Carrot jam is one of my favourite jams! Maybe that’s because my Maman used to make it a lot. If you haven’t tried it, I dare you to give it a go!

Ingredients (for about 1.2kg)
800g / 1.75 lbs carrots
800g / 1.75 lbs sugar
475ml / 2 cups water
60ml / 1/4 cp rose water
15 cardamom pods
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp saffron
Method of cooking carrot jam
Grate the carrots and transfer them to a pan. Add the water and bring it to boil. Then let it simmer for 30 minutes over low to medium temperature with the lid on. Stir occasionally.
After 30 minutes add the sugar, saffron and crushed cardamom pods to the carrots. Give it a stir, then increase the heat to bring the mixture to boil once more. Don’t put the lid back on.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Let it simmer for about another 15 minutes. Then add the lemon juice. It prevents the sugar from crystalising.
Add the rose water 5 minutes later and let the carrot jam simmer for another 5 minutes. The consistency should be quite liquid. Persian jam is usually not as thick as British jams for instance. Also it will firm a bit when cooling down.
If you’re planning on keeping the jam for a few weeks or months, I recommend you sterilise the jars in boiling water or in the oven.
Fill the jars with hot jam, firmly close the lid and let them cool upside down. Enjoy yourself or leave it on your neighbour’s doorstep. 🙂


Persian Carrot Jam
Ingredients
- 800 g carrots (1.75 lbs)
- 800 g sugar (1.75 lbs)
- 475 ml water (2 cups)
- 60 ml rose water (1/4 cup)
- 15 cardamom pods
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/8 tsp saffron
Instructions
-
Grate the carrots and transfer them to a pan. Add the water and bring it to boil. Then let it simmer for 30 minutes over low to medium temperature with the lid on. Stir occasionally.
-
After 30 minutes add the sugar, saffron and crushed cardamom pods to the carrots. Give it a stir, then increase the heat to bring the mixture to boil once more. Don’t put the lid back on.
-
Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Let it simmer for about another 15 minutes. Then add the lemon juice. It prevents the sugar from crystalising.
-
Add the rose water 5 minutes later and let the carrot jam simmer for another 5 minutes. The consistency should be quite liquid. Persian jam is usually not as thick as British jams for instance. Also it will firm a bit when cooling down.
-
If you’re planning on keeping the jam for a few weeks or months, I recommend you sterilise the jars in boiling water or in the oven.
-
Fill the jars with hot jam, firmly close the lid and let them cool upside down. Enjoy yourself or leave it on your neighbour’s doorstep. 🙂
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you have any questions please let me know in the comments, I’m always happy to help. I’d love to see your Persian Carrot Jam! Feel free to tag me with @igotitfrommymaman on Facebook or Insta so I can take a look and give you a thumbs up!
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Looking for more Persian recipes? Here are my Persian classics!
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Thanks for stopping by!

I love this recipe. It was super easy to follow and it turns out really well.
Thank you for your comment! I’m glad you liked the recipe!
Beautiful recipe! I’ve been craving Persian carrot jam and trying it out tonight. Question– I don’t have any saffron. Can I use something as a substitute?
Thank you for your kind comment, Alexandra! You don’t have to add saffron, if you don’t have any. No need to substitute it. There are plenty of other flavours in this carrot jam, that make it taste delicious. 🙂
Awesome recipe, delicious and flavourful! I tried it but I didn’t have a scale and I think I put too little sugar, it didn’t thicken at all 😄 What are the black bits in your photos? I can tell some of them are purple carrots but not all of them look like it 🤔
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe. Too little sugar or too much water may very well be the reason for it not thickening. You can still save it by adding more sugar and cooking it a little longer. I hope this helps. You’re right, the black bits are all purple carrots. 🙂
I am really impressed at your professionality, Hami. I shall certainly use your recipe as soon as possible. Best of luck with your cookery.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Soraya. Let me know anytime if you have any questions.
I notice the recipe says to “grate” the carrots. In the photos they appear to be chunks and tiny carrots. This year I got gallons of tiny whole carrots. Can I use the whole baby carrots? They are tiny and would look so pretty but wondering if it would set up properly.
Hi Wendy, those were just a few slices of differently coloured carrots, that I used as decoration. The vast majority of the jam was made of the grated carrots. I agree, it would look very pretty with whole baby carrots. I haven’t tried it before, so I’m honestly not sure how well it would work. You could give it a go but let them cook longer to make sure they become nice and soft, release maximum flavour into the jam and so that the jam thickens enough. I’d love to hear how it goes. 🙂