Jams and jellies are an integral part of a charcuterie board. They often offset a very savory selection of meats, cheeses, and accouterments with some much-needed sweetness and brightness. There is something so wholesome about a good jam, too; they are often homemade with love using fresh ingredients from the garden. There are tons of unique, artisanal jams and jellies you can find at the store, online, or at your local farmers market. For the sake of accessibility, I’m going to outline the best jams you can find in your average grocery store (and on Amazon!). If you want to make your jam from scratch, I’ll also include links to my favorite jam recipes and information on when you can expect the produce to be in season (in the US). Continue reading for more on the 9 Best Jams for Charcuterie Boards!
Fig Jam is a classic selection for charcuterie boards, as it works wonderfully with both sweet and savory pairings. It’s sweet with a distinctive honey-like taste, but also has a little tartness that’s likened to that of strawberry or cranberry. The seedy texture adds an earthy element to it, while the cinnamon and/or nutmeg that’s used in some recipes gives it a hint of spice.
Apricot Jam is my personal favorite. It’s sweet and mildly tart but still very light and bright. It’s a classic stone fruit, but it does have a citrusy and tropical note to it. It almost tastes as if an orange and a peach had a baby.
Raspberry Jam is just perfect. While it’s certainly sweet, it’s also bright and a little tangy. It’s often seeded, making it earthy and refreshing, too; it simply tastes like Summer in a jar. Overall it’s a super well-rounded jam that I use frequently for my boards. I like it better than both Blueberry and Strawberry jams because they are a bit more one-note (Strawberry and Blueberry jams are just sweet, without a lot of the tartness and brightness you’ll find in Raspberry jam). Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Strawberry jam – but I prefer it on my PB&J 😉
Cherry jam has this beautifully rich and deep flavor that reminds me of a luscious dessert or a sophisticated cocktail. You can get a couple of varieties of this jam, made with either sweet or sour cherries. The sour version is a little harder to pair than the standard version, so I recommend a standard Cherry jam to serve alongside a charcuterie offering.
Do not be fooled by orange marmalade! If you’re looking for a light and sweet jam, this is not it (depending on the type of jam, of course). Orange marmalade is often made with not only the “meat” of the orange but also the rind, making it tart and quite bitter. It has some sweetness to it as well, of course, but the bitterness is often the leading flavor.
This is true of marmalade made with Seville oranges, which is often sought after due to its sour, bitter flavor. Marmalade made with sweeter oranges like Valencia or Washington Navels will not be bitter and will instead be sweet like other jams. I love a bitter marmalade for a charcuterie board because there are so many sweet jam varieties out there already; orange marmalade offers a more unique and complex option.
I love Cranberry jam because it’s refreshing and fruity without being overwhelmingly sweet. While it isn’t bitter, it’s got a nice tartness to it. I love the seasonality of cranberry jam, too; often associated with the holidays, Cranberry jam is perfect for holiday or winter-themed boards that contain other seasonal items alongside it.
Onion jam is like a warm hug. It’s essentially caramelized onions that have continued to cook down into a deeply sweet, savory, and extra flavorful spread. It’s a spread that works well not only with charcuterie offerings but also on burgers, flatbreads, grilled cheeses, and just about anything you can think of.
Bacon Jam is another savory jam that’s just perfect. It’s made by slowly simmering smoky bacon and sweet, caramelized onions along with maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, and other magical ingredients that make it sing. This is another super versatile jam that works for breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes. Bacon and onions are an iconic duo that makes anything they touch taste better.
Rounding out the 9 Best Jams for Charcuterie Boards is Pepper Jelly. While not a traditional jam, pepper jelly is perfect for adding some heat to your charcuterie board. It comes in a couple of different varieties; it either tastes like sweet, pickled hot peppers that have a minced texture OR has a color and consistency similar to that of a sweet and sour sauce. You can get pepper jelly anywhere from mild to spicy, determined, of course, by the peppers used.
Need help building out your board? I got you. See below my other articles!
