Guava Jelly
intro
Bright, sweet-tart translucent guava jelly with sunny tropical notes, ideal for toast, cheese boards, or filling baked pastries and cakes.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep and Slice Guavas
Wash 1 kg ripe pink-fleshed guavas thoroughly under cool running water, trim away blemishes and hard stem ends, then cut into 2 cm thick slices (no peeling or seeding needed, as skins and seeds hold natural pectin). Place sliced guavas and 250 ml filtered water in a heavy-bottomed 3-liter pot.
Boil and Simmer Guavas
Bring the guava and water mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes to prevent bottom sticking, until guavas are fully soft and mash easily when pressed with a wooden spoon.
Strain Guava for Juice
Set a fine-mesh sieve lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth over a large heatproof glass bowl, pour all cooked guava pulp and liquid into the sieve, and let drain undisturbed for 20 minutes to collect clear pink guava juice. Do not squeeze the pulp, as this causes cloudy jelly; you should yield roughly 750 ml (3 cups) of juice.
Add Pectin to Guava Juice
Pour the collected guava juice back into the cleaned heavy-bottomed pot, stir in 10 g (1 tablespoon) powdered fruit pectin, and bring to a full rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down) over medium-high heat. Once boiling, add 500 g (2.5 cups) granulated sugar and 60 ml (1/4 cup) fresh lemon juice, stirring constantly for 1 minute to fully dissolve the sugar.
Boil to Jelly Set Point
Maintain a steady rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes until the mixture reaches 105°C (220°F) on a clip-on candy thermometer, or passes the wrinkle test: a 1 tsp dollop placed on a pre-frozen plate wrinkles when prodded after 1 minute of cooling. Stir in 5 g (1 teaspoon) unsalted butter to dissolve any surface foam.
Fill and Seal Jelly Jars
Remove the pot from heat immediately, ladle hot jelly into sterilized 250 ml glass canning jars, leaving 0.5 cm of headspace below the jar rim, and seal lids finger-tight. Let jars cool completely to room temperature (about 2 hours) before refrigerating; the jelly will fully set to a spreadable consistency after 24 hours of chilling.
Tips
2.Test jelly set carefully: the ideal set point is 105°C (220°F) at sea level; reduce the set temperature by 1°C for every 300 meters of elevation above sea level to avoid overcooking.
3.For long-term pantry storage, process sealed, filled jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes; unprocessed jars will keep for up to 3 weeks stored in the refrigerator.
OMG this guava jelly is SO good! I made a batch last weekend for our neighborhood potluck and people were begging me for the recipe. Tastes exactly like the tropical jelly my abuela used to make when I was a kid growing up in Miami. Perfect balance of sweet and tart, no weird artificial aftertaste at all. 10/10 will make again!
Super easy recipe even for a total cooking noob like me. I’ve never made jelly before in my life and this turned out perfect first try! Slathered it on toast this morning with a little cream cheese and it tasted like I was on a beach vacation. Only note is I added a tiny pinch of chili flakes for a little kick, chef’s kiss.
Game changer for meal prep! I make a big batch every other week and use it on everything — oatmeal, PB&Js for my kids’ school lunches, even as a glaze for grilled chicken thighs. My 7 year old said it’s ‘better than the store jelly that comes in the squishy bottle’ so that’s the highest possible endorsement if you ask me.
Used guavas straight from my backyard tree for this and I’m screaming it’s so good. I’ve tried so many guava jelly recipes over the years and this one is by far the easiest and most flavorful. No fancy equipment needed either, which is a huge win.
Wait, can I use frozen guava for this? My local grocery store almost never carries fresh ripe guava and I don’t want to drive 40 minutes to the specialty market just for fruit.
Made this for my daughter’s tropical-themed birthday party and served it with those little butter cracker appetizers with brie. Every single bite was gone before I even got to try one! RIP to me I guess, I’m making a second batch tonight just for my house.
How long does this stay good for in the fridge? I want to make a big batch but I live alone and don’t want it to go bad before I can eat it all.
Bro I messed up the first batch because I boiled it too hard and it turned into taffy basically lmao. Second try I kept the heat on medium low like the recipe said and it came out perfect. Don’t be like me, pay attention to the heat level y’all!
I was worried this would be too sweet for my taste, but the lime juice in the recipe cuts the sugar so perfectly! I served it over vanilla ice cream last night for dessert and my husband said it’s the best dessert I’ve made all month. Win for me!
Took me a little longer than 60 minutes because I had to strain the guava pulp twice to get it super smooth, but it was totally worth it. The jelly set perfectly, no runny mess like the last jam recipe I tried. Gifting jars of this to my coworkers for the holidays this year, they’re gonna lose their minds.
Wait, do I need a fancy canning setup to make this? I’ve always been scared to make jams and jellies because I thought you needed all that special equipment to seal jars properly.
My kids loved it! We made a batch together on a rainy Saturday as a little kitchen activity, and they had so much fun squishing the cooked guava through the strainer. We added a little splash of coconut rum to half the batch for the grown ups, 10/10 decision.