How to Make 30-Minute Guava Jam (Mermelada de Guayaba)
I’m always looking for creative way to use up my mom’s pink guavas whenever they’re in season. This small-batch guava jam comes together with just a few ingredients and highlights the vibrant, tropical flavor of guavas. The first time I tasted it, well, let’s just say . . . it’s my jam.
I make this delicious guava jam with no pectin, using ripe guavas and sugar. Lemon zest and lemon juice help balance the jam’s sweetness while also serving as a natural pectin and preservative. Vanilla adds that extra wow factor!
This mermelada de guayaba pairs perfectly with my Whipped Mexican Vanilla Butter!
Guava fruits are incredibly high in vitamin C (great for immune system!), fiber, and antioxidants, which is probably why they’re so popular in Mexico! I love eating guavas fresh, juiced (in agua de guayaba) and in desserts. Bonus: they’re great for your skin and stimulate collagen production!
Love guavas? Check out more of my guayaba recipes: Atole de Guayaba (Pink Guava Atole), Agua de Guayaba (Guava Agua Fresca), Homemade Guava Jam, and Guava Butter.
To me, guavas taste like a mix between a pear, strawberry, and something tropical. The texture is both creamy and slightly grainy, and the small seeds are hard, but edible (they’re packed with dietary fiber!). I strain them out of my jam, but many recipes leave them in.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED
The ingredients you’ll need to make this homemade mermelada de guayaba are: guavas (I use the pink ones from my mom’s tree, but yellow guavas will also work), sugar, lemon (juice and zest), and vanilla. I use one Mexican vanilla bean in this recipe, which can be substituted for 1 tablespoon of good-quality vanilla extract.
RECOMMENDED BY LOLA FOR THIS RECIPE
MEXICAN VANILLA BEANS
For the richest and highest grade beans, I buy in bulk from Voladores Vanilla, which sources traditional varieties directly from small growers in Papantla, Veracruz. They come vacuum sealed and are much fresher than what you’ll find in most spice shops. VIEW PRODUCT
STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
Please note that this recipe is for a small batch of jam made with a little over one pound of guavas. If you plan on making more than this, the cook time will increase significantly as it takes longer to cook down to a jam-like consistency.
1. PREPARE INGREDIENTS AND MAKE GUAVA PUREE
- Start by removing the ends of the guavas and cutting them in half.
- Next, process guavas in a blender with water on medium setting for 60 seconds.
- Using a mesh sieve, strain guava pulp into a bowl and discard seeds. This should yield about 1.5 cups of guava puree.
- Zest and juice the lemon.
- Remove the “caviar” (seeds) from the vanilla bean.
2. COOK GUAVA JAM
- Add guava puree to a heavy-bottom pot with sugar, lemon zest and juice, water and vanilla seeds or vanilla extract.
- Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden or rubber spatula, to avoid burning. Jam should be boiling and bubbling while you stir.
- Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes until the liquid reduces and the jam thickens. You should be able to see the bottom of the saucepan when you stir the jam with a wooden spatula.
3. JAR YOUR JAM
- Pour hot jam into sterile jars with lids. Remove air bubbles on the sides of the jar by using a knife or chop stick.
- Jam should last for at least 4 weeks covered and refrigerated.
HOW TO ENJOY GUAVA JAM
Here are a few ways I like to enjoy my guava jam:
- On sourdough toast with butter
- On a bagel with cream cheese
- On manchego cheese topped with crushed pistachios and a drizzle of agave syrup
- In sweet empanadas, cakes, frosting, cocktail, and smoothie recipes
- Mixed into cottage cheese, yogurt, or ice cream (this is my personal favorite!)
Once you make this Guava Jam Recipe, be sure to try my Homemade Kumquat Jam!
LOOKING FOR MORE INSPIRATION?
- Agua de Guayaba (Guava Agua Fresca)
- Atole de Guayaba (Pink Guava Atole)
- Spicy Pineapple Jam with Manchego Cheese
- Manchego Cheese with Quince Jam, Agave, and Pecans
- Homemade Kumquat and Vanilla Bean Jam
30-Minute Guava Jam Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds guavas
- 1 cup water ½ cup to blend guavas and ½ to cook jam
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- 1 vanilla bean or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- PREPARE INGREDIENTS AND MAKE GUAVA PUREE. Start by removing the ends of the guavas and cutting them in half. Zest and juice the lemon. Remove the “caviar” (seeds) from the vanilla bean by splitting it in half, lengthwise, and then scraping the seeds out with a knife.Next, process guavas in a blender with ½ cup of water on medium setting for 60 seconds.Using a mesh sieve, strain guava pulp into a bowl and discard the seeds. This should yield about 1.5 cups of guava puree.
- COOK GUAVA JAM. Add guava puree to a heavy-bottom pot with sugar, remaining ½ cup of water, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla seeds or vanilla extract.Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden or rubber spatula, to avoid burning. Jam should be boiling and bubbling while you stir. Reduce heat to lowest setting and simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes until the liquid reduces and the jam thickens. You should be able to see the bottom of the saucepan when you stir the jam with a wooden spatula. Once you start this process, do not walk away. Jam can easily stick to the bottom of the pan and burn so you want to stir it throughout the entire process.
- JAR YOUR JAM. Pour hot jam into sterile jars with lids. Remove air bubbles on the sides of the jar by using a knife or chop stick. Allow to cool in jar (with a lid) before refrigerating.Jam should last for at least 4 weeks if refrigerated.
A Note from Lola
- If you are making this delicious jam in large batches to preserve at home, you will need to follow the water canning process. Keep in mind that it will also take longer to cook down and thicken.
- Add the spent vanilla bean to a jar of sugar to make vanilla sugar.
- You can also use vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract instead of a vanilla bean in this recipe.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on December 11, 2023 and updated with step-by-step instructions and images on November 17, 2025.
Lola’s Cocina is a small business that earns various revenue streams. This includes sponsored posts and affiliate commissions from linked products, which I use and love, with no extra cost to readers. This income helps sustain the site.
Lola Wiarco Dweck
Lola is a Mexican-American recipe developer, writer, and cooking instructor who loves sharing her culture with the world. Growing up in California and spending summers in Mexico, Lola celebrates her family’s Mexican recipes and vibrant culture through Lola’s Cocina.
I love guavas! This recipe seems easy to follow and I know my kids would really like it.
I just made a new batch with the larger, Thai guavas from my uncle’s tree and it’s delicious! Since the guavas are larger, I simply scooped out the seeds (instead of blending and straining the seeds from the guavas), chopped the guavas, and then cooked them with the vanilla, sugar, and lemon zest and juice as indicated in my recipe. It came out chunkier because of the chopped guavas and is a little more, but I love it! The Thai guavas remind me of a guava mixed with a green apple, so the jam is wonderful!
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. I love, love, love it! Since we have a guava tree I make a huge batch and gift it to friends and family.
I have some of the fabric in your pictures from a trip a long time ago. I think it was from Otavalo. Now I live in Hawaii and recently harvested a lot of strawberry guavas. Hopefully our improvised jam recipe works out, because I only glance at actual instructions for ideas.
Let me know how it comes out. I would love to make this jam with strawberry guavas. They’re my favorite variety but have only seen them at my grandma’s house in Mexico and in Hawaii. They’re not available at grocery stores in the U.S.
Thank you for the recipe. I had a pound of guavas that I bought because their perfume enticed me, but then realized I had no idea of what to do with them. Lo and behold, your recipe jumped to the top of my internet search – thank you! After sieving the puree to remove the seeds, I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup because that seemed sweet enough, and cooked the jam to “fruit butter” stage rather than going for a strong set. I did notice that the jam was a bit gritty; I am not sure whether the fruit itself had a grainy texture, or if bits of the seeds were pulverized into the puree during the blender process.
Hi, Laura – that happens to me all the time. I’ll buy an ingredient because it looks pretty at the store then don’t know what to do with it!
Regarding the texture, if you have a high-power blender like the Vitamix, that may have been the issue. I usually blend my guavas and even prickly pears on low in the Vitamix otherwise the seeds get crushed into the mixture too. But yes some guavas are a little grainy too. Like the bigger green Thai guavas, but I still like them for jam.
Great post. Looking forward to reading more. Thanks for taking the time to write this.
cloud service provider company
data backup solutions
data protection service
Sorry do I use the liquid or what’s in sieve. Instructions not super clear to me.
Thank you!
The mesh strainer has the blended guava pulp in it because you don’t want any of the hard seeds in your jam.
Taste is fantastic. As with any jam recipe, it does take a while to get that jam consistency, but very worth the wait. My neighbors guava tree puts out tons of fruit in the late summer so I like to make jam with it. My favorite recipe to use it in is oatmeal guava bars.
Those guava bars sound delicious – do share the recipe! I’d love to use some of my jam to make them.
My friend gave me a bag of yellow guavas. The ones that are soft don’t taste very good. Can I still use them to make jam? Will the sugar in the recipe make it tastier?
Hi, Edee – if they taste bad, moldy, or rotten, I’d leave them out because that flavor will come through in your jam. If they’re just soft and maybe a little grainy in texture, those are perfect for jam! I definitely use the soft ones from my mom’s tree to make my guava agua fresca, atole, jam, and puree! Keep me posted on how your jam turns out.