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.
Could one add some ( 2 tablespoons?) dried lavender to this recipe????
Hi Carol, sure you can try the lavender. I have not tried it though.
-Liz
I made this recipe today. I used a heaping 4 cups of rhubarb, 2 and a half cups of sugar and 1 pkg. of strawberry jello. It turned out fine. You so need to keep stirring the jam when you are cooking it. I also used a potato masher to mix the rhubarb after it had cooked a while. This was quick and easy!
Thanks for stopping by Lynda! Thrilled you liked the recipe!
-Liz
Great recipe! I cut the sugar in half and still used two boxes of jello. I also tried other kinds of jello – strawberry, cherry, cranberry, and raspberry. All turned out perfect and nice and thick – hate when jam runs off my toast. 🙂
Thrilled you liked it, Lynn! Thanks for letting me know!
-Liz
If I add fresh strawberrys, how much can I safely add to your recipe?
Hi Jackie, I would keep the amount of food the same. So if you want to add strawberries, decrease the rhubarb amount.
Hope that helps!
-Liz
Made it exactly as recipe called for, turned out the perfect sweet tart jam….great recipe and very easy! Not sure what others who had problems might have done, but I used the 5 cups of rhubarb, 3 cups of sugar and let it sit overnight in fridge, used 2 boxes of jello…forgot to set timer when it started boiling, but I just guessed how long it had boiled and set the timer accordingly….it came out just perfect…thanks for sharing the recipe.
So glad you love it LeeAnn!
Made this last night. I was a little concerned after reading all the comments but it turned out fine. I did not let it sit overnight. Just a few hours and kept stirring so the sugar would dissolve. I also didn’t boil it for 10-12 min, i just put it on low and stirred here and there for about 30 min.
I did find that it takes a lot more sugar than the strawberry-rhubarb sauce I normally make. I would cut way back on the sugar and use only one jello as it is hard to taste the rhubarb in it. I’ll be adding more rhubarb to the mix, but overall it’s not a bad recipe depending on what you’re looking for.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
I used stevia ( one for one) instead of sugar and added a cup of water when cooking. It came out comparable to no sugar added jams at the store.
Made a batch today turned out great, used the potato masher a little, going to make another batch tomorrow and going to try unflavored jello gelatin, I want more the rhubarb flavor
I had 4.5 cups of rhubarb so I cut the sugar to 2.5 cups.
That was in the fridge for about 6 hours.
When I got it out there was a lot of syrup but some sugar was still on the bottom and only took a scoop out. I had a large box of Jell-O but didn’t use all of it. I brought the mixture to a boil. It has to cook for about 10 minutes to break down the rhubarb. I took it off the heat and let it cool slightly before I transferred it to two small Rubbermaid containers. I put it in the freezer for a few hours then to the fridge. I tasted it and was pleased I could taste the rhubarb and not the Jell-O. it was a bit .sticky to spread but that was solved with a bit of stirring.
Overall, I’m pleased with this recipe and will make it again.
This was my first attempt at making jam, and my first batch did not turn out; it was very thick and not spreadable at all. After researching how to salvage thick jam, I returned it to a pot with a cup of boiling water, and cooked it for another 4 minutes or so. Turned out ok, but it’s very heavy in strawberry flavour. I made a second batch using only one box of jello and adding a cup of water, and it turned out just perfect! It is sweet but still lets the tartness of the rhubarb shine through.
Glad you found a recipe you love!
I make a recipe of rhubarb which everyone raves about ! It is Cherry Rhubarb jam . I cook 10 cups of rhubarb , 4 cups of sugar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice until it is mush . Then I add 3 boxes of cherry Jello ; stir well to incorporate ,then add 1 can cherry pie filling . Bring to a rolling bowl ; then bottle . I should think that could also be a freezer jam . I have always made it and bottled it – my deep freeze is soooo full . I like the sound of your recipe ; it’s certainly easy enough ; although , after the rhubarb is cut up , so is mine . I have talked with ladies who have made their jam adding crushed pineapple as well .
I made this recipe using two boxes of jello.When it cooled I put it in the fridge.The next morning it was so thick you couldn’t spread it.I Tryed another batch today with using
1 box of jello.It seems pretty thin right now but will let it sit out till evening and then put in fridge .Hope this last batch turns out better.looking for a different recipe to try