Make a homemade cranberry jam with fresh or frozen berries, perfect for the holiday season. Serve on a cheese board, sandwich, roll, or alongside the Thanksgiving table.
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Once cranberry season rolls around, I love keeping a jar of cranberry jam in my fridge. It's the perfect flavor mix of tart and sweet.
I'll teach you my favorite tips and tricks for making jam from scratch. Then, once you master the techniques, you can make other varieties, like raspberry, strawberry, or blueberry.
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What You'll Learn In This Recipe
- Using fresh or frozen cranberries for jam.
- Tips to ensure your jam is thick enough.
- How to store jam in the fridge or freezer.
For more tips and tricks to help level up your baking game, check out my top 10 secrets to becoming a better baker.
Ingredients You Need
Here are the 4 ingredients you'll need for homemade cranberry jam.
- Cranberries: You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries. If you start cooking the jam with frozen cranberries, it will take slightly longer to cook down.
- Granulated sugar: Jam uses a lot of sugar, so don't be alarmed at the amount!
- Water: Adding a bit of water ensures the fruit doesn't burn.
- Orange juice: This adds some additional flavor and tartness to the jam.
How To Make This Recipe
1. Add the cranberries, granulated sugar, water, and orange juice to a saucepan. Cook over medium high heat until the mixture is boiling.
2. Next, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking and stirring, until the jam has thickened.
3. You can test that the jam is thick enough with a cold plate. Place a small dollop of jam on the cold plate. If the jam stiffens (as is pictured above), it’s fully cooked. If liquid runs from the jam, it needs to continue cooking.
Keep in mind that the jam will continue to thicken as it cools, so don't overcook it.
4. Transfer the jam to a small bowl or jar, and refrigerate for 1 hour until it's fully cooled.
Expert Tips
- Storage: The jam can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 - 2 weeks. Alternatively, store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To prevent sugar crystals from forming in the final jam, you can brush the sugar off the sides of the saucepan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water.
- If you notice any foam on top of the jam, you can remove it with a spoon to ensure a beautiful final jam.
Recipe FAQs
No, this recipe has not been developed for the purpose of canning. It's a refrigerator/freezer jam.
Yes! It's always a good idea to properly clean the storage jar. I typically run my mason jar through the sanitize wash on the dishwasher, which is usually good enough since this isn't a canning recipe.
If your jam is still runny after attempting the cold plate test, allow it to continue cooking until you notice the jam firms up when it hits the cold plate.
More Jam Recipes
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Cranberry Jam (Without Pectin)
Equipment
- medium sized saucepan
- spoon
- plate
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cranberries
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
Instructions
- Heat cranberries, granulated sugar, water, and orange juice over medium high heat in a medium sized saucepan until boiling.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until the fruit has thickened. To test that the jam is thick enough, place a plate in the refrigerator until chilled. Place a small dollop of jam on the chilled plate. If the jam stiffens, it’s fully cooked. If liquid runs from the jam, it needs to continue cooking.
- Transfer jam to a small bowl, and refrigerate for 1 hour until fully cooled.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 - 2 weeks.
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