Easy Homemade Persimmon Jam

by Mochi Mommy on October 3, 2025

Perfect for fall, use up any leftover backyard persimmons to make this easy homemade persimmon jam to go with toast, cinnamon rolls, or to gift as a present.

I’m finishing up (maybe? maybe not?) my persimmon series with this persimmon jam recipe. I’ve been having a lot of fun doing series with my favorite foods and flavors. Last spring I did a manju series, and this fall was all about persimmon. I’ll be thinking of new series to do for next year, so if you have any requests, let me know.

If you’ve read my previous persimmon recipes, you know that persimmons, called kaki in Japanese, are highly treasured in Japanese culture. There are entire regions of Japan known for their persimmons and their persimmon cooking technique. A famous Japanese persimmon dish is dried persimmons, called hoshigaki. Many Japanese Americans (including my own relatives) grow their own persimmons in their backyards, at least in sunny California. It seems we are always looking for ways to use up our backyard persimmons.

This is perhaps the most versatile of my persimmon recipes. A simple jam, you can spread it on toast, on cinnamon rolls, swirl it into bread like babka or on top of brownies, stir it into oatmeal… the options are endless. Or just gift it to your neighbors as a fall gift. It’s a really simple recipe with many options for modifications, so let’s get right into it.

Which Persimmons to Use

My favorite type of persimmons are fuyu persimmons. They’re the kind that my grandma and my aunties grow in their backyards. They can be eaten while still crisp, like an apple, skin on and everything.

I made this recipe using fuyu, since it’s available to me and since I love them. But you can definitely substitute ripe hachiya persimmons. In fact, the jam might even be better with hachiya. Unlike with fuyu, hachiya persimmons must be VERY RIPE before you eat them otherwise they will taste extremely bitter. Basically, hachiyas will almost be like jam already by the time they are ready to eat. Fuyu don’t tend to get quite as naturally jammy as hachiyas without cooking.

All that to say, use whatever kind of persimmons you like, as long as they are ripe.

Are Any Special Ingredients Needed?

I always try to make my recipes as easy and accessible as possible. No special ingredients needed here. Just persimmons, lemon juice, sugar, and water. While other jams may use pectin as a thickener, because persimmons are already pretty thick and fibrous, it’s not necessary.

Are Any Special Tools Needed?

Again, no special tools! Just make sure you have something that can blend if using fuyu persimmons, such as a blender, immersion blender, or food processor. Also prepare a jar to hold your jam. 2 persimmons makes enough to fill a repurposed Oui by Yoplait glass yogurt jar, which is about 5 oz. (Did you know you can buy lids specifically for Yoplait jars?)

Of course, you can scale the recipe up or down for a larger serving.

Flavor Modifications, Substitutions, and Adjustments

This recipe is very modify-able. Besides changing the type of persimmon, feel free to substitute brown sugar for the granulated sugar or use another sweetener of choice. Add more or less of the sugar to adjust the sweetness to your tastes as well.

You can also bump up the fall spices by adding ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, or a combination of all of the above.

Canning Jam and Freezer Jam

Someone always asks me about canning jams whenever I post a jam or spread recipe. Unfortunately, I am not an experienced canner. Please do your own research if attempting to can this into a shelf-stable jam.

It is, however, fairly simple to make a freezer jam. Just put the jam into a jar that is safe to go into the freezer and use it up within six months.

More Fall Asian Recipes

Looking for more cozy fall recipes with Asian flavors? Check these out:

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