If you live outside Japan, finding good-quality umeboshi can be surprisingly difficult.
Some umeboshi sold at Asian grocery stores contain artificial sweeteners or other added ingredients, while varieties made with only simple ingredients can be quite expensive.
So today, I’d like to show you how I make homemade umeboshi using Western plums that are easy to find in the United States.
The ingredients are very simple, and the process is easier than you might think.
How to Make Umeboshi with Western Plums
Ingredients
- 2 pints Western plums, about 800 g
- 120 g coarse salt
This is 15% of the weight of the plums. - 16 g citric acid
This is 2% of the weight of the plums.
The Western plums I used were already ripe and fairly sweet, so I added citric acid to give them a little more tartness.
1. Wash and Prepare the Plums
Wash the plums gently and pat them dry.
Try not to bruise or damage the fruit while handling it.
2. Add the Salt and Citric Acid
Place the plums in a container or food-safe bag.
Add the coarse salt and citric acid, making sure the plums are evenly coated.
3. Add a Weight
Arrange the plums in a flat layer in a container.
In the photos, I used about 400 g of plums.
Place another container on top of the plums, then add a weight.
I used a jar filled with water as the weight. The weight was about 1.8 times the weight of the plums.
4. Turn the Plums Every Day
Turn or gently rotate the plums once a day so that they stay evenly coated in the liquid that develops.
I did this once a day for 12 days.
In general, I recommend allowing about two weeks for this stage.
5. Dry the Plums in the Sun
After the plums have finished curing, dry them in the sun.
I sun-dried mine for four days.
This helps develop the characteristic texture and concentrated flavor of umeboshi.
6. Store the Finished Umeboshi
Once the plums are dry, dip them briefly in the plum vinegar that formed during the curing process.
Then place them in a clean storage jar.
That’s it!
The finished umeboshi turned out delicious, and I enjoyed them with freshly cooked white rice.
I was surprised by how easy it was to make such a generous amount at home.
If you live outside Japan and miss the taste of traditional umeboshi, I hope this method gives you an easy way to make something similar using plums you can find locally.
Watch the Video
I also made a video showing the same process step by step.
Thank you so much for reading!
