A magical recipe for Rose Petal Jam made with wild rose petals and the simplest of ingredients.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

In the sweetness of friendship, let there be laughter and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. ~ Khalil Gibran

There is nothing that heals the soul quite like the sea air, time spent with friends and Rose Petal Jam. Last week we spent a few glorious days on beautiful San Juan Island with dear friends Tonia Schemmel, her husband Mike and their two kids Zalee and Fin.

tonia schemmel | san jaun island

Some of you know Tonia from when we had our vegetarian restaurant together, in Spokane called Mizuna. While we were visiting the island, Tonia showed me how to make her Rose Petal Jam, made from wild rose petals she collects right here on the island.

Wild roses

Why You’ll Love Rose Jam

Let me start by saying- this is no ordinary jam. In the past,  Tonia has given me little precious jars of this -which I savor bit by bit and stretch out as long as possible because, to me, each spoonful feels as if it is infused with love.

It casts a magical spell over me, filling me with love for the world around me. I kid you not, there are days that have been completely transformed because of the miraculous effects of this jam.

This rose petal jam would make the perfect gift if you know someone who could use a little extra love. Truly.

Rose Petal Jam Ingredients

  • Rose Petals- wild rose petals if possible.  You can also sub-pesticide-free domesticated organic dried rose petals.
  • Organic Cane Sugar– we always try to opt for organic, when possible.
  • Pectin– not only to thicken the jam, but to increase the volume of the jam, creating more jam! 
  • Lemon Juice- creates a vibrant color!

How to make Rose Jam

Collect petals from wild roses -or roses you know to be untreated with pesticides. You’ll need about 2 cups.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

Sift and sort through the rose petals carefully, for too often creatures may make their homes there.

Once sorted, then they are ready to bring into the kitchen. I always love being in Tonia‘s kitchen –  filled with all kinds of herbs, healing tonics and tinctures.  Wherever she is, she seems to find the beautiful essence of what surrounds her, and creates from this place.

herbalist kitchen

You can’t help but feel she is deeply connected with the earth and its cycles, her creative healing energy flowing outward and freely. She began foraging, long before it was trendy, making all sorts of tonics and elixirs—a true herbalist’s kitchen.

tinctures
herbalists kitchen

Living on San Juan Island gives her access to the fragrant wild roses that bloom all over the island in May and June, and the making of wild rose petal jam has become her yearly ritual. And I can’t help but feel a little bit of her heart in every batch. The recipe is surprisingly simple, and highlights the lovely rose flavor.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

For this recipe, you’ll need to collect about two cups of rose petals, just lightly packed. Tonia describes this as pressing down on the petals just enough to make a perfectly comfortable “fairy bed.” If I were a fairy, I would be very happy sleeping here.

Step one: Weigh out two ounces of fresh petals.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

Step two:  In a medium pot, bring the rose petals and water to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

The rose petals will fade a bit, but this is just temporary. The magic will indeed come…

Step three: Add the organic cane sugar.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

Step four: Add the lemon juice….and watch the lovely transformation happen!

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

See how the pale rose petals burst with color once the lemon juice is stirred in? Magic!

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

Step five: Mix the pectin with the remaining sugar.

Step six: Stir the sugar pectin mixture into the simmering jam to thicken it. Simmer 20 more minutes.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

Once thickened- the rose jam will still be quite quite syrupy (see notes for thicker jam).

Step seven: fill the jam jars. This recipe will make about 2 cups.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

Step seven: Place the jam in jars and refrigerate –or use heated, sterilized jars, canning for longer shelf life. At this point the jam will seem loose, but it will thicken a bit, once cooled.

Ways to Use Rose Petal Jam

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

Or spoon it right out of the jar, like Fin!

Perhaps my favorite way to enjoy Rose Petal Jam is served over vanilla ice cream.

So simple…allowing the flavors to shine. Sprinkle with fresh rose petals and add fresh berries if you like.

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals, perfect on toast, scones or crepes, or spooned over ice-cream or cake. #rosepetaljam #rose #rosejam #roserecipes

Hope you enjoy this lovely recipe and its magical effects.

xoxoxo

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Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals. A lovely gift, and delicious spooned over ice cream, pavlova or yogurt, or with toast, scones, crepes, or cake.

Rose Petal Jam Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 60 reviews
  • Author: Tonia Schemmel | Feasting at Home Blog
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 40 mins
  • Yield: 1 ¾ cups
  • Category: jam, sauces, condiments,
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

Homemade Rose Petal Jam- a simple delicious recipe made with wild rose petals. A lovely gift, and delicious spooned over ice cream, pavlova or yogurt, or with toast, scones, crepes, or cake. Yields 1 3/4 cups. 


Ingredients

Units
  • 1 1/2 cups of filtered water
  • 2 ounces wild rose petals (approx. 2 cups lightly packed or to what would be a perfectly comfy fairy bed) (preferably collected 50 feet from roads, in a pesticide-free area) or 2/3 cup organic dried rose petals.
  • 2 cups organic cane sugar
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon pectin


Instructions

  1. Place water and roses in a medium saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes, uncovered.
  2. Add 1 ¾ c of sugar to the simmering petals. Stir to dissolve the sugar crystals.
  3. Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Pay attention to the gorgeous vibrant color that emerges.
  4. Simmer 10 minutes over low heat.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ¼ cup sugar and pectin.
  6. While stirring the jam add the pectin/sugar mixture, sprinkle by sprinkle to ensure pectin incorporates without clumping.
  7. Simmer gently for 20 more minutes. It may seem quite loose for jam, but it will firm up as it sets. This does remain more of a silky syrup with luscious bits of petals.
  8. Place into Jam Jars- we like these weck jam jars
  9. This keeps for 2 months in the fridge, also freezes beautifully and canning is always a brilliant option.

Notes

  1. You do not need to add calcium water to this recipe.
  2. You can use food-grade, dried rose petals,  (readily available in natural food stores, in the bulk herb section) 1/3 cup dried rose petals = 1 cup fresh rose petals.
  3. You can use organic domesticated rose petals without any pesticides.
  4. For a thicker consistency, add less water, or increase the pectin.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 tablespoon
  • Calories: 135
  • Sugar: 14.3 g
  • Sodium: 2.5 mg
  • Fat: 0 g
  • Saturated Fat: 0 g
  • Carbohydrates: 15.2 g
  • Fiber: 0.1 g
  • Protein: 0 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

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Comments

  1. Made this exact! This is fancy and lush. Used little pink roses we grow in Texas. (Clean) I gathered these from a shrub that is growing like it’s wild, with rain water only. These roses are called pink knock outs and they taste amazing. The color is perfect.






  2. Just notice that when making twice or three times the amount of jam you maintain the same amount of rose petals. Is that right??






  3. Beautiful taste and color. I follow the recipe exactly but I got a very very firm jam…almost like a toffee. What have I done wrong?






  4. I can not have sugar cane or other refined sweeteners. (My neck literally paralyzes over night the day after consuming any refined sugar at all, even a pinch. It’s been this way for me since I was a pre-teen, and I’m thirty now.) I’m very interested in rose petal jam, particularly as it was recommended to me for my Ayurvedic type (Vata-Pitta). I’ve been looking around the web for a rose petal jam recipe without cane sugar, agave, etc, but have not been able to find one. Do you know if it is possible to make this recipe with perhaps fruit juice instead of water and sugar? I grow my own concord grapes in abundance, so I could juice them and try that.

    1. Great question and I’m not sure. What about adding a sweetener of your choice and thickening with Chia seeds? There’s got to be a way…. 🙂

  5. I’ve made rose petal jam with my highly scented apricot roses. I have a beautiful rose jam the colour of marmalade and the roses sort of go translucent and candied so they are very nice to eat in the jam. I will try the same recipe with my deep red roses and my pale pink ones and see what differences I get. Has anyone tried this recipe with lavender instead of roses – or both?






  6. The are two asterisks after the pectin in your recipe, but I don’t see an explanation for that. Was there a note to go with the asterisks? Something about the pectin? And do you not have to mix up the Pomona’s?

    1. It’s in the notes now, and I removed the asterisks – basically no need to add calcium water. 🙂 Sorry and thanks for pointing it out.

  7. I just make this.. And it’s great!!! It’s very uncommon to use rose petals in this country.. But they like it anyway..

    Thankyou so much~~






  8. Im about to try this today, thankyou ! If I wanted to make larger quantities would I just double/triple etc all the ingredients ? Is that how it works when you are increasing volume in a recipe for jam ?

  9. Rose is the type of flower that has the most fans. The beauty of the color has its own meaning that can awaken the atmosphere. Rose petals contain about 95% air. These petals are high in vitamins but low in calories. Rose petals can be used to treat disorders, cure, until the menstrual cycle is not smooth. deroosbv.com

  10. I am so excited to make this jam. I just came back from my garden with the rose petals. I am expanding my knowledge of gardening and natural flavours, scents and remedies daily. Is glad I found your recipe. Most discard the petals. That you keep yours in the jam is even more wonderful. I was also delighted to read the notes from Julie Drew in Oz. The were truly magical and made me smile while remembering your beautiful photos in this post. Bravo to you both. And thank you for sharing your world.

  11. My boyfriend, who grew up in Istanbul mentioned that his mother used to make Rose Petal Jam, which allowed me to fine your site. Thank you for this wonderful sounding recipe–I can’t wait to try it with my personal roses.






  12. I made this jam last night and had some on my toast this morning…I started to have a digestive reaction intense feeling in my stomach and disturbance and had to have a bowel movement soon after. I got scared because I thought perhaps I didn’t use rose petals! I found out after going that roses are laxative and I ended up making rose syrup (used as a laxative) instead of rose jam because I realized that I put a lot more petals then you said! haha…..going to try again with less petals this time! 🙂






  13. Hi there,

    Just making this for the first time and am not sure whether or not I use the calcium water that comes with Pomonas. Do you just use the pectin?

    1. Hi Jennifer, I don’t think you have to use the calcium water, but some people do and my understanding is…. it makes the jam a little thicker.

  14. Hello, I love your recipe! But may I just ask; is it possible to use cornstarch as a substitute for pectin? And if not, is it easy to make your own pectin?

    1. I’m so sorry, I don’t know the answer to either!If you find out will you leave notes here for other readers? Thanks!

    2. NO Pectin helps to jelly the jam, cornflour thickens and your jelly/jam will spoil up in no time. Its Ok for soups etc. Pectin is a special enzyme derived from the seeds ( bitter) of fruit

  15. i love this recipe. rose petal jam is beautiful and delightfully delicious it’s fragrance fills the house while cooking it and has a lovely taste thanku for this recipe.

  16. Hi Sylvia.
    I so love the way you’ve invited us right into Tonia’s kitchen. I’ve been wanting to make rose jam for the longest time and I think I’m going to start with your recipe. It looks magically pretty. Thank you for sharing it with us.

  17. This recipe seems to be excellent I’m sure I’ll try it next May when the roses trees bloom in my garden, thank you sooo much for sharing your recipe.






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