Name: Pekmez od šljiva
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h 20 min
Yield: 900 g plum pekmez
Cuisine: Serbian cuisine
Ingredients: 3000 g very ripe plums, washed, pitted and halved

Yield 900 g plum pekmez

Preparation 20 minutes

Cooking 90 minutes

Passive 150 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

No-Sugar Plum Pekmez for Refrigerated or Frozen Storage

Pekmez od šljiva is a concentrated plum spread deeply familiar in Serbian cooking, and no-added-sugar versions are well established alongside sweetened ones. The simple ingredient list can be deceptive. When the only ingredient is fruit, ripeness, pan geometry and reduction are the whole recipe. Ripe plums supply both sweetness and pectin, while evaporation concentrates flavour and turns a loose fruit mass into a spoonable spread.

Very ripe plums are important because no sugar will be added later to correct tartness. After washing and pitting, the fruit is spread in a wide roasting pan. Width matters more than depth: a broad surface lets steam escape quickly, while a deep pot can take much longer to reduce. At 200 °C, the plums collapse, release juice and gradually darken as water leaves. Stirring about every twenty minutes prevents a dry ring around the pan from scorching before the middle has thickened.

Doneness is judged by movement, not by colour alone. Plum varieties differ, and a naturally dark fruit can look finished while still containing too much water. Draw a spoon through the centre of the hot spread. When the path closes only slowly rather than flooding at once, the mixture is concentrated enough to firm further on cooling. The approximate 900 g yield from 3000 g fruit reflects substantial water loss, but exact yield can shift with the variety and ripeness.

This formula deliberately stops at fruit reduction. It does not borrow processing times from a different high-sugar jam, and it does not treat a closed jar, inversion or oven heating of filled containers as a substitute for a complete tested preservation method. Instead, the hot spread is divided into shallow containers, cooled briefly, then chilled at 4 °C or below until cold throughout.

Use refrigerated pekmez within 4 days, or freeze portions for longer keeping and thaw them in the refrigerator. That short cold-storage approach sacrifices the convenience of a cupboard-stable jar, but it keeps the recipe honest about what has actually been controlled. The reward is a direct plum flavour: no cinnamon, rum or added sugar, just concentrated ripe fruit.

Practical

ControlUse very ripe fruit; without added sugar, the final flavour depends heavily on plum sweetness and ripeness.
ControlA wide pan speeds evaporation and reduces the time the fruit spends at high heat.
ControlJudge doneness by the slow-closing spoon trail, not by an arbitrary dark colour alone.

Ingredients

Plum pekmez

3000 g very ripe plums, washed, pitted and halved

Directions

Reduce the plums

Prepare the plumsRinse 3000 g plums under running water, discard spoiled fruit, pit them and halve or quarter very large pieces. Only sound ripe fruit should remain, with every pit removed before cooking.
Roast and reduceSpread the plums in a wide roasting pan and bake at 200 °C for 90 minutes, stirring carefully about every 20 minutes and scraping the edges back into the fruit. The pekmez is ready when the fruit has collapsed into a thick dark spread and a spoon drawn through the pan leaves a path that closes only slowly.

Cool and chill

Cool the reduced fruitTransfer the hot pekmez into clean shallow containers and cool briefly before refrigeration. The spread should stop giving off vigorous steam before it enters the refrigerator.
Refrigerate the pekmezChill the containers at 4 °C or below until cold throughout. The chilled pekmez should be uniformly cold and noticeably firmer than when hot.

Practical

Choosing plums

Use ripe, sweet, sound plums that pit cleanly. Unripe fruit produces a sharper spread and cannot be corrected here with added sugar.

Reduction control

Use a wide pan and scrape the edges into the centre at each stir. Stop when a spoon trail closes slowly; the spread will become firmer as it cools.

Cold storage

After brief cooling, refrigerate at 4 °C or below. Use within 4 days or freeze portions and thaw in the refrigerator. Do not treat a sealed container as evidence of safe unrefrigerated keeping.

Control points

Pekmez tastes wateryGuidance: The fruit layer was too deep or reduction stopped before enough water evaporated.Adjustment: Use a wider pan and continue cooking until the spoon trail closes slowly.
Edges scorch before the centre thickensGuidance: Fruit on the pan sides dried faster than the middle.Adjustment: Stir and scrape the edges back into the centre at regular intervals.

Nutrition

Serving size30 g
Calories45 kcal
Carbohydrates11 g
Protein0 g
Fat0 g
Fibre1 g
Sodium0 mg

These figures are approximate and vary with ingredient brands, edible yield, moisture loss, trimming, absorption and portion size.

Allergens and food safety

No major allergen is inherent in the listed ingredient. Wash the plums under running water and discard spoiled fruit before cutting. After cooking, cool promptly and refrigerate at 4 °C or below; freeze for longer keeping. Do not rely on jar closure, inversion, oven heating of filled jars or the natural acidity of plums as a substitute for a validated preservation procedure.

FAQ

Does no-sugar pekmez need pectin?

Not for this concentrated style. Water is driven off until the plum solids naturally form a thick spread; ripeness and reduction control the result.

Can this be kept outside the refrigerator?

Not under this formula. It is written specifically for refrigerator or freezer storage rather than an untested long-life jar process.

Result: Ripe plums reduce slowly in a wide pan to a dense, dark fruit spread with no added sugar; the finished pekmez is cooled promptly and kept refrigerated or frozen.

Key: Use very ripe fruit; without added sugar, the final flavour depends heavily on plum sweetness and ripeness.