Julie Clark
Posted:
Christmas Jam Recipe
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If you love gifting something from your kitchen, this Christmas jam brings that classic holiday flavor in a simple homemade jam. Pair it with homemade biscuits or a dozen English muffins for a home baked gift!
Christmas jam is tangy from cranberries and oranges, sweet from strawberries and an apple, and warmed with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. It makes your whole kitchen smell like the holiday season.
Why This Christmas Jam Has Become My Go-To Gift
Each year I think of a homemade gift to give to some extended family members and friends. In other years, it’s been a loaf of sourdough bread, a jar of homemade vanilla or cinnamon sugar pecans. This year, I’m making with a gift basket of several of these items, plus this spiced Christmas jam.
Homemade jellies are easier than you think, and you may have tried our blueberry jam and peach freezer jam. this one has a fruit mixture with berries and spices. It has a beautiful color and tastes like Christmas.
I kept the berries whole in this jam, but you can run them through a blender or food processor for a smoother jam.
Use this Christmas cranberry jam in sweet rolls (like our raspberry sweet rolls) or in crumb bars. And it’s excellent with toast and butter!
If you love this, try our cranberry sauce!
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredients
- You’ll notice that this recipe calls for 4 cups of sugar. Yes, that’s a lot! Don’t add less sugar though. You need that much to work with the pectin to set the jam.
- Fresh or frozen berries will work. If they are frozen, you don’t have to thaw them.
- Switch up the fruit if you’d like, but use the same amount. Blueberries are a fun addition, but it will change the color slightly.
Before you begin.
If you are planning to can this homemade jam recipe as we give instructions for, wash the half pint jars and lids in hot soapy water to sanitize them, then rinse and place the jars in hot water to heat them through.
Christmas Jam Recipe
If you love gifting something from your kitchen, this Christmas jam brings that classic holiday flavor in a simple homemade jam.
Servings 16 ounces
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries or thawed frozen, drained
- 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries or thawed frozen, drained
- 2 medium apples peeled, cored and finely diced
- 1 medium orange zested and juiced (you’ll need about ¼ cup juice)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 pouch Certo liquid pectin 3 ounces
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Wash jars, lids and bands. Keep jars hot in simmering water until ready to fill.
- In a large saucepan, stir together the cranberries, strawberries, apples and orange juice (save orange zest for adding at the end). Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop. 2 cups fresh cranberries, 2 cups chopped fresh strawberries, 2 medium apples, 1 medium orange, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, 4 cups granulated sugar
- Remove the pot from the heat and immediately stir in the Certo liquid pectin, orange zest and vanilla. Place back on the heat and stir constantly for 1 minute. Then remove from heat. 1 pouch Certo liquid pectin, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims clean, screw on lids and bands until fingertip-tight.
- Process jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes (adjust for altitude as needed). Remove and let cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours. Check seals before storing.
Notes
Read how to process jars in a water bath on Ball’s website.
If you end up with foam on top of the jam, you can skim it off. I don’t usually have foam on the jelly after cooking.
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the jam making 16 ounces, with 1 serving being 1 ounce of jam. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 0.3g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.02g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.2mg
How to Make Christmas Jam: Step by Step
In a large saucepan, stir together the cranberries, strawberries, apples and orange juice (save orange zest for adding at the end). Stir in the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop.
Remove the pot from the heat and immediately stir in the Certo liquid pectin, orange zest and vanilla. Place back on the heat and stir constantly for 1 minute. Then remove from heat. It will thicken and should look like jam at this point:
Then it’s time to seal the jars. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe rims clean, screw on lids and bands until fingertip-tight. Process jars in a water-bath canner for 10 minutes. Don’t know how to do this step? Read how to process jars on Ball’s website. No special tools needed, just a large pot!
Freezer Christmas Jam Option
If you’d rather skip the water-bath canning, this Christmas jam freezes beautifully. Make the recipe as written. Let the jam cool for 15–20 minutes, then ladle it into clean jars or freezer-safe containers, leaving about ½ inch of headspace so the jam has room to expand. Once it cools completely, seal and freeze for up to 1 year.
To use, thaw a container in the refrigerator. The texture stays smooth and spreadable and you’ll get the same cozy holiday flavor without any extra canning steps.
