If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that last week we were making all sorts of delicious things from our Halloween pumpkins. Well, I still had plenty of pumpkin left — both fresh and puréed — and it got me wondering: can you make jam out of pumpkin?

The answer? Yes, and it tastes like a spoonful of autumn comfort. Let’s make Pumpkin Spice Jam!

Ingredients and Equipement

Instructions:

🍊 Step 1: Start with the Pumpkin

Pour your pumpkin purée into a pan and let it simmer gently for about 10 minutes.
While it’s simmering, zest one orange using the fine side of a grater. Press lightly and rotate the orange as you go to avoid getting the bitter white pith underneath.

Once that’s done, juice the orange — I use a small hand juicer but you can easily squeeze it by hand. Pour the juice into a jug, then juice one whole lemon too. The orange and lemon juice can go together; they’ll both be added in at the same time later.

🍁 Step 2: Spice It Up

Once your purée has simmered for 10 minutes, pour in the orange zest, orange and lemon juice, then add 1 teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon mixed spice and give it all a good stir.
Right now it might look a bit like baby food, but don’t worry — the magic happens when the sugar goes in!

Add 300g of sugar, about a third at a time, stirring until each addition dissolves completely. Then, turn up the heat and let it bubble away. You’ll notice the mixture thickening and darkening, and the smell — oh, that smell — is pure autumn comfort!

🔥 Step 3: Test and Jar

Keep stirring regularly so it doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. After around 15 to 20 minutes, you should have something thick, glossy, and gorgeous. Do the classic wrinkle test: spoon a bit onto a chilled plate, wait a few seconds, then push it gently with your finger. If the surface wrinkles, your jam is set perfectly.

Once ready, pour it into hot sterilised jars, seal them up tight, and just admire that colour — like autumn captured in glass!

Love the label? Download a copy to print at home here:

Serving Suggestions

Spread it on warm toast, swirl it through porridge, or even pair it with cheese for a savoury twist. The flavour is sweet, spiced, and comforting — like a pumpkin pie in jam form.

If you make this jam, I’d love to hear how you used it — and don’t forget to grab your free printable Spiced Pumpkin Jam label from this article. Just do me a favour; sub to the YT channel and give a like! 😀 You’re getting a free label after all!

Until next time, keep crafting self-reliance one skill at a time