Christmas Jam

Jump to Recipe

Christmas Jam is a sweet and tart blend of cranberries, strawberries and sugar. This quick refrigerator jam is great on holiday cheese boards or given as gifts.

If you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of making jam because you don’t like canning, this Christmas Jam Recipe is for you! There is no canning involved. You don’t even need pectin thanks to the naturally occurring pectin in cranberries. Which means that even for the most novice jam makers among us (hi! it’s me!) this one is easy, friends!

I first found Christmas Jam at the farm stand of our local pumpkin patch. The woman standing next to me say “I buy this every year! It’s SO good!” That was good enough for me.

I bought two. And we promptly devoured them.

Being one who likes to recreate things I find, when I saw that the ingredients for this Christmas Jam were strawberries, cranberries, citric acid and pectin. I thought, that is so easy, I can make it! And now I’m sharing it with you.

Let’s talk about what you’ll need to make it.

Christmas Jam Ingredients:

This jam is very simple, only a few ingredients and no pectin! Cranberries are naturally high in pectin so even though the farm stand jam had some, I decided to forgo it in this recipe and it worked beautifully. If you want to give this a little more holiday flavor, add 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon.

• CRANBERRIES: You can use fresh or frozen cranberries.
• STRAWBERRIES: Fresh or frozen strawberries trimmed and cut in halve or quarters.
• LEMON JUICE: Adds a little bit of acidity and helps the jam set.
• SUGAR: Obviously will make the jam sweet but it also helps the gel aka make it “jammy”.

Step by Step Photos and Instructions:

• STEP #1: Combine all ingredients together in a small saucepan. Use a potato masher to gently mash the ingredients.
• STEP #2: Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook 20 – 25 minutes or until it thickens. It should coat the back of a spoon.
• STEP #3: Allow to cool. Store in a clean glass jar in the refrigerator.

Storage and Leftovers:

This jam isn’t canned so it does need to be stored in the refrigerator. It should last for about a month if refrigerated properly.

Looking for more jam recipes? Try these:

• Tomato Jam is a must make for jam lovers. This savory jam is a summertime favorite!
• Blackberry Jam is sweet n’ tart and a great way to use fresh summer blackberries. And, this small-batch refrigerator jam is easy to make!
• Strawberry Jalapeño Jam is a sweet n’ spicy jam that is the perfect addition to any cheeseboard. And this small batch, refrigerator jam is a snap to make!
• With just a handful of ingredients you can make your own fig jam right at home! This sweet spread is a great addition to cheese boards.