I also had it get way to thick, next time I will only add 1 package of jello. Otherwise it taste good.
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you liked it!
-Liz
Thank you for the recipe. I made half a recipe yesterday and it was the most easy process for a first timer. We are trying the jam this morning (I put it in the fridge overnight) and it is hard to get out of the jar. I used glass jars and boiled them for 14 minutes because of our altitude and then filled the jars when they cooled for about 10 minutes. I did not boil them after I put the jam in them and then put them in the fridge. My husband likes the jam…he calls it Gummy Bear Jam. I’ll try a full recipe next time and see how it goes. Thanks again.
I’m going to cut my rhubarb right now I have one 4oz pkg of Jello. wish me luck im also going to add strawberries with the rhubarb to =5 cups.
Wish me luck 🤞🏼 first time making jam 🙏🏼😀
Let us know how your jam turns out, Rebecca!
-Liz
opps listed me as Dina Platt its Donna Platt sorry,typing not that great lol
I don’t know how people are having problems with this recipe! It’s super easy and turns out perfect. Same recipe my grandma used to make. I’m making another batch right now! It doesn’t last long here, everyone loves it!
Hi Krist-
Glad that it works well for you!
I agree. Mine turned out perfect! Just followed the directions.
Can I make this with sugar free jello?
Yes Wanda, that’s fine.
-Liz
what do you replace the regular sugar with? Splenda type cup to cup replacement?
Hi Pat, yes you can use a sugar substitute if you would like.
-Liz
Will it work using splenda rather than sugar?
Hi Marlene, I haven’t tried using splenda, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work.
-Liz
Hi I want to make this freezer jam. Wondering if I can use frozen rhubarb?
Hi Cindy, I haven’t tried frozen rhubarb. I think if you use it, it will have a lot more moisture in it, so you may need to adjust the sugar and timing.
-Liz
I just made a double batch. It tastes really yummy and isn’t hard like others have said, but it seems that the sugar didn’t melt down (even though I followed the directions to a T). It has a really sandy, crunchy texture. I’m wondering if I should put it back on the stovetop and try cooking it longer? Or maybe I should add more rhubarb? But if I do that, do I have to let it sit overnight? Any thoughts?
Hi Em, sorry you had trouble. It seems like the sugar did not dissolve totally when you cooked it. Was it still crunchy after it cooled?
I have been trying to get rhubarb for the last four years, since we moved to the south. The produce managers at our four grocery stores have never even heard of it. So I was SO excited when my husband had a rare business trip to Chicago. He went to 6 stores and finally found rhubarb (at $6 a pound!!!) and brought me some.
I wanted to able to make it last as long as possible, so I decided jam was the best way to do that. I should have read the comments. Put all my rhubarb into this recipe and it is completely inedible. Broke my heart. But at least my kitchen smelled heavenly while it was cooking.
Moral to my story, don’t take shortcuts. The old recipes are the best recipes.
I’ve been making this for some time now. My kids love it as a sauce over pancakes when first made and still warm!
My recipe calls for 5 cups of rhubarb, otherwise all the rest of the ingredients are the same. I always let the rhubarb sweat with the sugar for a few hours, then cooked until the rhubarb was softened and sugar was melted, then added the jello and froze in containers.
Grew up in the north, but live in the south now as well, and rhubarb does not grow well here. I keep mine in a large half barrel planter and am hoping for the best!
I make this jam every year & it turns out great. The only thing I do differently from your recipe is to add the jello AFTER cooking the rhubarb & sugar. I also use Cherry jello and like it much better than Strawberry, but that’s just a taste preference.
Thanks Dawn- I will definitely try Cherry Jello!
Dawn, so you just stir in the jello after cooking rhubarb and sugar and let it cool?
I tied this recipe and I agree with the comments- something is a miss. After chilling over night, there was not a syrupy mixture. I tried to cook it as slow as possible & still got cement. Are you sure there is nothing missing? The Kraft link you posted had some water in it…
Hi Manda, sorry you had trouble. The Kraft recipe is different in that they use pectin and our recipe has jello, that might be the difference in the water.
I use the recipe from Allrecipes it’s identical except you use only 1 (3oz package strawberry Jell-O). Always comes out yummy.
Hi! My husband makes a fabulous strawberry rhubarb pie so this recipe piques my interest … only thing is, we don’t use jello! Have you tried making this with real strawberries and rhubarb and pectin? If so, could you share that recipe? Thanks!
Hi Sophie, I have not made the rhubarb jam without jello. Here is a recipe from Kraft > http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/30-minutes-homemade-surejell-strawberry-rhubarb-freezer-jam-52020.aspx
~Liz
Is it possible to double this recipe and have good results?
Hi Rita, I have not tried doubling it so I can’t answer that. I don’t think it would be a problem.
~Liz
Our rhubarb didn’t break down at all it seemed. Then the Jello seemed to really expand during boiling and it overflowed the pot. Wound up having to put it in the blender right off the stove. Seems way way stickier then the other jellies I’ve made 🙁
Hi Veronica, it might have been how ripe the rhubarb was that you used, but it should have softened during the time it sits overnight. The rhubarb won’t break down completely because it’s jam.
Sorry you had trouble with the recipe.
~Liz
I love rhubarb so my friend attempted your Rhubarb Freezer Jam and it did not fair very well. It is like eating sand and that is after you pry it out of the container, put it in the microwave and heat it so it will
spread. I questioned if the 5 cups of sugar was correct but see that is fact. We are still laughing about
it and I told her maybe I could melt and make that replacement tire for my lawn mower……But seriously,
what do you think went wrong? She is a good cook and baker. Thanks…Dale
Hi Dale, perhaps when the jam was mixed with the sugar it was at a high temperature and cooked the jam too fast. Sorry, that’s the only thing I can think of that happened.
~Liz
I think something is missing in the recipe or the directions. It turned out as hard as cement. I make jam often, and have never had any turn out like this. I had to heat it up after it cooled, to get it out of the pan. Can you check and see if something is missing from the directions? And is it 5 cups sugar to 3 cups rhubarb? It seemed like so much sugar, to the amount of fruit.
Hi Esther, so you had trouble. The recipe is correct, it is one from my Mom’s recipe box. It sounds like the jam either heated too hot or was cooked too long. This recipe from Kraft calls for 2 cups of fruit and 4 cups of sugar. http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/30-minutes-homemade-surejell-strawberry-rhubarb-freezer-jam-52020.aspx
Hope that helps!
~Liz
I thought the recipe called for 3 cups of sugar and not 5. That might make a big difference.
Iv been reading coments…everyone is use 5 cups sugar when you used 3 cups sugar and 5 cups ruhbard
Can I give this rhubarb jam a hot water bath so I don’t have to put in freezer? I’m out of freezer space!
Hi Lois, I have not tried that before.
-Liz
I was always told you need to freeze your rhubarb over night before using that helps break it down !! Thanks
Wow, that jam simply looks fabulous. I love to make my own jam, so I am always looking for inspiring recipes. Thank you so much for sharing it. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Warm wishes,
Sue