How to Make Rosehip Jam

In the fall, you’ll find these beautiful red rosehips on rose bushes. They make delicious and healthy rosehip jam.

If you have never tasted rosehip jam, you are in for a treat!

Growing up in Germany, we often had this bright red jam with its unique flavor. Since coming to the US, I have a harder time finding it. So I learned how to make it myself and I am so excited to share the recipe for this delicious spread with you!

There are a lot of things you can do with rosehips but rosehip jam and rosehip tea are the best, in my opinion. And rosehip jam is perfect on your breakfast table!

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Why You’ll Love This Tasty Jam

• it’s delicious
• the recipe is very uncomplicated
• it’s healthy

What are Rose Hips?

You may have seen the fruit of the rose plant in your garden or on your late summer walks.

Rosehips grow on roses after they are done blooming (you can read more about rosehips here). They have a shiny skin and are usually red-orange in color. Depending on the rose variety they can be pretty small or as big as a bing cherry. 

Any rose will produce rosehips but I prefer Rosa Rugosa (Japanese rose), or if you live in Europe or Asia Rosa Rubiginosa (sweet briar) or Rosa Canina (dog rose).

Are Rosehips Healthy?

These small red fruits of the rosebush are super healthy! They are one of the most concentrated sources of Vitamin C! One tablespoon of this rosehip jam covers your daily need for this vitamin. They also contain high levels of Vitamin E, B, and K and are full of antioxidants. Only one tablespoon of this jam covers your daily need for Vitamin C!

Therefore, rosehips are a natural way in the cold and flu season to strengthen the immune system.

Rosehips can also be used for mild stomach upsets.

Drinking the delicious tea from rose hips is helpful for any type of urinary tract infection. However, if you do want a deep red color, I recommend you add hibiscus flowers to your tea.

Ingredients for Rosehip Jam

This easy-to-make recipe only calls for

• 1 pound of fresh rose hips
• 1 TBSP of lemon juice
• sugar to taste (I prefer coconut palm sugar)
• a bit of water

This will make about one 8 oz mason jar of jam. You can easily double or triple this recipe, though!

Useful Tools and Equipment

If you have been making jams at home before, you probably have everything you need. This is what I use to make it: 

• Large pot: any stainless steel pot is perfect here
• Wooden spoon: you can either use a wooden spoon or other large spoon
• Strainer, fine sieve, or muslin bag: especially if you’re boiling the whole fruit, straining it helps remove the black tips, seeds, and skins
• Canning jars: any canning jar will work (you can read more about how Mason Jars compare to Weck jars)

Substitutions and Variations

While this recipe will make the perfect spread, you can play with the ingredients:

• Sugar: I often love using coconut palm sugar for its flavor but also it adds a nice deep hue to the jam. Regular cane sugar will be perfect, too! If you are making it for quick consumption, you can also use honey as a sweetener.
• Lemon juice: You can either use fresh pressed lemon juice or use lemon juice concentrate. 
• Other fruit: I love the pure taste of rosehips but you can add more flavor by adding apples, lemon zest, or oranges to your jam.
• Spices: You can add a little bit of cinnamon or vanilla to this jam.

How to Make Rosehip Jam

1. To a pot, add the fresh rosehips and a small amount of water. 
2. Add one tablespoon of lemon juice and bring to a hard boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and gently boil for 40 to 60 minutes (until the rosehips are very soft).
3. Placing a strainer over a bowl, place the rosehips in the strainer and push through. You should see the rosehip jam coming through. Alternatively, you can use a food mill.
4. Discard the leftovers or put them in your compost. Continue until you have processed all the boiled rosehips.
5. Add sugar to your liking. We don’t like our jams to be overly sweet and like to eat less sugar in general. Simply add a bit and do a taste test. You can always add more.

How to store this jam

If you know that you’ll be going through this rosehip jam fairly quickly, I recommend you simply put it in a small, clean (8 oz) mason jar, let it cool to room temperature, and store it in the refrigerator.

It should last for about 2 weeks (we usually finish it way before then …).

​To make your rose hip jam last longer, you return it to the post and bring it back to a boil. 

Then put the hot jam in sterilized hot jars and process it how you normally would. While it is recommended, I typically don’t use a water bath or pressure canner. 

How to serve rose hip jam

Here are my favorite ways to enjoy our homemade rosehip jam:

• simply spread on toast or freshly baked bread
• over a bowl of yogurt
• serve it with pancakes or waffles
• add a spoonful to your morning oatmeal or cereal 
• with some vanilla ice cream
• as a side for your game meat

Bonus: Making rosehip tea

Making rosehip tea is another great way to use these fruits.

All you need to do is cut the rosehips in half and, and scoop out the sticky seeds with a knife or a spoon. Be careful, though!!! The seeds can cause irritation and itchiness! If you have sensitive skin, you can use thin latex gloves for this.

Now, dry the rosehips in the sun, in the oven at a very low setting, or in a dehydrator.

Once they are dry, chop them into small pieces.

For a cup of tea, steep 2 teaspoons of rosehips in 8 oz of boiling water for 10 mins, strain, sweeten to taste, and enjoy.

If you can’t find fresh rosehips, you can also buy them online.

The color of this tea will be a faint red. If you prefer your rosehip tea to have a deeper red color, you can simply add some hibiscus flowers (either in bulk or as tea bags). They will both enhance the flavor and the color.

Common questions:

Watch the video here:

Printable Recipe:

You might also enjoy these recipes:

Homemade elderberry jam

Make your own elderberry juice

Quince Jelly

Homemade Rhubarb Jam

Home Canning and Botulism

Waterbath Canning

Have you used rosehips? I would love to hear from you in the comments below!

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