🎄 Christmas Jam

Description

This Christmas Jam is a beautiful homemade holiday spread made with juicy strawberries, tart cranberries, bright orange zest, and cozy warming spices. The combination of sweet and tangy fruit with cinnamon, cloves, and allspice gives this festive jam its signature Christmas flavour. It is delicious spread over toast, biscuits, pancakes, or served alongside a holiday cheese board. Best of all, it makes a lovely homemade gift for family and friends. 🎄🍓🍊

The recipe uses frozen or fresh fruit and liquid fruit pectin to create a thick, glossy, spreadable texture.

Ingredients
40 ounces frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed or partially thawed
1 lb fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed or partially thawed
Zest of 2 oranges — about 2 tablespoons
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
4 lbs granulated sugar
2 pouches liquid fruit pectin, 3 ounces each
Optional for Serving
Toast
English muffins
Biscuits
Pancakes
Waffles
Cream cheese
Brie or other soft cheese

The ingredient quantities above follow the recipe card published by EasyKeto4U.

🍓 How to Make Christmas Jam
Step 1: Prepare the Fruit

If using frozen strawberries and cranberries, thaw them until they are soft enough to chop. Add the strawberries and cranberries to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

Don’t puree the fruit completely. Keeping some small pieces gives the finished jam a more homemade texture.

Step 2: Add the Holiday Flavours

Transfer the chopped fruit to a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Add the orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and granulated sugar. Stir everything together until well combined.

Step 3: Bring to a Boil

Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil, stirring occasionally.

Once it reaches a rolling boil, boil for exactly 1 minute.

Step 4: Add the Pectin

Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the liquid fruit pectin.

Return the mixture to the heat and bring it back to a full rolling boil. Continue boiling for exactly 1 minute, stirring as needed.

Step 5: Remove Foam

Remove the jam from the heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

If foam develops on the surface, skim it away with a spoon. Don’t worry if the jam looks relatively thin at this stage—it continues to thicken as it cools.

Step 6: Fill the Jars

Carefully ladle the hot jam into hot, sterilized half-pint jars, leaving approximately ¼ inch of headspace.

Wipe the jar rims clean, place the lids on top, and secure them according to your jar manufacturer’s instructions.

Step 7: Process the Jars

Place the filled jars into a boiling-water bath and process for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove the jars and place them on a towel-lined counter. Leave them undisturbed for approximately 12 hours before checking the seals.

For home canning, use properly sterilized equipment and follow a tested canning procedure for the specific jar size and altitude.

Step 8: Let the Jam Set

The jam may appear softer immediately after processing. Allow it time to cool completely. The texture can continue developing over the following 24–48 hours.

💡 Pro Tips
Don’t puree the fruit: Small fruit pieces create a better homemade jam texture.
Use partially thawed berries: They’re easier to chop than completely frozen fruit.
Measure carefully: The balance between fruit, sugar, and pectin is important for setting.
Boil precisely: Follow the specified boiling times rather than guessing.
Leave headspace: About ¼ inch allows room for proper processing.
Use fresh orange zest: It gives the jam a brighter citrus aroma.
Don’t panic if it’s thin: The jam thickens considerably as it cools.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Christmas Jam
🎄 Perfect festive holiday flavour
🍓 Sweet strawberries + tart cranberries
🍊 Bright orange citrus notes
✨ Warm cinnamon, cloves, and allspice
🎁 Wonderful homemade gift
🍞 Delicious on toast and biscuits
🧀 Excellent with a holiday cheese board
🫙 Beautiful jewel-like colour
❄️ Can be prepared ahead for the holidays
⭐ Why This Recipe Is Special

Festive flavour: Cranberries, orange, and warming spices create a classic holiday combination.

Beautiful colour: The strawberries and cranberries create a naturally vibrant red jam.

Versatile: Enjoy it for breakfast, dessert, snacks, or holiday entertaining.

Gift-worthy: Filled into attractive jars, homemade Christmas Jam makes a thoughtful edible gift.

Customisable: You can use fresh or frozen strawberries and cranberries.

🍞 What to Serve with Christmas Jam
Toast & Breakfast

Spread it over warm toast, English muffins, bagels, or freshly baked biscuits.

Pancakes & Waffles

Add a spoonful over fluffy pancakes or waffles with a little butter.

Cheese Board

Pair it with soft cheeses such as Brie or cream cheese for a sweet-and-tangy contrast.

Holiday Desserts

Use it as a filling for cookies, thumbprints, pastries, or layered desserts.

🛠️ Required Equipment
Food processor: Coarsely chops the fruit.
Large Dutch oven: Provides enough room for the bubbling jam.
Wooden spoon: Makes stirring easy.
Half-pint Mason jars: Ideal for storing and gifting.
Sterilized lids and rings: Needed for proper jar processing.
Canning funnel: Helps transfer hot jam neatly.
Canning tongs: Safely remove hot jars from the water bath.
Water-bath canner: Used for processing the filled jars.
🚫 Common Mistakes to Avoid
Pureeing the fruit completely — the jam is better with small fruit pieces.
Changing the sugar/pectin ratio — this can affect how the jam sets.
Boiling for too long — follow the specified timing.
Not leaving enough headspace — leave approximately ¼ inch.
Moving jars while they cool — allow them to remain undisturbed.
Judging the texture while hot — the jam thickens as it cools.
🎁 Perfect For
Christmas breakfast
Holiday brunch
Homemade Christmas gifts
Cookie exchanges
Holiday cheese boards
Christmas morning pancakes
Festive afternoon tea
Thanksgiving and winter gatherings
🫙 Storage

Properly sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark, dry pantry; the original recipe states up to approximately 8 months. Any jar that does not properly seal should be refrigerated and used promptly.

📌 Recipe at a Glance

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: About 1 hour
Chilling/Resting Time: 12 hours
Total Time: About 13 hours including setting/resting
Servings: About 10
Category: Dessert / Preserves
Cuisine: American
Difficulty: Easy

🎄 Final Serving Idea

For a gorgeous Christmas breakfast, spread this ruby-red jam over warm toasted bread with cream cheese, then add a little orange zest on top. The sweet-tart jam, creamy cheese, and citrus aroma make an especially festive combination. ❤️🍓🍊