Sweet and delicious spreads for toast; jam and jelly are common in every household and popular amongst children and grown-ups. Both jam and jelly are made from fruits and preservatives, yet the two are different in several ways.

If you want to know about the difference between Jam and Jelly then there are 3 main categories in which they can be differentiated – contents, preparation and consistency.

Difference in Contents of Jam and Jelly

The main difference between the two sweet spreads is that the entire edible fruit is used in making jams while only the juice of the fruit is used in making jelly. It is mainly because of this that there is a difference in their texture.

Fruits in jam are chopped or pureed. Jams are thicker and may contain crunchy or some firm fruit contents in them. You might get some bits of fruits in an orange or peach jam. You are most likely to find strawberry seeds in the jam too.

Jams can be prepared using the natural pectin present in the fruit that one is using to make jam. However, jellies require additional pectin because only the juice of the fruit is used to make it gelatinous. Pectin is a setting agent and helps in giving a semi-solid texture to the jams and jellies.

Most jellies use more than one type of fruit because it just uses the juices. However, jams are usually made of one fruit because the whole fruit is used in its preparation. But there are exceptions and you do get individual fruit jellies in the market and mixed fruit jams are also widely available.

Difference in Preparation of Jam and Jelly

Jam and jelly are both easy to prepare and are quite common in households. To prepare jam, the fruit is peeled, deseeded, chopped/crushed or pureed and then cooked in sugar. Pectin is added while cooking to get the desired gelatinous texture.

The juice of the fruit is extracted and then boiled along with sugar. Pectin is added to thicken the jelly. Water, sugar, lime juice, salt and a few more additional ingredients are used for flavour in different fruit jellies.

Once prepared, jams and jellies can be stored in sterilized bottles.

Difference in the Consistency of Jam and Jelly

Since a whole fruit is used preparing jam, they are chunkier and thicker than jellies which are mildly runny. Jams are lumpy and will take some effort to spread. Jellies are smooth and even in texture and quickly spread on toasts or pastries.

Both jam and jellies have distinct tastes and are easy to prepare. If you want to know which one of them falls on the nutritionally healthy side, then it is a jam that gets to be called healthier.

Jam comprises of the entire fruit and is high in fibre. However, one choosing one over the other is simply a matter of choice. Despite the difference between them, jams and jellies will always be amongst the most loved spreads.