Homemade Mango Jam Recipe - Mango Preserves [+Natural pectin!] (2024)

Enjoy the Mango season to the fullest with this homemade mango jam preserve.

Everybody loves Mango Jam spread on a freshly baked bread for breakfast.

Store the goodness of the season in form of mango preserves.

The mango season honored our beings this year with a load of fruity, quality fresh Mangoes.

The trees worked hard on their fruits, and we get to indulge them.

However, we collected a proud and envious number of fruits and shared it with our neighbors.

They, in turn, did the same thing.

So I ended up with a few different Mango types.

My first thought, a Mango Jam Recipe!

🥭 Ingredients

Foryour own mango jam, you will only need...

• fresh mangoes

• fresh organic lime or lemons (adds sufficient natural pectin)

• regular sugar

That’s it! No preservatives and a mango jam without artificial pectin! This Mango jam is with natural pectin only!

🥭 Choice of mangoes

Pick Mangoes that are...

• undamaged ripe but not hard raw
• not overripe as these tend to turn mostly faster in the jar
• with the least of string
• rather sweet and flavorful

The Mango jam recipe uses whole mangoes with the core to prepare the jam.

This is because a lot of mango varieties tend to have strings and so to not have the strings in your jam, you cook the mango without the peel, still on the core.

If you have a Mango variety without strings, you can cut the mango from the core and the mango pulp into smaller pieces to cook into mango preserves.

Attention: If your Mangoes have more strings then pulp, you are better off getting a different, more suited type of Mango for the Mango Jam Recipe. 
The Mangoes should have fewer strings, that's why I chose Bishop Mangoes for example. 
Also, make sure that your Mangoes are ripe but fresh. (See comment section for possible problems that may occur if wrong Mangoes are used).

Some Mango types have lots of annoying strings and I don't like those in my jam, so leaving the core can be a big bonus.

You can use different mango varieties in the jam, which results in different interesting flavors.

Yet be aware that it's easier to deal with one mango variety when preparing this mango preserves recipe for the first time.

⁉️ Is Mango rich in pectin?

Mangoes contain less pectin than other fruits. Pectin is needed for preserving and gelling agent.

Therefore, to maintain the amount of pectin in this Mango jam, add lime/lemon peel and juice to the jam.

Lime/lemon peel is rich in pectin and will naturally help the mango jam in the preservation.

The Mango will preserve well for months this way with the addition of lime/lemon peel and sugar during the cooking process.

You can use either lime or lemons, both are suitable.

It' s a personal choice.

I prefer my mango jam with lime because it adds a great flavor dimension that way.

In that case, just as a side note, use only organic/untreated fresh lime or lemon, which has not been sprayed with insecticides.

Using natural pectin from fruit such as lime is a healthier, non-artificial way to prepare jam and preserves from scratch.

You know that way what's in your jam!

This Mango Jam recipe is therefore vegan and suitable for most people with food allergies.

🔪 How to make the Jam?

To prepare the mango jam follow the main preparation steps.

The full printable recipe with instructions and ingredients can be found further below in the post.

Step 1

Peel your mangoes and cut the flesh from the seed core.

If you use a mango variety with fibers and strings, keep the fruit flesh on the core.

Place mango with sugar into the pot and combine the ingredients.

Optional: You can add lemon/lime juice and the squeezed-out lemon halves to the jam too as this can help the jam to set better.

Step 2

Bring to your jam to a rolling boil.

Continue to cook your jam for a while so that it gets reduced and starts to appear translucent.

Step 3

Test if your jam is set with a thermometer or by checking if it's running on an ice-cold plate.

Optional: Blend your jam smooth with a hand blender.

Fill up your sterilized jar with the hot jam up to the rim.

Lock the jar with the lid and turn upside down to create a vacuum.

Allow to cool, label and store on a shelf in a cool and dry place.

💭 FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the mango jam preparation.

What's the jam setting temperature?

The Mango jam setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.

Why is my Mango jam runny?

These are some reasons why your Mango jam is not set and why it remains runny.

Low Pectin

Your Mangoes are naturally low in pectin and you forgot to add the lime/lemon.

Quick fix: Add 2-3 organic lime/lemon with the skin and juice.

That way you add a load full of natural pectin to your mango jam!

Quantity

You tried to make a larger amount of mango preserves.

It's way easier to create a smaller batch of around 1 kilogram (2 pounds) of mango jam.

The more you make the more you would have to adjust your ingredients and that can complicate things in your jam making.

Sugar

You reduced the amount of sugar in the recipe because you thought it contained way too much sugar.

Don’t ever reduce the sugar in a jam recipe, especially when it’s without pectin.

The sugar has its place in the mango jam making.

Sugar preserves and makes sure that your mango jam doesn't go bad.

Cooking

Your jam didn't cook to a rolling boil or you didn't cook your jam long enough.

If you are new to jamming, use a thermometer and stick to the temperature mentioned above.

Your pot is not heating up uniformly.

Use a large shallow pot. Best are copper pots, copper tends to spread out the heat evenly and that can be very helpful when preparing jam from scratch.

Make sure to stir frequently too!

Keep in mind this mango jam recipe does not include artificially added pectin.

This Mango preserves recipe is prepared after the French jam making tradition.

Why is my Mango Jam hard?

Your mango jam got overcooked on high heat for a longer period of time.

A quick fix to a hard jam is to take it back to the pot, heat it up again add water and just cook it slowly until dissolved and hot.

Then take the jam back to the jars and consume soon.

🧰 Equipment

• a large cooking pot (preferably a large copper pot as it transmits the heat better)
• a long handle spoon made of wood
• a thermometer
• a cold frozen plate to test if the jam set
• jam jars with lids
• a jam funnel
• tongs to lift the hot sterilized jars
• a pot to sterilize your jars and lids
• labels for your jam jars

👁️ More Mango Recipes

• DIY Mango Pulp
• Mango Iced Tea Recipe by aprilgolightly.com
• Dried Mango
• Mango Dragon fruit Smoothie

Dear Reader, what's your favorite Mango variety?

Please feel free to share your point of view and experience with us in a comment further below!

📖 Recipe