This Gordon Ramsay bacon jam recipe is smoky, sweet, and sticky, and it takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes from pan to jar, for roughly $1.50 a serving. Crispy bacon simmers low and slow with caramelised onions, brown sugar, maple syrup, and a shot of freshly brewed coffee until it turns into a thick, spreadable jam that upgrades toast, burgers, and eggs for a whole week.
The recipe comes from Ramsay’s own site and his YouTube Shorts, where he says to “upgrade your toast this week with my delicious bacon jam.” He serves it on buttered sourdough under his signature soft scrambled eggs with a scatter of chives, and the video has pulled millions of views across TikTok and YouTube. It is one of those condiments that sounds like a novelty until you taste it, and then it becomes a fridge staple.
The ingredient nobody expects is the coffee. It sounds wrong in a bacon recipe, but the bitterness cuts through the brown sugar and maple syrup so the jam tastes complex instead of candy-sweet. Without it you get sweet pork; with it you get something dark and roasted that works on everything from toast to burgers.
Made this recipe? Leave a comment and star rating below — we would love to hear how yours turned out.
Why This Bacon Jam Works
Bacon jam fails when it is rushed or when it is one-dimensional. This one is neither, because it builds flavour in layers: the bacon renders and crisps first, the onions caramelise for a full 20 minutes until they turn deep golden, and then the whole thing simmers for nearly two hours until the sugars, coffee, and vinegar reduce into a thick, glossy jam. Each layer would be good on its own; together they are much more than the sum of the parts.
Most of the cooking time is hands-off — you stir every 15 minutes or so while the pan does the work. And the payoff is six generous servings from one pan, plus a jar that keeps in the fridge all week. Make it on the weekend and your weekday breakfasts are sorted.
Gordon Ramsay Bacon Jam
Gordon Ramsay Bacon Jam Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Render the bacon: Add the bacon pieces to a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders out and the bacon starts to crisp. Lift out with a slotted spoon and set aside. Pour off the fat, leaving about a tablespoon in the pan.
- Caramelise the onions: Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the chopped onion and shallots and cook 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and sweet. Add a splash of water if the pan gets too dry — you want the onions to soften and colour, not fry.
- Build the jam: Return the bacon to the pan. Add the brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee, apple cider vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil for 1 minute, stirring so the sugar dissolves.
- Simmer low and slow: Reduce to the barest simmer and cook 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, sticky, and jammy with most of the liquid cooked out. Pull off the heat when slightly looser than you want the finished result — it thickens as it cools.
- Toast the sourdough: Toast thick slices of sourdough in a pan with a little butter until golden on both sides.
- Make the soft scrambled eggs: Crack the cold eggs into a deep saucepan with the cold butter and set over high heat. Stir continuously with a spatula, pulling the pan on and off the heat every 30 seconds, for about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper in the last minute, then stir in the crème fraîche.
- Assemble: Spread the bacon jam generously over the warm toast, spoon the soft scrambled eggs on top, and finish with sliced chives and flaky salt. Serve immediately.
How to Make It, Step by Step
Render the bacon
Start in a cold-ish pan for maximum render. Add the bacon pieces to a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders out and the bacon starts to crisp. Lift it out with a slotted spoon and set it aside. Pour off the rendered fat but leave about a tablespoon in the pan — that flavoured fat is what the onions cook in next.
Caramelise the onions
Do not rush this; 20 minutes minimum. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the chopped onion and shallots, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are deeply golden and sweet. If the pan gets too dry, add a splash of water rather than more fat — you want the onions to soften and colour, not fry. This slow caramelisation is what gives the jam its depth.
Build the jam
Everything back in, one minute at a boil. Return the bacon to the pan with the brown sugar, maple syrup, coffee, apple cider vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil for about 1 minute, stirring so the sugar dissolves completely.
Simmer low and slow
Barely bubbling, for up to two hours. Reduce to the barest simmer and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick, sticky, and jammy with most of the liquid cooked out. It thickens further as it cools, so pull it off the heat when it is slightly looser than you want the finished result — overcooking makes it stiff and hard to spread.
Toast the sourdough
Butter and a hot pan beat a toaster here. Toast thick slices of sourdough in a pan with a little butter until golden on both sides. The buttery crust holds up to the sticky jam much better than dry toast.
Make the soft scrambled eggs
Cold eggs, cold butter, high heat, constant movement. Crack the cold eggs straight into a deep saucepan with the cold butter and set it over high heat. Stir continuously with a spatula, pulling the pan on and off the heat every 30 seconds so the eggs cook in bursts — about 3 minutes total. Season with salt and pepper in the last minute, then stir in the crème fraîche to stop the cooking and add richness. You want small, soft curds, not rubbery sheets.
Assemble
Jam first, eggs second, chives last. Spread the bacon jam generously over the warm toast, spoon the soft scrambled eggs on top, and finish with sliced chives and a pinch of flaky salt. Serve immediately while the eggs are still creamy.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay add coffee to bacon jam?
It sounds strange, but it is the ingredient that stops the jam tasting one-dimensional. Without it you have bacon, brown sugar, and maple syrup — which is just sweet pork. The coffee adds a bitterness that balances the sugars and deepens the colour, giving the jam a roasted, smoky edge you cannot get from the bacon alone. And no, the finished jam does not taste like coffee: it disappears into the background the same way it does in chocolate cake or chilli. But take it out and you would notice something missing. Use a strong brew here, freshly made — weak coffee adds water without the flavour. Decaf works fine if caffeine is a concern, since only the bitterness matters.
Why caramelise the onions for a full 25 minutes?
Because raw or rushed onion would give you sharp, pungent bites in the finished jam. Ramsay cooks his onions and shallots for 20 to 25 minutes until they are deeply golden and sweet, and that slow caramelisation converts the onions’ natural sugars into something rich and toffee-like. It is the same technique behind French onion soup, applied to a jam. The patience pays twice: the sweetness balances the vinegar and sugar later, and the soft texture melts into the jam so there are no crunchy onion pieces. If the pan gets too dry during this step, add a splash of water rather than more fat — you want the onions to soften and colour, not fry.
How do I know when the jam is done?
Ramsay says to cook until “thick and jammy and most of the liquid has cooked out,” and the spoon test is the way to read it: drag a spoon through the mixture, and if the trail holds for a second before closing back up, it is done. If it is still runny, give it another 20 minutes. The whole simmer takes 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours at a bare simmer — barely bubbling, not boiling. Remember that the jam thickens considerably as it cools, so pull it off the heat when it is slightly looser than you want the final result. Overcooking past this point is the one real mistake you can make: the sugar sets stiff and the jam turns hard to spread instead of glossy and spoonable.
What makes Ramsay’s scrambled eggs different?
The method is the opposite of what most people do. Instead of whisking eggs in a bowl, melting butter in a warm pan, and scrambling on medium, Ramsay cracks cold eggs straight into the pan with cold butter and puts it on high heat. Then he stirs continuously with a spatula, pulling the pan on and off the heat every 30 seconds so the eggs cook in bursts. The result is small, soft curds rather than rubbery sheets, and the crème fraîche stirred in at the end stops the cooking and adds richness. The whole thing takes about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper only in the last minute, because salt added too early can make eggs watery. It is worth learning on its own — these eggs are a breakfast upgrade even without the bacon jam.
What can I use bacon jam on besides toast?
Pretty much anywhere you would use a chutney or relish. It is savoury first and sweet second, which makes it more versatile than the name suggests. Spread it inside a burger instead of ketchup, dollop it on a cheese board next to cheddar or brie, or stir a spoonful into mac and cheese for a smoky hit. Our favourite other use is on warm split muffins: try it on our Gordon Ramsay Muffins, toasted and buttered, with a fried egg on top — a proper weekend breakfast sandwich. It is also excellent stirred through baked beans or melted over a baked brie with crackers for guests.
How long does bacon jam keep?
Up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container, and that is genuinely accurate — the vinegar and sugar act as preservatives, so it lasts longer than plain cooked bacon. It thickens in the fridge as it cools, so let it come to room temperature for about 15 minutes before serving, or warm it gently in a pan with a splash of water to loosen it back up. You can also freeze it: portion the cooled jam into ice cube trays, freeze solid, then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag — each cube is roughly one serving, and they defrost overnight in the fridge. Ramsay’s only firm rule is the container: airtight, always, or the jam picks up fridge odours.
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Yummy Recipe Ideas takes classic chef recipes — Gordon Ramsay’s included — and reworks them for home kitchens with US measurements, honest costs, and every technique explained. No guesswork, no candy-sweet bacon.
