This is the easiest and best homemade banana jam recipe — sweet, creamy, and perfect on toast or as a dessert topping. It’s a low-food-waste recipe that tastes like banana bread in a jar. You only need six ingredients and about 15 minutes to make this delicious jam.
What is Banana Jam?
Banana jam is a smooth, banana-flavored spread that delivers the warm, familiar taste of banana bread in a jar. It’s quick to make, uses overripe bananas you might otherwise discard, and typically contains less sugar than many store-bought spreads. Keep it refrigerated and use it as an easy alternative to banana bread when you have mushy fruit to use up.
What Makes This Recipe Great
This recipe is simple and approachable: no specialized canning equipment required. It uses ripe bananas, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, a pinch of salt, and a little water. The naturally occurring pectin in bananas helps the jam thicken as it cooks, creating a glossy, spreadable texture.
Ready in about 15 minutes, this vegan banana jam is versatile — perfect on toast, stirred into oatmeal, spooned over ice cream, or used on pancakes and muffins.
How to Make Banana Jam
Simply combine the ingredients in a pot and simmer until the mixture becomes uniform and glossy. Mash the bananas as they cook — you can leave some chunks if you prefer texture, or mash thoroughly for a smooth spread. The process is fast and forgiving.
Ingredient Notes
Use the following ingredients for a balanced, flavorful jam:
- Ripe bananas: Use very ripe, spotty bananas — the riper they are, the sweeter and easier to mash. Overripe bananas are ideal for this recipe.
- Sugar: Sugar helps preserve the jam and balances the banana flavor. You can use cane sugar, white sugar, or brown sugar. Omitting sugar will limit storage time.
- Lemon juice: Adds brightness and acidity that lift the flavor and help preserve the jam. Lime juice works in a pinch.
- Vanilla extract: A touch of vanilla enhances the banana flavor. Vanilla paste works well too.
- Salt: Just a pinch to round out flavors.
- Water: A small amount helps the mixture cook evenly.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Add mashed bananas and both sugars to a pot. Mash to your desired texture and simmer over low to medium-low heat.
- Stir in lemon juice and salt. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes until the mixture starts to thicken and become glossy.
- Reduce heat, stir in vanilla, then remove from the stove and let cool slightly.
- When cooled, transfer to a clean, dry airtight jar and refrigerate.
Serving Ideas
This creamy banana jam works anywhere you’d use a traditional jam. Try it with nut butter, on English muffins, stirred into oatmeal, or spooned over vegan vanilla ice cream. It’s excellent on pancakes, muffins, or as part of a peanut butter and banana jam sandwich.
Storage Tips
- Keep the jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Discard if it develops any fermented or off odors.
Recipe FAQs
Bananas provide potassium, some calcium, and other nutrients. Making jam from overripe bananas is a tasty way to reduce food waste.
This recipe calls for overripe bananas, sugar, lemon juice, water, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt.
More Homemade Jam Recipes
Rhubarb Chia Jam
Hibiscus Cherry Chia Jam
Cranberry Chia Jam
Blackberry Jam
If you try this easy banana jam, please leave a comment to share how it turned out!
Easy Homemade Banana Jam Recipe
10 servings
Ingredients
- 4 bananas super ripe
- 1/2 cup organic cane sugar
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add bananas and both sugars into a pot, mash until it’s chunky and simmer over low heat.
- Add lemon juice and salt, stir for about 10 minutes until well combined and glossy.
- Lower the heat, stir in vanilla, then remove from heat and let the mixture cool.
- Once cool, transfer to an airtight jar and store in the fridge.
Notes
Serving Tips
The jam pairs well with nut butter, berries, chocolate, oats, and frozen treats. Use it on English muffins, pancakes, or muffins, or scoop it over ice cream.
Storage Tips
- Refrigerate in an airtight jar for up to two weeks. Discard if it smells fermented or off.
Nutrition information is an approximation.