Whether the guavas are courtesy of your mother’s Pink Guava tree or the local market, I make this Easy Homemade Guava Jam on a weekly basis during the season. If you’re looking for guava recipes, jam is a great place to start. Stir it into yogurt, spread it on toast or top a piece of poundcake with this easy jam recipe.
Guava season
I know it’s practically December and this may seem like it’s completely out of left field, but, believe it or not — it’s guava season. My Mom’s tree is loaded with them and she’s in a war with the iguanas to snatch them off of the branches before they get to them. Thing is, guava ripens one fruit at a time, and you’ve got to stay on top of it to get any yield — and those damn iguanas apparently like them just as much as we do! Luckily, I’ve found another guava source so I can make this Easy Homemade Guava Jam.
These particular aromatic orbs came from our farmer’s market, not my Mom’s tree — and they were a bargain at $5 for a basket of 5. Mom made some fabulous jam last year with her harvest and we zipped through the jar she gifted us in no time. When I saw these beauties in the market stall, I knew precisely what to do with them.
What about the guava seeds?
If you’ve never worked with guava before, you should know they’re full of seeds that are as hard as concrete. You could literally break a crown on one — and since dental work is prohibitively expensive, I recommend dispatching the seeds. This can be accomplished by painstakingly picking them out of the fruit (good luck with that).
The easier way to remove guava seeds
OR quickly zipping the fruit in the blender on low speed to break apart the pulp and loosen the seeds. Just a few quick pulses should do it. Then press the fruit through a mesh strainer. This takes a little time and effort, but you’ll be rewarded with a gorgeous fruit puree and no porcelain-breaking seeds.
Then it’s just a few quick steps to your own fresh jam. A little sugar, pectin and heat are all it takes to make this heavenly, perfumed confiture. Because I only had 5 guavas, I didn’t bother with the traditional canning methods — this made just enough for a jar for my Mom and for us. But now that I know how easy it is, I’ll be on the lookout for more fruit — and maybe guava jam will wind up in everyones stocking this Christmas… (but keep it a secret, ok?)
Last year, with my Mom’s jam – I made the most amazing grilled cheese ever — I even instagrammed the photo. I think I’ll have to make it again soon. You’re not going to get this intense flavor and color from store-bought guava jam — and the tangy tartness with its tropical sweet notes is eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head-good! So despite the fact that we’re in full holiday baking mode — you need to make this a priority. Like, now!!!
Want more guava recipes? How about these — guava puree, guava cheesecake and guava pastries?
More jams, marmalades and spreads:
Easy Homemade Guava Jam
ingredients
- 5-6 guavas ripe and fragrant
- 2-3 limes juiced
- 1 cup sugar USE HALF THE AMOUNT OF SUGAR COMPARED TO HOW MUCH GUAVA PUREE YOU HAVE
- pectin
instructions
- Slice the guavas in half crosswise and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh and seeds. Transfer the guava to a bowl and use a potato masher or the back of a fork to mash the flesh, then transfer to a blender. Add the juice of two limes. Turn the blender on low speed to break up the flesh without pulverizing the seeds, about 20-30 seconds. Set a sieve (not a fine mesh sieve) over a 2 or 4 cup glass measuring cup and pour the guava pulp into the sieve. Use the back of a spoon or a rubber spatula and stir and press the flesh and seeds against the side of the sieve, so that the fruit passes through, but the seeds remain in the sieve. Work on this for about 5 to ten minutes in order to process all the puree.
- Confirm the amount of guava puree that you have by checking the measuring glass. Do this because you'll need half the amount of sugar than you have of the fruit. So if you have 2 cups of puree, you'll use 1 cup of sugar. Transfer the puree to a non-reactive pan. Add the sugar. Add 1 tablespoon of pectin for every cup of fruit you have. 2 cups fruit = 2 tablespoons pectin.
- Heat over medium high heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a rolling boil. Stir one minute and remove from heat. Transfer to a storage jar. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Spread on toast, serve with a spread of cream cheese on crackers or swirl into yogurt
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I believe that one way to overcome the grittiness is scoop out only the inner flesh with the seeds and not the inner thick part of the skin. You will realise this if you thinly peel the guava with a potatoe peeler. Bite out the thick skin minus the inner flesh with seeds. Feel the grittiness!
Delicioussss recipe! Thank you for this! I’ve been using it for the past 2 years! It’s guava season here in September. I have a tree that gives out hundreds of them for the first 3 weeks in Sept. So much I didn’t know what to do with them but to hand them out to our neighbors. I now make this Guava jam and give this out instead! So fragrant and yummy! The girls have used this with grilled cheese sandwiches, like you had mentioned and think it’s awesome! I put it on top of my coconut chia seed pudding… it’s like taking your mouth on a tropical vacation lol! Have never tried canning… sounds dangerous and so complicated ? I think I should learn it for this jam though but wondering if I can freeze the batches of jam I make? Thx!
Yes, you can freeze the jam and my mother cans this all the time. Like you, her tree is prolific with fruit and she cans big batches and gives them as Christmas gifts to friends and neighbors.
Hey. I was just wondering if there was any substitute to sugar or if you can make this recipe sugar free?
-kind regards Beau
I’ve never tried it, but I’ve found this… Canning (jams, jellies, preserves, chutney’s, fruit, etc.) and cooking. To use honey in place of sugar, use 7/8 cup for every cup of sugar, and don’t change the other liquids. According to food labs, honey may be substituted effectively for up to half the sugar called for in a canning syrup recipe.
My Guavas are very small, small walnut size and RED, I am wondering if they ARE GUAVAS?
There are several types of Guavas — maybe you have the strawberry guava variety…
Hi Lisa
My new thing is making jams, so I bought the Ball Jam Maker. Do you know how long I would cook this recipe?
Thx
Hi Sherry, I’d never seen this Jam maker before – does it have the capacity to bring the jam to a boil? If so, just let it cook for a minute. Otherwise, follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Hi Lisa. Many years ago where I was living I was able to buy Guava Jelly in the local grocery store. It looked like pink apple jelly with the same consistancy as apple jelly. Is there a way to make it homemade with those characteristics? It is so wonderful on toast. I can’t find it in stores here in Texas. So now I’m trying to find fresh guavas. Challenging to say the least. I bought Goya jelly and it was so thick it could not be spread easily so I tried heating it in the microwave which helped but not much. So I’m going to try your recipe and hope it turns out well. I remember the jelly I bought so long ago came in a jar about the size and shape of an orange but brand?? So thank you for an easy recipe. Happy cooking!
I think I know the jelly you’re speaking of. Jelly, by nature is generally clear and doesn’t have bits of fruit in it, it’s made from the fruit juice. Here is a recipe that might work for you https://www.myfoodandfamily.com/recipe/052023/surejell-guava-jelly
LOVE this! My neighbor has a guava tree and I have been gathering his guavas as well as another neighbors limes (with permission from each of them). I think my first batch was about 90 guavas which produced about 6 cups of guava to turn into jam. I have given some to ALL my neighbors! They are in love! Today, I put a little spin on your recipe. I added 1 pint of fresh strawberries.
Cleaned the strawberries, put them in blender with 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Pulsed for 3 seconds. Added them to the above recipe with 1 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of pectin and cooked all together.. DELICIOUS! Thanks for sharing your yummy recipes!
I’m so glad you like the jam — and your strawberry addition sounds to-die-for. I’m going to have to give that a go this year! Thanks for sharing!
I find it more easy and a little more efficient if you use a peeler instead of scooping it out-you’ll get more flesh of the guava. Other than that, I followed the directions, just ate it this morning and it was amazing! I have so many guava trees and use to be so annoyed of the “mess” it makes in the yard but now I’m looking forward to every season. This will definitely be a holiday jar sent to friends and family!
So glad you like it Dennis. My Mom gifts us her guava jam every year because of the sheer volume of fruit her tree produces!
Good recipe!
I made mine today. And it filled the kitchen having the sweet aroma of fresh ripe guavas. I never used pectin– just the finely mashed guavas and sugar. I guess Ill never be buying the guava jam in bottles anymore. Thanks for the easy instructions.
So glad you liked it Bernadette!
I Love fruit jam and this guava jam is delicious. I never tried jam at home but, I tried this and it just delicious.
I know– isn’t that guava jam, the BEST?!! Glad you like it — thanks for letting me know.
Can you use a mixture of ripe and green guavas to make the jam.
We’ve only ever used the ripe guavas to make the jam. I suppose you could use a combo, but I would go with a 3:1 ratio of ripe to green.
Thank you for sharing!
I made it and my house smells wonderful!
How long will it stay fresh for and can you freeze it?
I’ve kept it for upwards of 2-3 weeks, but it never lasts longer than that — it’s too good…
I made guava preserves( jelly) a week or so agai.Best stuff I have ever had , I don’t know if it was because I made it or it was just sooo good. I am making more today I have been freezing the whole guavas. I to smashed mine in a wire sieve . That’s what makes it a bit gritty. When some of the seeds get broken up but over all guava jam is my jam!! Can’t wait to try the grilled cheese Sammy with it!! Breakfast here I come??
Guava jam is one of those ethereal tastes that can’t be duplicated. I look for any excuse to use this jam! Enjoy!
It came out a bit gritty, is there a way to prevent that? I strained it really well but it still had that texture.
The only thing I can think of is that perhaps the guava wasn’t ripe enough or should be cooked a little longer. Ripe guavas SMELL — as in, no mistaking that smell – Don’t store them in the fridge until they’ve ripened and only use ripe guava for the jam.
If it’s an “undercooked thing” next time, try this: taste a piece of fruit after you’ve cooked it and see if it’s melty soft or if it still has any firmness. I imagine that if it’s not cooked through, it could lend a grittiness.
Do you think I could use swerve granular sugar replacement instead of sugar?
I’ve never personally used Swerve, but after reading the FAQs on their website, it seems that it can recrystallize when exposed to cold (i.e. refrigeration), therefore, you might experience a grittiness if you swapped it out for sugar.
OMG its so pretty. I have so many guavas in my fruit orchard, but have never tried them in jam.
Maybe after work today…
sorry… is that 12-16 ounces of finished jam or just of the puree? how many ounces of the puree did the 5-6 ripe guavas yield if you remember?
Finished jam.
thank you!
how many ounces does this yield?
It depends on the size of your fruit, but generally it will yield between 12-16 ounces.
What if you are using liquid pectin. Cant find any powered ones here in The Bahamas (but I can find guavas easily on trees here)
I’ve never worked with liquid pectin before, but my understanding is that you add the petting AFTER cooking the fruit. Hope that helps!
Just checking – you mean five pounds of guava for $5, right? 🙂 Not five single guava fruits at a dollar apiece!
No. I mean literally 5 guavas for $5. It might have been a pound of fruit. Thankfully, my Mom’s tree spits copious amounts now – so I don’t BUY guava anymore… LOL!
I made it twice and it is not this color. Why us that? Should I add something else?
It depends on what color your guavas are — there are multiple varieties of guava – including yellow… How does it taste?
can you do this without the pectin and just relying on the natural fruit pectin of guava since its high in pectin i was wondering if this guava can form without the pectin powder.
Yes, it can. Actually, that’s how my Mom made hers the first time, however, it’s looser without the pectin.
As it is having no preservative, can anyone tell me what is the age of this jam. how long it can sustain with our without refrigerator.
Thank you
Yes, this is a fresh jam and it keeps in my refrigerator for up to 10 days. Use a traditional canning method if you’d like to keep it for longer.
Follow directions and jam did not jell. What happened?
My first thought is that you did nothing wrong. This isn’t a super-thick jam like you’d get from the store. It’s looser. You may want to add another teaspoon or two more pectin to thicken it more. It will set up a bit in the refrigerator. But here’s a trick: After you’ve cooked the jam, dab a bit on a plate and stick it in the freezer for a minute or so. Push it with your finger and if it wrinkles, it’s probably to the consistency that you’d like. Other natural thickeners: chia seeds… A tablespoon or so of chia helps to thicken, but again, not to a solid consistency.
Just made this after collecting dozens of mountain guava or common guava here in Hawaii. It’s a road side weed here and no iguanas!!
Turned out well and was easy. Nice to use less sugar.
Glad you liked it Steve! — I’ve never heard of mountain guava before — I can’t believe it’s a roadside weed! Amazing. No iguanas — you’re lucky!
To Issa, you don’t need added pectin, as guava already has it, but for insurance, if you like, you can add some fresh lemon seeds in a removable sachet. Lemon seeds are loaded with natural pectin.
Is there an alternative for pectin, we dont have in the Philippines
Actually, Issa, my mother made this jam WITHOUT pectin and it was just a little looser than the one with the pectin. So, if you don’t mind it being slightly runny – the flavor is there. Another option – is to cook the fruit a little longer, which should evaporate more of the juices, making it thicker.
I love guava! In Miami, we concentrate it to make guayaba paste and put it in flaky pastry. It’s so good! Great recipe, Lisa.
Yes, I love those little guava pastries — they sell them at our farmers market every Saturday and we often succumb to their siren call.
Guava is such a lovely fruit, with an amazing colour too. Buying them here in the UK can be tricky, must be so nice to grow your own; if you can deal with the iguanas.
The iguanas are the real problem…
What a pretty colour this is. I have to admit I’ve never tried Guava before, I wish it was easier to come by. This sounds like such a great recipe!
Yes, it’s a lovely pinkish color – but the fragrance really grabs you! Sweet, perfum-y and tropical!
What a pity that I can’t get ripe guava in my country. I would love to try this amazing jam!
My husband is a huge fan of guava paste so he would love it if I made this for him. I love the color
I like your idea about the grilled cheese!! Sounds fantastic. Where do I order!?!??
It’s one of those eyes-rolling-back-in-your-head flavors!
Looks yummy! Yup now I’m going to have to make this for myself. 😀
Let me know how you like it, Kat!
That looks so yummy!!!! Now i’m one step closer to making guava pastries!
I’ve never tried guava pastries with jam — I thought you used guava paste for that? If you’ve got a recipe, let me know!
Wow – thanks for the guava lesson! I’ve never had a fresh guava before. I’m not sure where you’re located, but it’s clearly a different climate than us if you’re dealing with lizards! I will have to keep my eyes out for one at a speciality market – thanks for the heads up on the seeds! Do you not worry about them damaging the blender?
I’m in South Florida – and lizards run the roost in these parts. As far as the blender goes – I use it on it’s lowest setting and just pulse for a few seconds — just enough to break up the flesh – it doesn’t damage my blender (a VitaMix).
I was just thinking how good this would be with the post after this one… Where does one find guavas? That jam looks sooooo good.
I found them at our Farmer’s Market – but I live in South Florida. I’m sure you can get them online or at a well-stocked grocer.
Oh, how I wish it was Guava season up here in New England! Regardless, this looks absolutely delicious!!
Thanks, Sarah! Glad you like it!
OMG!! I just posted a jam bar recipe using guava jam!! I love guava and I miss them here in US.
I will have to check out your jam bar, then!