Zucchini jam is one of my favorite ways to use up that extra garden zucchini. Grated zucchini, sugar, lemon juice, and your favorite flavor of Jell-O are transformed into a sweet and fruity jam that's perfect for spreading on your morning toast.
Recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Thick, fruity jam flavored with your favorite type of Jell-O
Made with few ingredients: All you need is shredded zucchini, sugar, lemon juice, and Jell-O powdered gelatin.
Yield: 24 ounces
No canning! This recipe is stored in the refrigerator or freezer, so there's no canning equipment or experience needed.
Variations: Choose your favorite flavor of jell-o. Popular choices include strawberry, peach, apricot, and cherry.
You may also like: Zucchini Relish and Zucchini Pesto
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Zucchini - You'll need four cups, or about 540 grams of finely shredded zucchini. I recommend finely shredding your zucchini for this recipe because it softens quickly on the stovetop and melds right into your jam after it sets. Larger grated zucchini will add a noticeable texture to your jam.
- Granulated sugar - Sugar is a necessary part of jam because it sweetens your jam and helps preserve it in the refrigerator or freezer. Since we are not canning our jam today, it must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
- Lemon juice - Helps preserve your jam, cuts the sweetness with a little acidity, and helps prevent discoloration.
- Jell-O - Any brand or flavor of powdered gelatin dessert works here. Strawberry, peach, apricot, and cherry are popular choices when making jam. You'll need one 3-ounce box (this is the smaller of the two boxes commonly found at the grocery store) for this recipe. You can also double the recipe and use a 6-ounce box instead, if desired.
How to make zucchini jam
- Add zucchini, sugar, and lemon juice to a stock pot and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until mixture has reduced slightly.
- Add Jell-O and stir to incorporate.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Jam will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Transfer to jars and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Tips and tricks
Grating your zucchini - Use the small side of a box grater to finely grate your zucchini. A fine grate melts seamlessly into the jam as it cooks. A coarse grate will leave a noticeable texture in the jam.
Cook until your jam thickens slightly - While there is a time included in the recipe card, rely more on the look and thickness of your jam. When doubling or tripling this recipe, your jam will take longer to cook.
Don't cook too long - If you cook your jam down too long, the flavor will concentrate, jam will turn out very thick, and you'll end up with less jam overall than the quantities listed in the recipe card.
Allow jam to cool before covering - Allow your jam to cool to room temperature before adding a lid. This ensures you're not trapping excess steam and moisture in the jars.
Storage
Since we are not canning our jam, it must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer.
Zucchini jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month, or in the freezer for up to one year. To thaw frozen jam, transfer to the refrigerator to allow to thaw overnight.
If freezing jam, make sure to leave about 1 inch of space at the top of your jars. Your jam may expand slightly when freezing.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe makes three 8-ounce jars, or 24 ounces, of jam. Feel free to use any combination of jar sizes, like six 4-ounce jars, or a 16 ounce jar and an 8 ounce jar.
Since we're not canning our jam, your jars do not need to be sterilized first (unless you want to). Any clean, dry jars with tightly sealing lids will work.
No. Zucchini has a very mild flavor that is undetectable when paired with flavored Jell-O. Make sure you're using zucchini, not other green vegetables like cucumber, which have a strong melon flavor that would overpower your jam. Not sure which one you have on hand? Check out my post: Zucchini vs cucumber - what's the difference?
I have not tested this recipe with sugar substitutes or sugar-free Jell-O, so I can't say for sure how your jam would turn out. The sugar added to the recipe not only sweetens the jam but also helps preserve it. Sugar substitutes do not have the same preservative qualities as regular sugar, so your jam will not last nearly as long if using sugar substitutes.
This recipe is written as a freezer jam recipe and I have not tested canning it, so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. If you try canning this recipe, let us know how it goes in the comments below.
📖 Recipe
Zucchini Jam
Ingredients
- 4 cups (540 g) finely shredded zucchini, do not drain liquid out
- 2 cups (396 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 3 ounce box Jell-O, any flavor
Instructions
- In a stock pot over medium heat, add grated zucchini, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for about 10-20 minutes, or until mixture has reduced by almost half (time varies based on heat level, size of pan, and whether recipe has been doubled or halved).
- Add Jell-O powder and stir until fully incorporated. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Mixture will look thin but will continue to thicken as it cools.
- After mixture has cooled slightly, transfer into jars (leaving a 1 inch gap at the top to account for expansion when freezing) and allow to cool completely to room temperature with lids off.
- After jam has cooled, add lids and store in the refrigerator or freezer.
Recommended Equipment
Video
Notes
- Yield: This recipe makes 24 ounces of jam.
- Jell-O: Any flavor of Jell-O powdered gelatin dessert works in this recipe. Popular flavors include strawberry, peach, apricot, and cherry. Readers have noted that lighter colored flavors, like apricot and peach, can result in a greyish tinted jam when mixed with green zucchini. If you'd like to make a lighter colored flavor, you may want to peel your zucchini first.
- Must refrigerate: Since we are not canning this jam, it is not shelf stable. It must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer at all times.
- Storage: Jam will keep in the refrigerator for up to one month, or in the freezer for up to a year. To thaw frozen jam, transfer to the refrigerator to allow to thaw overnight.
Wondering if I can substitute bottled lemon juice for fresh in this recipe please?
Yes, any lemon juice will work for this recipe.
I have the same recipe only using rhubarb. Very good.
If I use lime jello do I still need to put lemon juice
Hi Jodie, yes you'll still need the lemon juice. Per the post above, lemon juice "Helps preserve your jam, cuts the sweetness with a little acidity, and helps prevent discoloration."
Hi, I would love to make the jam without jello. Have you ever done that or do you have a recipe?
Hi Domarina, this is the only jam recipe I have for zucchini. A quick google search and I found this recipe for marmalade without jello: https://practicalselfreliance.com/zucchini-marmalade/
Oh My Goodness we loved this jam. I used a shredding tool so my zucchini was thicker shreds than a box grater. It made a wonderful marmalade consistency. I used some frozen zucchini and some fresh grated. Just wondered how much liquid should be left in the pot before adding the Jello? I had to cook mine down about 30 minutes. Guess my zucchini had more water in it than yours. I think I had about 3/4 cup liquid left in the pot before adding the Jello and it was pretty thick after chilling. Did I reduce it too much? Anyway, thanks so much for sharing your recipe. We loved it.
Hi Diane, the mixture should reduce by almost half. I will update the recipe to be more specific on this step, thank you for the feedback! It seems like the cooking time is taking longer for some readers.
Can u use sugar free jello and the four cups of zucchini is packed?
Hi Mona, per the FAQ section "I have not tested this recipe with sugar substitutes or sugar-free Jell-O, so I can't say for sure how your jam would turn out. The sugar added to the recipe not only sweetens the jam but also helps preserve it. Sugar substitutes do not have the same preservative qualities as regular sugar, so your jam will not last nearly as long if using sugar substitutes."
For the zucchini - it doesn't need to be packed, just scooped in and filled to the top of the cup.
This is awesome and so easy to can. I did strawberry last year and going to try peach this year😉
How did you can this? I want to make it as gifts for my friends and neighbors so would like it to stable for longer than a month. Thanks.
This is so good and gets thick after refrigeration. Delicious and love the texture. Am making my second batch right now!
P.S. it’s great on pancakes!
This recipe did not turn out as expected. I used peach Jello and it was a grayish green color when done. Very unappetizing. It also remained very runny. Would not recommend.
Hi Sheila, thank you for the helpful review! This is good to know about the lighter colored jello flavors. In this instance, it may be helpful to peel your zucchini to avoid an unappetizing color combination. If the finished, refrigerated jam (the jam continues to thicken while chilling) is still runny, it sounds like it needs more time on the stovetop - if you decided to give it a try again.
Hi, can you hot water process for shelf life? Thank pat
Hi Pat, this question is answered in the FAQ above the recipe card: "This recipe is written as a freezer jam recipe and I have not tested canning it, so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. If you try canning this recipe, let us know how it goes in the comments below."
Can you can this recipe
Hi Linda, this question is answered in the FAQ above the recipe card: "This recipe is written as a freezer jam recipe and I have not tested canning it, so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. If you try canning this recipe, let us know how it goes in the comments below."
Can u use frozen zucchini to make this?
Yes, frozen shredded zucchini would work.
Did you try this with frozen zucchini? If so, did you drain the liquid after it thawed?
I'd discard excess liquid at the bottom of the container.
I have a larger zucchini and am wondering if I should remove the skin.
If it's very large and has thick, tough skin, you may prefer to peel the skin off first. You may also want to scoop out any large, hard seeds before grating.
I would like to process this jam. I have several freezer jams right now. What would I need to do I. Order to make it shelf stable?
Hi Ann, this particular recipe is for freezer jam, so I haven't tested canning it and can't say for sure how it would turn out. Here's a recipe for canned zucchini jam that may work for you: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/146995/zucchini-jelly/
This sounds great. Wondering if sugarfree jello and sugar substitute would work for this recipe?
Hi Neila, I talk about this a bit in the post above, but in short I haven't tested this recipe with sugar substitutes so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. Sugar also acts as a preservative so your jam would likely not last quite as long when using a substitute. If you give it a try, let us know how it goes!
Hi I have a question. I doubled the recipe and instead of gettin 6 8 oz jam jars I got a total of 13!!! My first try so I’m kinda freaking out. My food processor is antique and before I realized I didn’t need blade In bottom to shred I was half way through and had really fine fine zucchini and lots of juice! I didn’t drain as per instructions. Could this be the issue? I’m waiting now to see if it is thickening.
Hi Deborah, when doubling this recipe, all of the ingredients combined equal about 13 cups before cooking (8 cups of zucchini, 4 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup lemon juice, and 6 ounces of jello powder = ~13 cups), so it sounds like the jam didn't cook down at all on the stovetop. I'm guessing that since all of the ingredients were doubled in the pan, it needs more time to simmer and reduce. Does the jam thickly coat the back of a spoon, or does it still look watery and thin? I'd recommend bringing it back to a simmer and cooking it until it looks thickened, which should reduce the amount significantly.
Delicious but only made two pints..16 oz but that’s ok plenty for just my husband and I
If you are using lemon jello … should I cut back on the lemon juice?
The lemon juice doesn't add a significant amount of lemon flavor (it's mostly there for preservation and to prevent discoloration) so I wouldn't reduce it.
Do you take the seeds out?
If you're using a larger zucchini, you may want to scoop out the seeds before grating. I used small zucchini to make this jam so the seeds were soft and grated up along with the flesh.
Thanks.
Will the jars not break in the freezer?
Mason jars are freezer safe, so they won't break in the freezer unless they're overfilled. Liquid expands when frozen, so I recommend leaving a 1 inch gap at the top of each jar.
https://www.rd.com/article/can-you-put-glass-in-the-freezer/
Can this be canned?
I have not tried to can this recipe so I can't say for sure how it would turn out.
Can you use a sugar substitute?
Hi Tammi, I have not tested this recipe with a sugar substitute so I can't say for sure how it would turn out. From the section above ("Can I make this sugar free?"): The sugar added to the recipe not only sweetens the jam but also helps preserve it. Sugar substitutes do not have the same preservative qualities as regular sugar, so your jam will not last nearly as long if using sugar substitutes.
no