Carrot Jam Recipe
A delightful jam, spiced with cardamom and cinnamon. Spread it on toast, swirl it into oatmeal, add it to your next charcuterie board, brush onto fish or tofu, or layer it into savory flatbreads.
I came across carrot jam while traveling in Alaska this Fall. I was both so inspired by it and very surprised this lovely jam hadn’t made its way across my plate before now! Made of the humble carrot, spiced with cinnamon and cardamom, a bit of brown sugar, and a hit of citrus juice at the end. Carrot jam is simple and delightful. Here’s my recipe.
Carrot Jam Recipe
3 cups (330g) of shredded carrots
3/4 cup (160g) of brown sugar
1 cup (240g) of water
Spices: 4 cardamom pods lightly smashed open, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp cinnamon
Citrus juice (optional): juice of 1-2 lemon or lime
Add carrots, sugar, water, and spices in a spice pouch or tea ball to a medium-sized pot. Simmer on low for 45 minutes, until most of the water has evaporated, carrots are soft, and the mixture is fragrant.
Remove from heat, and remove spice pouch. Let the mixture cool slightly, puree in a blender or with an immersion blender. If you prefer a chunky jam, set some carrot shreds aside before blending and mix them into the puree at the end.
Cooling is important for safety, like all hot jams this mixture is *very* hot.
Add citrus juice to taste. Pour jam into a clean jar and refrigerate for up to a month.
Moraba Havij
With origins going back to the twelfth century Persia, Moraba Havij is spiced with cardamom, saffron and rose water. It’s traditionally not blended.
The beauty of this jam is you can change it up however you like with different spice blends, sweetness levels, more or less texture. I kept my spice blend simple, sweetness on low, and pureed to very smooth.
In places like Alaska, where growing seasons are short (just over 100 days!) but root cellars keep carrots fresh for months — things like vegetable jams can brighten, sweeten, and change up your daily routine in a delightful way.
This recipe is designed as a refrigerator style jam, it will keep for up to a month in the fridge.