The Difference Between Jams, Jellies, Marmalade & Fruit Butter

Jellied products can be made in a variety of methods.  Options include jellies, jams, preserves, conserves, marmalades, fruit butters, fruit honeys, and fruit syrups.  Each product is made using a different form of the fruit.

Jellies are made from fruit juice and sugar, most are cooked but there are some recipes for jellies that are refrigerated without cooking.  Jellies are clear and should hold their shape yet be tender.  The flavor should be a good fruit flavor with the right amount of sweetness.

Jams are made by crushing fruit with sugar.  Jams are usually thick and sweet but not as firm as jelly.  Jams should be spreadable.  Preserves, on the other hand, use whole small fruits or pieces of fruit in a gelled syrup.  The pieces of fruit should be transparent to clear and the color should be characteristic of the fruit from which it is made.

Conserves are a lot like jam but are made from combining fruit and sometimes raisins, nuts, and coconut.

Marmalades are usually made of citrus fruits and contain pieces of the peel suspended in a transparent jelly.

Fruit butter utilizes the pulp of the fruit, cooked with sugar into a thick spreadable mixture.  Many fruit butters are enhanced by adding spices to them.

Fruit honey and syrup are made when fruit juice and sugar is cooked to a thickened consistency that can be poured.

So as you can see there is a fair amount of differences between jams and jellies and they’re all delicious in their own way! Check out some of our fruit and jam mixes here and make your own jams and jellies!