Tomato Bacon Jam
This tomato bacon jam is a savory spread with a smoky, salty, sweet flavor. It’s delicious on everything from eggs to toast to burgers and more and is dairy free and gluten free.
Looking for more tomato condiments? Try my roasted tomato butter (dairy free), cherry tomato confit, or sun dried tomato vinaigrette.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make bacon tomato jam:
- Olive oil
- Fresh tomatoes – you can use just about any variety: cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes, heirloom, beefsteak, etc. I used Campari tomatoes.
- Yellow onion or white onion – I find sweet onion to be too sweet.
- Brown sugar
- Apple cider vinegar
- Kosher salt and black pepper – to taste.
- Red pepper flakes (optional) – add a touch of heat, but can be left out.
- Oven cooked bacon – I prefer this method over cooking it on the stove in the same pot as the jam. This way there is very little bacon grease in the jam. You can make the bacon 1-2 days in advance if needed.
How to Make Tomato Bacon Jam: Step By Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. The full instructions and ingredient list will be in the printable recipe card below!
1. Cook the bacon, then use tongs to transfer onto paper towels to absorb the extra bacon grease. Set aside to cool then crumble into small pieces.
2. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat with olive oil.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, diced onion, sugar, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
4. Mix in the reserved bacon pieces. Stir every so often until the jam has thickened, about 25 minutes. As the jam thickens and there’s less moisture in the saucepan, reduce to medium-low heat so the jam doesn’t burn.
Helpful Tips
- If doubling the recipe, use a large saucepan to prevent the jam from splattering and making a mess.
Quick Tip: If substituting a liquid sweetener like maple syrup for the brown sugar, you may need to cook the jam a little longer to evaporate the liquid and create the jam-like consistency.
Storage
Allow it to cool to room temperature before transferring it to an airtight container or a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
If frozen, let the bacon and tomato jam thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this tomato bacon jam recipe using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No red pepper flakes? – use a dash of hot sauce for a spicy kick.
- No brown sugar? – use coconut sugar, organic cane sugar, or white sugar. You can also use maple syrup, see the helpful tips section.
- No apple cider vinegar? – you can tilt it toward any flavor profile you’d like by adding a different vinegar – sherry vinegar would be divine, balsamic vinegar if you like things a little sweeter, rice vinegar for a more subtle flavor, red wine vinegar for extra sharpness, etc.
Frequently Asked Questions
This spicy sweet savory jam is a sweet and savory condiment that is delicious on eggs, hashbrowns, veggie burgers, a dairy free grilled cheese sandwich, zucchini pancakes, or served over a pork tenderloin.
It also makes a great appetizer. You can serve it on a charcuterie board with crackers and dairy free mozzarella or dairy free cream cheese, spread on a toasted baguette or another type of crusty bread, or sweet potato toast.
I’ve never tried, but I think you could make it work. To achieve a similar smoky flavor that you get from the bacon, add 1/2 – 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
More Tomato Condiments
I hope you love this Tomato Bacon Jam! If you make it, be sure to leave a comment & a star rating so I know how you liked it!
Tomato Bacon Jam
Ingredients
- 5 strips oven cooked bacon cooled and crumbled into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound tomatoes halved, quartered, or roughly chopped depending on the size of your tomatoes, see notes below
- 1 small white or yellow onion finely diced
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt, plus more to taste start with ¼ teaspoon if using anything else
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or hot sauce optional
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat with olive oil.
- Add the chopped tomatoes, diced onion, sugar, vinegar, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
- Mix in the reserved bacon pieces. Stir every so often until the jam has thickened, about 25 minutes. As the jam thickens and there’s less moisture in the saucepan, reduce to medium-low heat so the jam doesn’t burn.
- Remove from the heat and season to taste with more salt or black pepper as needed.