This easy Cranberry Jam recipe has the most beautiful rich color and a surprisingly delicious flavor. Homemade jam is a quick and easy project with simple ingredients. It’s a great way to use up those leftover cranberries.
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We go through a lot of homemade jam in our house. In the summer I usually make a stock of strawberry and black raspberry preserves to get us through the year. This year I ran out early. We’ve been using it to sweeten our yogurt and oatmeal, and have become dependent on having it at the ready.
So when cranberries appeared on the store shelves once again, at such a good price, I knew I wanted to turn some into a perfect winter jam! .The tart cranberries and lovely texture have made this an unexpected favorite. I think you’re going to love it!
Whether your making gifts this holiday season or wanting to add something special to your table, this delicious spread will be a hit!
Ingredients for Cranberry Jam
Fresh Cranberries: Around the holidays, you can find fresh cranberries at a great price at grocery stores! It’s a great time to stock up. Throw some in your freezer and use the rest for jam! I love to keep a bag of cranberries on hand in the winter months to add to smoothies or oatmeal.
Sugar: Because cranberries have a tart flavor, this jam recipe calls for quite a bit of sugar. I used white sugar, but brown sugar would be a fun substitute!
Powder Pectin: Cranberries contain a lot of natural pectin, enough to create a nice jell. However, I prefer to use a little added pectin. This way I don’t have to cook the cranberries as long, giving this jam the best flavor.
Optional Additions:
Orange Zest: Orange and cranberry are a wonderful winter combination.
Lemon Juice: Optional, but brightens things up a bit!
Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves: Warm spices can really turn cranberry recipes into festive Christmas treats!
Tools
- Immersion Blender or food processor
- Large pot
How to Use Your Cranberry Jam
- Cranberry jam is so flavorful. It’s beautiful on a thick piece of sourdough bread or on English muffins. Having really good jam makes for an easy breakfast. I also love it stirred into a hot bowl of oatmeal or spooned on top of yogurt with granola.
- Spoon some onto a block of cream cheese for the perfect addition to your holiday charcuterie board! While meat and cheese are the backbone of charcuterie, it’s the unexpected spreads and dips that really make it something special!
- A humble pb&j isn’t complete without really good jam! I’m a firm believer that peanut butter and jelly is an adult food 🙂
- Last but not least, try subbing this jam for and easy homemade cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving dinner. The cranberries have a perfect texture to go on top of turkey. Bright and tart, this would be an exceptional addition to your holiday table.
Canning Instructions
The canning process for jam is so simple, and a great way to extend the shelf life of your hard work!
- Fill your canner about halfway with hot water and bring it to a boil. This can take a while so I like to get started with it right away.
- Wash jars with hot soapy water, making sure to rinse well.
- Place your lids and rings in a sauce pan and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil.
- Ladle jam into your canning jars, using a canning funnel to make things easier. Leave 1/4 inch of head space.
- Wipe jar rims with a damp cloth, and place lids and rims on. Tighten jar lids with your fingertips.
- Place jars in the boiling water bath, making sure that the water covers the jars by 1 inch. Bring back to a boil and process for 10 minutes.
- After ten minutes, turn off heat and let the jars sit in the water for five minutes before removing them.
- Let your jam sit at room temperature for 24 hours before storing away.
Spiced Cranberry Jam
Ingredients
- 4 12 ounce bags Fresh Cranberries Can use frozen
- 5 lbs White Sugar
- 1 cup Powder Pectin
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Optional ingredients
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into a large stock pot. Stir over medium heat until all of the ingredients are well mixed, and the sugar is starting to dissolve.
- Use an immersion blender to chop the cranberries into smaller pieces. This step depends on your personal preference. You can make the pieces as small as you want, or leave them large. I prefer to blend them until they are pretty fine, but there are a few whole cranberries left in the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.
- Once the jam has reached a full boil, reduce to a simmer. Simmer the cranberry jam for 10 minutes.
- Turn off heat and immediately pour the jam into clean jars using a canning funnel and ladle.
- Wipe the rims, place lids and rings on the jars, and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove from heat and let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove them to the counter and let sit for 24 hours before storing or giving as gifts!
