Home » Blog » Guava Jam Recipe

Guava Jam Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

Sharing is caring!

All you need is 4 simple ingredients to make this delicious guava jam recipe. Juicy guavas made into a delicious spread perfect for toast, biscuits, pancakes, and more. This is one recipe to have in your arsenal of homemade goods.

hand scooping guava jam with a spoon

Tropical flavors make the perfect fruit spreads and guava ranks among the best. Sweet, yet tangy. Vibrant pink hues. The ultimate spreadable goodness.

Homemade just tastes better. And all you need is 4 ingredients. That’s right, just 4.

Guava jam ingredients

  • 5-10 ripe guavas (to yield 2 cups guava puree)
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pectin
guava jam ingredients

Let’s talk guavas.

Guavas are a tropical fruit that is thought to have originated in Mexico, central America, and northern South America. There are many different varieties and colors.

Hawai’i is well known for it’s guava as well. Everything from guava juice to guava bars to savory smoked meat.

Guava trees are plentiful in Upcountry Maui where I grew up, so much so that if you hail from Upcountry you were often called a guava.

guavas in a white bowl

Where can I find guava?

In Hawai’i guavas can be found at most farmer’s markets or grocery stores or on a tree on the side of the road. On the mainland or elsewhere you may need to search a little harder to find these gems.

I can’t find guava, can I use guava puree?

If you can’t find fresh guava you can use already packaged guava puree for this recipe as well.

guava jam on toast

What does guava taste like?

I’d say guava tastes like a cross between a strawberry and a pear.

Can you eat guava seeds?

While guava seeds are edible, I prefer not to have them in my jam. You can remove them from the puree after cooking with a sieve.

guava jam in a bowl with a knife

Let’s talk sugar.

Granulated sugar works well for this recipe, however you could also use other forms as well. I have not tried sugar replacements, but I suppose those could work as well.

If you like your jam less sweet you can definitely add less sugar or even a little bit of lime to counteract the sweetness. Conversely, if you like your jams on the sweeter side add a little more sugar.

And lastly the pectin.

Guavas have a high concentration of naturally occurring pectin, however I like to add a little more to ensure the jams set and gel up. You can opt to leave the pectin out, however it’s a little more difficult to get it to set up all the way.

guava jam on toast with a bite out of the toast

How to store guava jam?

Jams are best kept in a sealed glass jar like Ball or Kerr. If you want to read more about canning check out this site.

How long goes guava jam last?

Homemade guava jam in an unopened, sealed glass jar will last 1 year in the pantry. Once opened place in the refrigerator for about 6 months.

Check out these other yummy spread recipes:

How to make guava jam?

Rinse all guavas. Cut off the top stem and the bottom nub. Then cut into fourths.

cut guavas on a cutting board for guava jam

Place cut guavas in a large pot and cover with about 4 cups of water. Set to high and boil for 20-30 minutes or until the skins have softened.

cut guavas in a pot of water for guava jam

Once softened, lower heat to low. Using an immersion blender, mix guava and water into a puree.

immersion blender making guava jam

Place a sieve over a large bowl and pour the puree mixture through. Using a rubber spatula push the puree through the sieve retaining all the seeds. Discard the seeds.

guava puree for guava jam

Measure the amount of puree you have. You will need a 1:1 ratio of guava puree to sugar. For this recipe I used 2 cups of puree, therefore you will need 2 cups of sugar.

Return puree back to the pot and raise the heat up to high. Add sugar and mix until well combined.

sugar and guava puree for guava jam

You will need 1 tablespoon of pectin per cup of puree used. So for this recipe add 2 tablespoons of pectin and continue stirring until the pectin has dissolved and the puree has thickened.

guava jam poured in a glass jar

Remove from heat and place in sterilized canning jars. Cool to room temperature and place in the refrigerator to chill. ENJOY!

hand scooping guava jam with a spoon

Guava Jam

Relle Lum
All you need is 4 simple ingredients to make this delicious GUAVA JAM recipe. Juicy guavas made into a delicious spread perfect for toast, biscuits, pancakes, and more. This is one recipe to have in your arsenal of homemade goods.
4.44 from 44 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Spreads
Cuisine Hawaiian
Servings 24 ounces
Calories 43 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 5-10 ripe guavas to yield 2 cups guava puree
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons pectin

Instructions
 

  • Rinse guavas. Cut off the top stem and the bottom nub. Then cut into fourths.
  • Place cut guavas in a large pot and cover with about 4 cups of water. Set to high and boil for 20-30 minutes or until the skins have softened.
  • Once softened, lower heat to low. Using an immersion blender, mix guava and water into a puree.
  • Place a sieve over a large bowl and pour the puree mixture through. Using a rubber spatula push the puree through the sieve retaining all the seeds. Discard the seeds.
  • Measure the amount of puree you have. You will need a 1:1 ratio of guava puree to sugar. For this recipe I used 2 cups of puree, therefore you will cups of sugar.
  • Return puree back to the pot and raise the heat up to high. Add sugar and mix until well combined.
  • You will need 1 tablespoon of pectin per cup of puree used. So for this recipe add 2 tablespoons of pectin and continue stirring until the pectin has dissolved and the puree has thickened.
  • Remove from heat and place in sterilized canning jars. Cool to room temperature and place in the refrigerator to chill. ENJOY!

Notes

*If you do not have an immersion blender, you can also use a potato masher or even a fork.
*For the recipe video attached to this recipe I used 10 guava yielded 5 1/2 cups of puree. I only used 2 cups of the puree for this recipe.
*If you like your jam less sweet you can decrease the amount of sugar used and if you’d like it sweeter you can more sugar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 43kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gSodium: 2mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9g
Keyword guava, guava jam, guava recipes, homemade jam, jam, jams, keeping it relle, spreads
Did you make this recipe?Share a photo and tag @keeping.it.relle on Instagram so I can see all your delicious creations and Let me know how it was!

© Relle Lum for Keeping It Relle. Please do not copy and paste or screenshot recipes online or on social media. I’d love it if you share a link with a photo instead. Mahalo!

Tried this recipe? Tag me on social. I’d love to see and share it.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keeping.it.relle

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keepingitrelle

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/keepingitrelle

Tried and love this recipe? Please give it a rating.

Pin for later.

guava jam

By on July 19th, 2020

About Relle

Aloha, my name is Relle and welcome to my little home on the internet where I like to share all my favorite Hawaiian recipes (and local ones too).

I am a wife, mom of two, and nurse practitioner here in the beautiful state of Hawai’i. I was born and raised in Hawai’i and I am of native Hawaiian descent. In my spare time I love to cook and bake and I have compiled many of my favorite recipes here for you to enjoy.

More posts by this author.

32 thoughts on “Guava Jam Recipe”

  1. I couldn’t figure out what to do with our guavas! Thanks to Relle I now know how to use them and my kids approve!!! Tonight we made Guava Jam and it turned out yummy. Instead of sugar we used monk fruit sweetener and it was absolutely delicious 😋. Our guavas will no longer rot on the ground! Mahalo Relle!!!😊

    PS. We couldn’t wait for it to cool and made toast with the leftovers in the bowl😬

    Reply
  2. My mom grew up in Makawao. My grandfather was a stable boy for the Baldwin family. I love upcountry Maui. I wish I could live there. I’m slowly gathering guavas to make jelly. There’s a tree at the end of a street where I go walking, and right now, I get 1 or 2 every other day. Free is good.

    Reply
      • Aloha Relle, after reading your recipes, I feel encouraged to try the dry pectin now! I never tried anything but the liquid (for lilikoi jelly) So yes, it works great , maybe because it doesn’t need to dissolve since it’s already liquid. I loved reading your recipe – pretty chill- I did want to try use less sugar and if it doesn’t work- hey get Guava sauce!

        Reply
    • Two problems generally cause runny jam: not enough pectin or it was not cooked down enough to thicken. You could consider throwing it back on the heat and cook it down a little more to thicken up. Hope that helps.

      Reply
  3. Hi Relle! This recipe was amazing and so helpful. Very detailed and made the process very easy. THANK YOU! I’ve actually never had guava or guava jam but found this recipe on your page during my research and decided to give it a try. I am so pleased! Can’t wait to use this for pastelitos (a Cuban dessert with cream cheese and puff pastry)! I really love your blog and thank you for all that you share with the world!

    Reply
  4. hello! thank you for this recipe, i cannot wait to try it! when placed in a tight sealed container, about how many days or weeks does it last in the fridge?

    Reply
  5. G’day Relle from Perth West Australia!
    I have a guava tree in my chicken run and they’ve been dropping heaps recently. Was always curious about what else I can do with them so searched for jam recipes and yours is a total winner! I added a stick of cinnamon in there and it really did turn out wonderfully….got quite a few jars so gifts for family and friends 🙂
    Cheers
    Dean

    Reply
  6. Hi Sherelle! Hands down, the best easy recipe. Thank you for sharing . My first time making it and it was so Ono. My daughter’s who live on the other islands, love following your recipes. Bring’s there heart back home to Maui. Thank you

    Reply
  7. First time making guava jam. I make other jams so I knew some of the process. Your recipe was easy to follow and I was able to make 2 batches. The jam was delicious and I just put some in a bowl and it was gone before evening. The best thing was a neighbor has 2 medium guava trees and the fruit was free.

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating