Give the banana bread a rest and turn those ripe bananas into jam with this quick and easy recipe. Banana jam is perfect on toast, ice cream and sandwiches!
There they are again. Those brown speckled bananas that you were SURE were going to be long gone by now, but no…here they are. But before you reach once again for that trusty banana bread recipe, walk on the wild side with me.
Break out the brown sugar and the cinnamon and let’s make some easy, no scary canning involved, spicy, creamy banana jam. Yep, banana jam.
I will spare you a picture of the – shall we say – aged? bananas that were lounging on my countertop, but trust me when I say they were past the prime of their banana lives. So while their chances of anyone peeling them for an afternoon snack were long gone, they were absolutely perfect candidates for banana jam.
Here’s How You Make Banana Jam!
Mush those bananas up and pop them in a small heavy saucepan with a little brown sugar, some lemon juice and some butter.
Stir this concoction around until everything is nice and simmering, and let it bubble away for about 20 minutes or so. Make sure you stir it every 5 minutes just to make sure things aren’t sticking or burning (I set a timer for this because it’s entirely possible that I can get onto Yummly and look up to find out that an hour has gone by).
By this point, everything will be melted together and delectable. Don’t worry if it still looks runny – it’s going to thicken up a little bit more as it cools off. Remember that this is banana jam, not jelly, so it is always going to be a little soft (think apple butter-ish), but that is going to come in handy on the various things you can use it for. More on that later.
Now comes a fork in the banana jam road where you have a decision to make, and that is how much of a cinnamon and vanilla taste you want to add in.
I am a big cinnamon and vanilla lover, so I go for the stronger end of the spectrum, but you might want to start out with less and add more as you taste. Yes, you MUST taste. It’s a requirement.
So, taste a test spoonful, add a little vanilla and cinnamon, take another test spoonful, and add more or leave it as is…you get the idea! Once the taste is good and perfect, let it cool off to room temperature. And then….oh, and then!
Then you get to try all the things that are possible with banana jam. Such as…
Serving it warmed up over vanilla ice cream with graham cracker crumbs on top
Making a peanut butter and banana jam sandwich
Spreading it on one of my mama’s homemade scones (recipe here!)
Rolling it up inside a warm leftover pancake.
The banana jam possibilities are endless. This recipe makes about a cup and a half, and will last for a week or two in your fridge.
If it even lasts for a day once everyone in your house finds out you have made banana jam!
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Banana Jam!
Prep Time: 5 minutes- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: About 1 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
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Pin RecipeDescription
Give the banana bread a rest and turn those ripe bananas into jam with this quick and easy recipe. Banana jam is perfect on toast, ice cream and sandwiches!
Ingredients
- 3 ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups when mashed)
- Juice from one lemon
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1–2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Mash the bananas and put in a small heavy saucepan with the lemon juice, sugar and butter. Bring it to a simmer over medium heat and then turn to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every five minutes or so.
- Turn off the heat and let it cool until it is cool enough to taste. Taste and then add the cinnamon and vanilla by half teaspoon-fuls until it has the taste you like. The jam will still be a little liquid at this point – don’t worry!
- Let the jam cool completely to room temperature – it will thicken up as it cools to about the consistency of apple butter.
- Store in the fridge for a week or so – if it even lasts that long!
Never had banana jam but I do love banana chutney with cheddar cheese sandwiches.
Sweet banana and salty cheddar? I am IN!
Nice recipe! Been making lots of banana bread cuz of overripe fruit. Very good alternative to baking them. Can they be sealed in jars and kept long term?
You know, I’ve never technically canned/sealed anything in my life, so I don’t know for sure. Any other readers want to hazard a guess?
Hi Kate;
I grew up on a farm near Brockville, ON., where we grew most of our own veg., fruit as well as several wild berries.
Canning Jam has become my favourite Fall projects. My family loves my jams, and often use them over cheesecake. (why waste all that goodness on just toast?)
Apples are loaded with ‘Pectin’ which is a natural presrervative. For pear & strawberry jam, I use 3 medium apples, finely diced/chopped, & added to the recipe. After cooking, laddle into sterilized canning jars with a metal spoon after skimming off any froth. Leave to cool for 24 hours, then store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months, or in the freezer for up to 12 months. (mine never make it through the first 3 months so not to worry.)
The easiest method of sterilizing the jars, is to boil them, then place in the oven @ 250F until ready to fill.
This has always worked for me so best of luck. It’s well worth the effort.
Hi Roger! I spent many happy years on my grandmother’s farm in Vermont, so I share some of those happy memories! Thanks for these great ideas and suggestions – one day I will definitely try canning. Love the idea of pear and strawberry jam.
This looks like an awesome recipe, just wondering if it could be canned in mason jars and the water bath method.
You know, I have never canned anything in my life (I really have to do that some time!) so I am not sure. Maybe other readers can tell us?
Never thought to use bananas in jam, will be interesting to try out. I love the way you put it in the mason jar
Everything tastes better in a mason jar! :)
Just dropped by to tell you how much I love, love, LOVE this recipe! It’s great to have a recipe for overripe bananas that isn’t bread, and this stuff is the delish bomb-diggity! I’ve made it 3 or 4 times since you posted it and my preference is lots of vanilla and just a pinch of cinnamon. I’ve also taken to calling it Banana Butter instead of Banana Jam, but either way it’s DEE-VINE!
Love your blog! First time-commenter, long-time reader :-)
Hi Carrie! First of all, HURRAY for being a first-time commenter, and I love this comment so I hope you’ll come back and make many more! I’m delighted you like the Banana Jam/Butter – my little nephew has taken to putting it on his waffles instead of syrup. (YUM!) Hope your holidays are delicious and full of vanilla and cinnamon and all things banana-delicious. :)
Oh my! I did something wrong surely. Mine turned out just horrible. Dry, terrible flavor. sticky. Certainly at no point like a liquid. Not sure where I failed.
Pat, I’m so sorry to hear! My best guess is that your bananas might not have been ripe enough…as they ripen they get a lot softer and give off some liquid when they are heated. I hope you try it again!
Thanks for replying, you may be right right about the bananas. I just may try it again.
Yes I did make this. I don’t like banana bread at all but I’m at a loss when I don’t eat all the bananas.
This was amazing. I even added chopped pecans in it. Yummy!
I’m so glad! This is my favorite way to handle those extra bananas – love the chopped pecans idea!
HI…
Love “adventure cooking”…Never heard of Banana Jam…
Will give it a try…
Thanks…
Tell…
Adventure cooking is the best! Hope you love the banana jam. :)
HI….
Planning to try it today…Maybe adding it to my Strawberry/banana/peach/etc.. shortcake..
You are a lovely looking redhead….We have a “redhead” in our family. We call her ORANGE…She is a CAT…!!!
Ha! A fellow redhead – tell her I said meow! :)
Wonderful..
You speak CAT…!!!
Just wondering if I can freeze the jam?
Hi Emily! I’ve never tried freezing it, but I know you can freeze regular bananas so I don’t see why you couldn’t freeze the jam. If you do, will you come back and let us know how it turns out? Thank you! :)
What a wonderful idea… I made this recipe 3:00 in the , am Eastern Time zone USA. Seen it and wasn’t quit sure how it was going to turn out. Well I have to say it turned out AMAZING…. I left the bananas with a little bite so it’s obviously known that there is indeed real banana in it.. Thank You I’ll making this often and canning them as well.. Bananas ? are so inexpensive and really how many loaves can one have of banana bread… well you can never have too many.. This jam will make perfect for giving to my non homesteading friends. Who believe in paying outrageous prices for gourmet jams and preserves..
★★★★★
Hi Mary, and I’m so glad you liked the banana jam! And I think your very lucky friends will be so happy to get this as a gift! :)
I just made this. It’s yummy?
★★★★★
I’m so glad! It’s one of my favorite ways to transform those old bananas into something delectable. :)
Delicious and so easy to make. My ten yr old found the recipe and made it. At 51 I never knew banana jam was even a thing. ?
★★★★★
Hi Sonia and hurray! It’s one of my favorite ways to use up extra bananas…and sounds like you have a talented cook in the family! :)
I just made this using light brown sugar, Madagascar vanilla and Irish butter giving it a distinguished flavor that will be a hit in our house for years to come.
★★★★★
Danielle! I love your special ingredients – it makes me want to whip a batch with the Irish butter that is sitting in my fridge right this minute! :) :)
Like liquid bananas foster. This jam is so delicious. I’ve used it as a filling for cake and to flavor oatmeal. I double the recipe when I make it and put some in the freezer. This recipe is a gem that I will continue to make!
★★★★★
Jessica! Thank you so much – I love the idea of putting it in oatmeal. :) I’m so happy that you like this recipe as much as we do!