Easy Homemade Cranberry Jam

This homemade cranberry jam is one I like to make for Thanksgiving and Christmas family meals. I especially like serving it with brunch, along with toast and English muffins.

Cranberry jam is super easy to make, especially when the holiday season rolls around! Cranberries are in grocery stores everywhere. This tart berry helps to improve blood pressure. Also, it protects against liver disease, and even supports heart health.

The summer fruits bring us delicious homemade jam and jellies, as well as fresh fruit salads and other cold treats. But when the winter months roll around, you might feel lost in the fruit portion of the menu. Of course, this one classic Thanksgiving side dish keeps us supplied with sweetness: homemade cranberry sauce!

Home food preservation is actually easy to do. Canning pickles, jams, and jellies is a fun activity to do on the occasional free Saturday or Sunday.

This classic cranberry jam recipe is not far from the table in the cold season.

Making perfectly balanced cranberry jam from fresh cranberries is a staple in my home during the cold season. Forget the grocery store: you can make it at home with familiar ingredients and on-hand ingredients!

Compared to store–bought jams, this one has ingredients that you can recognize, and a short list of them, too.

Anyone can open a can of cranberry jam or jelly from the grocery store. But this recipe is a gourmet yet simple alternative. This small batch recipe has no additional pectin! Just four simple ingredients that make a sweet and tart fresh cranberry jam.

Here’s some equipment you’ll be needing for this sweet jam recipe

• half-pint jars (glass jars)
• lids
• medium sized pot
• a wooden spoon

When preparing the small jars, I like to boil my jars and the lids so that they’re fully clean before I use them. For that, I use a separate pot with water.

I bring it to a full boil, place jars in, boil for a minute, then take them out. After that, I place the lids into the pot and boil them for a minute as well. Be sure to let the hot jars dry and cool.

Once you’ve prepared the easy cranberry jam recipe and filled the jars, don’t forget to wipe jar rims. This way, you can put on a clean lid and have no spillage from your clean jar.

A glass jar with jam on the outside attracts ants. You can store them in the refrigerator. If you’d like to save leftover cranberry sauce, you can freeze them. Be sure to freeze cranberry jam only in plastic containers to prevent glass jars from cracking.

Key Ingredients

Water: As the liquid base

Sugar: For the sweetness. Simple granulated sugar works best.

Cranberry: I use fresh cranberries, but you can also use frozen cranberries. I usually measure out one bag of cranberries and measure the rest of the ingredients around it.

Lemon juice: Makes the perfect flavor addition.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

Expert Tips

• Before using the cranberries, rinse them thoroughly and remove any stems or debris.
• Taste the jam before jarring. If it’s too tart, add more sugar to reach your desired sweetness.
• Ensure your jars and lids are clean and properly sterilized before filling them with the cranberry jam to prolong shelf life. I recommend sterilizing them in a boiling water bath.
• Allow the jars and cranberry jam to cool for at least 15 minutes before refrigerating for best results.
• Add a cinnamon stick or ground cinnamon to the cranberries as they’re cooking for extra flavor.
• Add a bit of orange juice while cooking for a light orange flavor in this cranberry jam! You can also use orange zest instead.
• Serve cranberry jam alongside baked goods or breakfast foods like this Dutch Baby Pancake!

Recipe FAQs

I hope you enjoy this recipe and its health benefits! Here are some more recipes that are minimal effort:

• Easy Grilled Sweet Ginger Pineapple Slices are perfect as a unique grilled dessert!
• Light and Easy Tomato Soup for Summer makes the ideal summer soup when you’re looking for a light lunch.

More Jam Recipes to Make

If you tried this Easy Homemade Cranberry Jam or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you enjoyed it in the📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!