Lingonberry Jam: Two Ingredients, No Cooking

A raw lingonberry jam made from just two ingredients: lingonberries and sugar, left to sit until the sugar dissolves into a syrup. No cooking, no canning.

If the cranberry jam recipe is barely a recipe, this is even less so. Just two ingredients and a little bit of time is all that’s needed. The lingonberries (a small, tart Nordic berry, cranberry’s cousin) have a lovely tangy flavor, moderated by the sweet sugar, it’s almost as if a pickle and a jam had a love child. That’s it. No canning, no fuss.

From my cookbook NORTH – Scandinavianish Cooking.

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Lingonberry Jam: Two Ingredients, No Cooking


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  • Author: Kalle Bergman
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: Makes about 2 cups

Description

A raw, two-ingredient lingonberry jam. No cooking and no canning, just berries and sugar left to sit until the sugar dissolves into a syrup.


Ingredients

Units
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen lingonberries
  • 3/4 cup sugar

Instructions

  1. Place fresh or frozen lingonberries in a medium-sized bowl. Add the sugar and stir gently to coat the berries.
  2. Leave the mixture at room temperature, stirring occasionally until the sugar has completely dissolved and a syrupy texture forms.
  3. If you use fresh berries, this takes about 60 minutes, longer with frozen berries as they will thaw during the process.
  4. Once the sugar is fully dissolved, transfer the mixture to a jar and refrigerate. The jam will keep for up to one week.

Notes

  • Use a wide dish rather than a jar if you have one. More surface area means the sugar dissolves faster.
  • Fresh berries take about an hour to turn syrupy. Frozen berries take longer, since they release water as they thaw.
  • This is a short-life, refrigerator-only jam with no canning step, so plan to use it within the week.
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Category: Recipes
  • Cuisine: Swedish

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2 tablespoons
  • Calories: 43
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 11 g
  • Protein: 0 g

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this cooked at all?

No. Nothing goes near the heat. The berries and sugar sit together at room temperature and the sugar dissolves on its own into a syrup, which is why this keeps the fresh, sharp taste of the raw fruit.

Can I use frozen lingonberries?

Yes. Fresh berries take about 60 minutes for the sugar to dissolve fully. Frozen take longer, because they thaw as they go.

How long does it keep?

Refrigerated in a jar, up to one week. This is a fresh jam rather than a preserved one — there is no cooking and no canning step.

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Kalle Bergman
About the Author
Kalle Bergman

Kalle Bergman is a food writer and media entrepreneur and the founder of Honest Cooking & Travel Magazine. His writing has been regularly featured in publications like Gourmet, Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post and Serious Eats. He is obsessed with simple food, more often than not from his native Scandinavia or Spain.

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