Here’s a Christmas Jam Recipe in luscious sweet-tart blend of cranberries, strawberries, oranges, and a festively-ready-to-be-made spice that hits you right in the spot. The perfect canning recipe and a thoughtful homemade gift to be made this season!
I’m a huge Christmas flavors person. From sweet, homemade candies to chocolates or the zingy taste of cranberries and spices-I won’t forgive you anything.
We would go to the local farmer’s market a few years ago to buy some Christmas Jam. We brought it home not knowing what it was going to be like; wow, it was so delicious! I could never track that vendor down again, but I decided to give my own recipe a shot.
OK, after a whole lot of trial and error, I think I finally got it right this time! This is just the perfect mix of Christmas flavors, super duper easy to make.
And coming from a non-jam-making pro that speaks volumes! It’s also way tastier than that stuff I bought at the farmer’s market.
Since it cans up really well, it lasts a long time, and makes for an amazing homemade Christmas gift. The longer it sits, the better it gets; feel free to whip it up in October and give it away in December.
I don’t know about you, but I love giving practical, thoughtful gifts for Christmas. Sure, you can buy something, but nothing says “I really thought of you and I care” like a homemade treat.
Especially when that treat is a jar of this tasty Christmas jam Recipe!
But fair warning—it’s so good, you might just want to keep it all for yourself!
You can use fresh or frozen fruit for this recipe, so no need to seek out strawberries during the off-season. If you are using frozen fruit, just make sure you thaw it first before you begin cooking. It might take a bit longer to cook down because it has more water, but the flavor will be spot on.
Why i love Christmas Jam Recipe
Festive flavors: The cranberries, strawberries, and oranges together with warm spices bring this the most deliciously unique taste exactly hitting on the holiday mood.
Homemade Goodness: Homemade Christmas Jam is sure going to take one back to the good old days. It’s one of those fun projects that you do with your family and friends.
Versatility: Whether it’s spread on toast or used in dessert dishes or even served with cheese, Christmas Jam brings joy to any dish.
Considerate Gift: It’s a wonderful homemade gift! A few jars of Christmas Jam passed across a table or exchanged between households lets someone know you’ve worked time into preparing something special for them.
Long Shelf Life: Once canned, it’s good up to a year from the date you canned it. That means your festive flavors can be enjoyed all year long, not just when you’re enjoying the holiday season.
Easy to Modify: You can alter the recipe based on your taste, as you may like it less sweet or have a different spice in hand.
Brightens Up Winter: The colors and flavors of the jam lighten up those cold grey days with just a little cheer in the kitchen.
Community Connection: Purchasing these ingredients from local farmers or markets is a very real way to support the community and get the best fresh, high-quality product for holiday jam preparation.
Family Tradition: You could create an endearing family tradition from making Christmas Jam recipe, as it ties all the members together during the holidays.
Feel-Good Factor: Such feelings of accomplishment and satisfaction add a great factor – knowing you made something delicious and healthy from scratch!
Tips for Making The Perfect Christmas Jam recipe
- You can totally omit the pectin in this recipe. I do use it when making mine, but it’s not at all a requirement. Cranberries and orange peels actually contain quite a lot of natural pectin, so if you omit it, that will just take a little longer to get to gel stage.
- If you want to replace the sugar with honey-that’s great too! Just don’t use as much honey and omit the pectin or use one of the low-sugar pectin products. It’s going to have a slightly different flavor, but honestly, no one really notices.
- And if your Christmas jam haven’t gelled yet, so what? That just needs some more cooking time. But to check easily, put a clean, dry spoon in the syrup. If the jam drips off in sheets of two drops, it’s ready to can.
- The plus side is that if you mistake it and happen to overcook it, it becomes too dense; you can counter that by adding some port or apple juice to a boil and slowly add it to the jam, mix until it reaches your desired consistency.
- On the other hand, if your jam becomes too runny after opening a jar, you can even fix that! This is done by just mixing 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 teaspoons of juice or port wine, half a tablespoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon powdered pectin into each half pint of the canned jam, then bring that to a hard boil for 1 minute; check on the gel stage before jarring it up to process it like you did before.
FAQs Christmas Jam:
1. What types of fruits do I use for Christmas Jam?
Christmas Jam typically contains cranberries, strawberries, oranges, and sometimes even a few seasonal spices that give it a sweet-tart flavour.
2. Can I use frozen fruit instead of fresh?
Absolutely! You can use either fresh or frozen fruit. If you do decide to use frozen, be sure to thaw it completely before cooking.
3. Does it need pectin?
You can skip the pectin if you want to. The cranberries and orange peel have natural pectin, but without it, the jam will take a little longer to gel up.
4. Can I substitute the sugar with honey?
Yes, you can use honey instead of sugar. Just use a tad less honey and skip the pectin all together or use low sugar pectin, as it is going to affect the flavour a bit.
5. What do I do when my jam hasn’t gelled?
Your jam isn’t quite gelling? Well then it probably needs to cook for a little longer. To check for gelling, dip a clean, dry spoon into the jam. If it drips off in sheets, then it’s ready!
6. Can I fix overcooked or undercooked jam?
Add boiling port or apple juice if it’s too thick. If it’s too runny, mix all of a jar of jam with sugar, juice, lemon juice, and pectin. Boil 1 minute.
7. How do I preserve Christmas Jam?
Keep your Christmas Jam stored in clean sealed jars. It can be kept on the shelf up to one year when properly sealed.
8. Can I use Christmas Jam as a gift?
Absolutely! Christmas Jam is a wonderful homemade gift. Just be sure to date and label the jars.
9. How do you like to use Christmas Jam best?
Christmas Jam is super good on toast, bagels, or pancakes. You can also use it for dessert fillings or mix with cheese and crackers for a festive appetizer.
10. Do I use this recipe as a canning recipe?
Oh, yes! That jam will keep under perfectly safe canning conditions and could be stored.
Christmas Jam Recipe
Course: Recipes1
servings20
minutes20
minutes37
kcalIngredients
12 Oz Cranberries (fresh or frozen, thaw first if frozen)
1 Orange, peeled and sectioned
2 tsp Orange Zest, from the peel
16 Oz Fresh or FrozenStrawberries (thaw if you use frozen)
1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Allspice
4 Cup Sugar, pure cane is best
1 – 1.75 Oz Package Powder Fruit Pectin
1/2 Cup Water
Directions
- Sterilize jars, lids and rings. Fill each jar to about two-thirds of the jar with water and place it in the water-bath canner. Add enough water to the canner, then place it on the stove over medium-high heat to sterilize the jars while preparing the jam.
- Pour the lids into a small saucepan with some water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, making the jam at the same time. The rings do not need to be sterilized; just put them aside.
- Add the cranberries and orange, sectioned, to a blender. You just want to chop it, coarsely-but that’s what my blender has as an option: “food chop”. Then you add the strawberries, orange zest, and spices. Stir it about in the blender another second to combine them before you actually get it fine-pureed.
- Bring the fruit mixture and water in a 5-quart stockpot to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in fruit pectin and add 1/2 teaspoon butter to reduce foaming. Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
- Bring to a boil, then add sugar, and then bring back to a full rolling boil. Boil for exactly 1 minute. Then remove from heat and pour off any foam on it with a metal spoon.
- Fill the jam immediately into your prepared jars to within 1/4 inch of the headspace. Wipe the rims and threads with a clean, damp cloth or paper towel. Place the hot lids on top and screw on the rings just until they are finger-tight. Return the jars to the canner
- Apply the lid and bring the water to a rolling boil. Process the jars for 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and uncover the canner. Allow the jars to be left there for 5 minutes.
- Carefully remove the jars from the counter and set them on a towel-covered counter. Now just leave them alone for 24 hours before inspecting for seals.
- Make sure that all jars sealed. If any have not sealed, simply put them in the fridge and use within 2 weeks.
Nutrition Facts
1 servings per container
- Amount Per ServingCalories37
- % Daily Value *
- Sodium 0mg 0%
- Total Carbohydrate
1g
1%
- Dietary Fiber 10g 40%
- Sugars 9g
- Protein 9g 18%
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.