Spicy Persimmon Preserves

This delicious Persimmon Preserves recipe can be served with dozens of foods -- from sandwiches and grilled chicken, to toast and ice cream!

Persimmon preserves are a standout condiment.

This preserves recipe brings everything from toast and cheese, to grilled chicken and ice cream to next-level deliciousness.

What are preserves?

Preserves are a mixture of fruit and sugar, cooked together. The fruit in preserves is usually cut into chunks or in some cases left whole.

Preserves are similar to jam, but jam is usually made with crushed or puréed fruit, while preserves have chunks of fruit. If you love persimmon jam, you'll love this chunkier, spiced version!

Fuyu persimmons are ideal for this recipe because they hold their shape very well.

The Ingredients

• Fuyu persimmons - Persimmon season is approximately October through January. During that time, you should be able to find them in almost all major grocery stores and at Farmers Markets.
• water
• sugar
• lime juice - This brightens the flavor a bit.
• chili paste - I use Sambal Oelek. The touch of heat is excellent with the sweet fruit.
• ground cinnamon - The cinnamon adds warmth to the preserves.
• salt

(See recipe card below for quantities.)

Substitutions

• Cinnamon. You can use cloves or allspice instead of cinnamon if you'd like -- or both. If you only use cloves, use half the amount.
• Lime juice. The lime juice can be substituted with lemon juice.
• Chili paste. You can substitute the chili paste with a couple of pinches of cayenne pepper. If you don't want the heat at all, just omit it. (No need to substitute with anything.)

Recipe Tips

• Do not substitute the Fuyu persimmons with the Hachiya variety. You will not get the nice chunks of fruit as it will become too soft.

How to Make it

- Peel and thinly slice the persimmons into rounds, and then cut the rounds in half.

- In a medium-sized pot, mix the persimmons with the water, sugar, lime juice, chili paste, cinnamon and salt.

- Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Immediately reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the fruit is very soft and liquid has thickened, about 40 minutes. You can either leave the fruit as is, or smash it a bit with a fork, to break it into slightly smaller pieces.

(Detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Making it Ahead and Storing it

The preserves can be stored in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to three weeks. (These are refrigerator preserves, so they're not meant for canning or storing at room temperature.)

Serving Suggestions

Persimmon preserves can be used in dozens of different ways, with so many different foods!

• The preserves are especially tasty with prosciutto, brie and arugula, with a lovely rustic bread.
• You could also easily turn this into the best grilled cheese sandwich!
• This is also lovely on warm toast or a delicious muffin with your morning coffee or tea.
• The heat in the recipe makes it somewhat reminiscent of a chutney, making it great with chicken and steak.
• And you can even warm it up and spoon it over vanilla bean ice cream. It's incredible!
• The persimmon preserves are outstanding as part of a cheese board, filled with a variety of cured meats, cheeses, crackers, toasts, and fruits like apples and grapes.

I hope you enjoy persimmon preserves however you decide to serve them.

More Recipes with Persimmons

• Persimmon Gingerbread
• Spiced Apple Persimmon Cake
• Persimmon Bacon Baked Brie
• Persimmon Salad with Honey-Glazed Pistachios

_{Side note: My son made the gorgeous wood board used in the images.} 🙂

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do!

Cooking On The Weekends is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.