Christmas Jam is a cozy, festive, sweet-tart spread usually made with strawberries, cranberries, warm spices, and sugar. It tastes like Christmas in a jar—perfect for gifting or spreading on biscuits, toast, or pastries.
Here’s a classic full recipe:
🎄 Christmas Jam (Strawberry–Cranberry Jam)
Makes about 6–7 half-pint jars
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries (hulled)
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup orange juice (or water)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp ground allspice (optional)
- 1 packet (1.75 oz) powdered fruit pectin
Instructions
1. Prepare the fruit
- Combine cranberries and strawberries in a large pot.
- Add orange juice.
- Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes until cranberries burst and strawberries soften.
2. Blend
- Use an immersion blender (or mash by hand) to reach your desired texture—smooth or slightly chunky.
3. Add pectin
- Stir in powdered pectin until fully dissolved.
- Bring mixture to a full rolling boil.
4. Add sugar
- Add all the sugar at once.
- Stir constantly and bring back to a hard, rolling boil.
- Boil 1 minute, then remove from heat.
5. Add spices
- Stir in cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.
6. Jar the jam
- Ladle jam into sterilized jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace.
- Wipe rims clean, add lids, and tighten bands finger-tight.
7. Process (optional for shelf storage)
- Water-bath can the jars for 10 minutes.
- Cool undisturbed for 12–24 hours.
If not canning, cool and refrigerate—keeps 3–4 weeks, or freeze up to 1 year.
⭐ Tips & Variations
- Sweeter jam: Add ½ cup more sugar or a splash of honey.
- More citrusy: Add orange zest.
- Spicier: Increase cloves or add a pinch of nutmeg or ginger.
- Low-sugar version: Use low-sugar pectin and reduce sugar by half.
If you want, I can give you a small-batch version, a sugar-free version, or a cranberry-only holiday jam. Which one would you like?
