Easy Spicy Plum Sauce Recipe for Canning
This flavorful, lightly spicy plum sauce recipe makes Chinese dishes like moo shu pancakes and stir fries sing and works wonderful as a condiment on meats, too. It’s super easy to make, tastes amazing, and makes great gifts when canned.
✩ What readers are saying…
“Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I made this last weekend and it is so yummy. It sorta reminds me of a barbeque sauce. It is definitely a keeper!” -Pamela
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In addition to Addictive Tomato Chutney, this canned plum sauce is one of the must-have condiments to have on hand throughout the year. It adds a wonderful flavor to vegetable stir fries and baked or grilled chicken and pork.
One of my favorite ways to use it is with an easy type of moo shu chicken or pork, that uses flour tortillas for the Chinese pancakes.
Easy Moo Shu Chicken (or Pork) Dinner Idea with Plum Sauce
Simply stir-fry cabbage, broccoli, and carrots with some thinly sliced chicken or pork, and add a sauce made of soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger at the end of stir-frying.
Serve the stir fry with the warmed tortillas and this plum sauce. Layer the stir fry on a tortilla, drizzle with the plum sauce and roll up. Dinner done!
The flavor of this is SO good – I think its way better than the store bought stuff.
And it’s really easy to make – it’s a good beginner canning recipe because you simply cook all the ingredients together, blend to smooth and then add to jars to can.
It’s also a lot cheaper than the small little bottles in stores, especially if you grow plums or can find them for free.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Plums – any kind though Italian is preferred (see note).
- Onion – any kind will work, regular, sweet, or red onions.
- Brown sugar – adds a depth of flavor from the molasses, though you can use all cane sugar.
- Cane sugar – brings the sweet and helps to thicken the sauce.
- Dry mustard – helps bring that Chinese mustard flavor to the sauce.
- Ground ginger – essential for this Asian condiment.
- Salt – use a canning salt or a pure, no additive fine sea salt.
- Garlic cloves – fresh is best here, but like with all canning recipes, do no increase the amount of fresh garlic (if you’d like more garlic flavor, add a bit of garlic powder).
- Red pepper flakes – this gives the sauce it’s spice and you can adjust up or down (or omit completely if you need).
- Ground cinnamon – a touch of cinnamon balances the flavor of the fruit and spices here though you can reduce it if you’d like.
- Apple cider vinegar – used for it’s milder flavor, rice vinegar would be a nice substitute and you can use white vinegar if needed.
Plum Note: I like to use Italian plums for 2 reasons:
- They are drier so take less time to thicken.
- They grow in abundance around here, so I can usually find them for free (and if you have access to Italian plums, they make the BEST dried plums ever!)
But I have made this with regular plums and other than being a lighter color and taking a bit longer to cook, it was just as good. Your sauce will be the color of whatever type plum you use – Italian are dark, so this sauce is, too.
How to Make Spicy Plum Sauce
Detailed quantities and instructions are included in the full recipe box below, but here are a few extra tips to help with each step:
Step 1: Chop the Plums. You can hand chop the plums like shown above, but after discovering how easy the food processor made canning tomato chutney and my favorite salsa, I now use the processor for this recipe, too. To Process: Simply cut the plums in half, remove the pit, and throw them in the food processor to chop.
Step 2: Cook. Finely chop the onions (or use the processor) and add them to a large heavy-bottomed pot along with all the other ingredients, including the chopped plums. Cook for about an hour on low, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom. This plum sauce literally takes minutes to prepare – the rest is just stirring and canning.
Tip: after many years using a couple of cheap, not great food processors, this is the best price-best quality food processor I use and recommend now.
Step 3: Blend. After the hour of cooking, use an immersion/hand-held blender to make a smooth sauce, incorporating the skins and onions. Just process for a minute until desired consistency.
Step 4: Thicken. Let the plum sauce cook, uncovered, until it’s thick and syrupy – usually about another 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the type of plum you used and how juicy they were.
Pro Tip: The sauce really wants to stick to the bottom as it thickens, so plan on hanging around the kitchen so you’re available to stir every now and then.
Step 5: Prepare lids, jars, and canner while sauce cooks (here is a list of the essential canning tools I use and love).
Read my easy step-by-step canning tutorial here or check out this video tutorial if you’re new to canning (both updated with current safety information):
Step 6: Fill half-pint jars. Transfer plum sauce to a clean, warm, half-pint canning jar, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rim, attach lids and transfer to rack in canner. Fill remaining jars one at a time.
Step 7: Process jars. Lower rack of jars and bring canner water to a boil and process for 20. Turn off heat, uncover, and let sit for 5 minutes before transferring jars to a towel lined surface. Cool, label and store for 18 months.
Canning Tips
- I recommend only stainless steel utensils and canning funnel when dealing with boiling hot food items – this list contains all the canning supplies I use.
- I now use a stainless steel canner with a glass lid and smooth bottom that I recommend to everyone! It can be used on smooth-top ranges and monitoring the boil through the glass is easier and safer, plus you can fit more jars into each batch.
How to Use Plum Sauce
Here are a few ideas to use your homemade plum sauce:
- The moo shu pancake dinner idea from above.
- Drizzle on stir fry with noodles or on grilled vegetables.
- Use as a condiment for baked or grilled chicken or pork.
- Add to slow cooker with boneless chicken or pork shoulder for an Asian flavored pulled chicken or pork meal.
- Top a cracker with cream cheese and a dollop of plum sauce for a yummy appetizer.
Reader Raves
“My plum tree went crazy this year and this recipe is much tastier than another plum-based asian-style recipe I’ve tried previously. Thanks for creating and sharing!” -Kristina
“Wow! A simple recipe that is scrumptious! Easy to make and can and a lovely, lightly spiced plum sauce.” -Sandra
I hope you love this spicy plum sauce – if you make it, be sure to leave a recipe rating so I know how you liked it!
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Spicy Plum Sauce Recipe for Canning
Ingredients
- 4 pounds plums washed, cut in half and pitted (or amount needed to equal 8 cups of food-processed chopped plums)
- 3/4 cup chopped onion about 1 medium
- 1½ cups brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 1 tablespoons dry ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced, about 2 teaspoons
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup cider vinegar
Instructions
- Chop plums in a food processor and transfer to a large heavy-bottomed pot (it should equal 8 cups chopped plums). Chop onions in processor and add them to the plums.
- Combine the remaining ingredients with plums and onions, bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cook until thickened, about an hour.
- For a smooth sauce, puree with an immersion blender right in the pot (optional if you’d like a chunkier sauce, though it helps speed the cooking time) and continue cooking for another hour, or until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.
- Ladle sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Attach lids and rings. Process 20 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Turn off heat, remove lid and let jars sit in canner to cool for 5 minutes. Remove to a cloth to cool completely.
- Test lids, label jars, store and use within a year to 18 months.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
Yes, this sauce can be frozen in any size freezer-safe container you have. Be sure to leave at least an inch of headspace, though, to allow for expansion.
Process the smaller jars the same amount as the half-pint jars.
You can reduce sugar safely in canned items, it’s the vinegar in this that you don’t want to mess with. The sugar does help with the color and texture, so be aware of that and start by reducing just a bit to see at first.
More Easy Condiments To Try
- Easy Addictive Tomato Chutney Recipe (Regular & Lower Sugar Options)
- Home Canned Pizza Sauce from frozen or fresh tomatoes
- Spicy Rhubarb Chutney to Can or Freeze
This recipe was originally published in 2011 and has been updated in 2017 and 2023.
Disclosure: affiliate links in this post will earn commission based on sales, but it doesn’t change your price. Click here to read my full disclaimer and advertising disclosure.
What is your altitude? I see there is a time chart for adding time based on altitude but don’t know what the starting point is for the 20 mins you use. I don’t want to under process!
I am not at altitude – the times are for higher elevation than normal (most all tested canning recipes are timed for what’s considered normal or level altitude). Hope that helps!
I made a double batch. The only thing is after running it throughout the good processor I weight it – 16#. After making this I realized it should have been 16 cups of plums. I am concerned about the acid ratio. What are your thoughts?
How many more cups was it do you think? Fruit recipes aren’t as worrisome as tomatoes or vegetables as fruit is acid so if it was close I’d be okay with it. If it was a LOT more, the flavor would be impacted as well and I think I’d start over, measuring the cups you have and subtracting the ingredients you added (sugar, etc) as best you can and then using the plum cup measurements as a guide to add more of the sauce ingredients, using taste as the guiding force before canning again. Does that make sense?
So I was uneasy with it all night. This morning I got up and opened every jar and measured. I had 23 cups with the added ingredients. So I added another round of the ingredients and put it back on the burner and cooked it down a bit. It is thicker and tastes more like last year. I am processing them all again now. Allot of lids and time wasted but I wanted the plum sauce. I don’t think I will make this error again!!!
Thank you for responding.
Stacey
Oh, good – you did just what I would’ve done, Stacey! Now you can just enjoy it. 🙂
About to make this today. I made it last year and loved it. Made great gifts too!
Wonderful – so glad you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for the review 🙂
When I tasted the plum sauce before canning it I didn’t care for the flavor. It tasted more like a sweet and sour sauce than a plum sauce, very heavy on the sour. HOWEVER, after canning the sauce the flavors mellowed and I really liked it. So this is a reminder that flavors change a bit after canning! We’ve used the plum sauce with egg rolls and as a dip for grilled chicken. I’m looking forward to using it in other ways like in a stir fry or with pork tenderloin. Thanks for the yummy recipe, Jami! Since we have a plum tree, I think I’ll be making this every year.
I’m glad you found that you enjoy this recipe, Kay! We obviously love it too – that’s a great reminder to remember to taste things after canning and sitting a few weeks to allow the ingredients to mellow.
This tasted so yummy! I’m glad I tried it out. But I’m not a super experienced cook. Do you have any recipes or ways that you like to use this plum sauce?
I’m trying it as a marinade with chicken tonight.
I’m glad you did, too, Linda!
I hope you liked it as a marinade – that’s one of the ways to use it. Also just topping pork and chicken with it when serving is good, too.
The best way I like it, though, is with stir fry. Alone or when you make a quick moo shu stir fry: stir fry veggies and meat, add it to a small flour tortilla and top with the plum sauce – yummy.
Jami:
This looks yummy! My farmers’ market sells Italian plums and I learned years ago that they make the most excellent jam! This recipe is exactly what I have been looking for to expand my canning with them. Thanks!
If I use quarter-pint jars do you know if I would process them for the same amount of time? I can do the half-pint jars if needed, but I am solo so I don’t use it up fast. Plus if I want to give some away, smaller jars are perfect.
If all else fails, I could freeze some in the quarter-pint jars once they are cooled in the refrigerator. I have frozen other foods in canning jars once cooled in the fridge. In the freezer I often leave the lid off until the food is frozen (not long). In case I didn’t allow enough head space, it may be a little messy but I don’t have any exploded jars.
Thanks!
I think you will like this, Jennifer! You can use the 4-oz jars, but process them at the same time as half-pint. Going a bit over process is better than under and there are no time for those smaller jars, so I always process them at the half-pint time.
And yes, you can freeze, too!
Thank you Jami. I can’t wait to make it!
I have a question regarding the use of fresh peppers, I have a lot of peppers and figured I’d add those to the jam, will that cause any health issues? I’m planning on adding a few peppers to add some heat to sweet of the plums.
Unfortunately, you can’t add fresh peppers to a recipe that’s been designed to use dry, since fresh will mess with the acid ratio. You could do that and freeze the sauce, but not can it. Or you could look for a recipe that uses fresh peppers.
Also forgot to ask…is that Apple Cider Vinegar w/mother?
Just regular ACV, though it’s okay if it has some mother in it. Hope you enjoy this!
O.K. I have to ask. Is “mother” some kind of alcohol? If not, what is it? Thanks!
Mother is the term that’s used for the fermented solids that grow other things like apple cider vinegar, kombucha, and the like. If you have sediment in your apple cider vinegar, it’s probably a natural brand as they leave in some of the mother – and it may grow over time.
But I didn’t mention it in the recipe that I can see – was that from another recipe?
Jami: thanks for responding. I don’t think I ever would have guessed that is what “mother” is. My question was prompted by Ilah Pilaczynski’s comment just before mine.
Lots of Brooks Plums to process and I’ll be using your recipe. You don’t indicate which type of onion to use, but I’ve used Red Onions in previous recipes so I’m going with those. Seems like I always get hung up on specifics when reading recipes. 😂
Any onion will work, Ilah!
I love this recipe. Substituted cantaloupe for the plums. Super yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, haven’t heard that substitution before! Glad you liked it!
From your Oregon kitchen to my Oregon kitchen! My plum tree went crazy this year and this recipe is much tastier than another plum-based asian-style recipe I’ve tried previously. Thanks for creating and sharing!
Fun! I’m so glad you found this recipe to your liking – it’s a favorite!
Thank you so much for this! I just made a Plum BBQ Sauce version for my freezer, and it’s super yummy! 4 pounds plums and an onion (roughly chopped), seasoning (mustard powder, red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and smoked paprika), .5 cups sugar, and 1 cup apple cider vinegar, in my Instant Pot. Then purred with an immersion blender.
Sounds delicious!!
As its cooking, should it be covered or uncovered?
Uncovered, so it can thicken.