Homemade Cranberry Orange Jam is such a great recipe for the holidays. Made with fresh or frozen berries, a juicy orange, and a little bit of spices to add some oomph, it comes together in about 20 minutes for a great breakfast or brunch.
You can make a batch of this jam with extra cranberries you have in the fridge during the holidays. The berries will burst on their own for a more rustic texture, or you can use an immersion blender to get a uniform look and feel.
I use cranberry orange preserves with lots of Christmas recipes like these Christmas Tree Hand Pies - 'tis the season!
The Coined Breakdown
- Total Cost per serving (1 tbsp.): $0.10
- Total Cost (16 oz. jar): $3.68
- Those Other Guys: $9.99 per serving
Ingredients
- Cranberries - Either fresh or frozen berries will work great in this recipe. Just make sure you thoroughly clean your fresh fruit. I recommend soaking in a water + apple cider vinegar combination, then rinsing before using.
- Granulated Sugar - Regular sugar is great, and I've used brown sugar in the past for a deeper flavor. You can also use honey or agave.
- Orange Juice - The acidity in orange juice helps activate the natural pectin in our fruit, which creates that jammy texture we're looking for.
- Spices - A little cinnamon and pinch of ground ginger add subtle flavors to the jam that help avoid it tasting one-note.
Pairing Ideas
Holiday Hand Pies: We stuff homemade pie dough with cranberry orange jam for these festive Christmas Hand Pies!
Cranberry Orange Muffins: This flavor combination is delectable in these fluffy, bakery-style tall muffins! Keep a batch for a grab and go breakfast or easy snack.
Baked Brie: Add some cranberry orange preserves to the top of a wheel of brie before baking, then serve with crackers, sourdough bread, and sliced apples.
Breakfast Favorites: Spread some jam onto these Sausage, Egg, & Cheese Sandwiches or add a couple spoonfuls to Homemade Cream Cheese Danishes.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Jam from Scratch
Making homemade jam or preserves is so simple! Most jelly recipes use pectin, a food starch, to get the gel consistency that we’re all used to. But we’re going to make this homemade jam without pectin.
Pectin can be expensive and sometimes hard to find. Cranberries naturally contain high levels of pectin, and combining them with orange juice and cooking down most of their moisture activates the fiber. The result? Delicious, jammy, homemade preserves.
All you need to do is boil the ingredients until they are thickened, but still slightly loose. The jam will continue to thicken as it cools!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Take the temperature of the jam. You want to make sure your homemade jam reaches 220°F. That temperature ensures we have the consistency needed.
- No candy thermometer? If you don’t have a food thermometer, there's a quick freezer test that can help. Once you think your preserves are ready, add a plate to the freezer for about one minute until it gets chilly. Then, spoon a dollop of hot preserves on the plate.
- Place the plate back into the freezer for another minute, and run your finger through the jam. It should stay where it's at, and not immediately run back into the space you created with your finger - that's how you know you're ready to go.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Cranberries have a high concentration of natural pectin.
During cooking, the fruit breaks down and creates that jammy consistency that we want without using added pectin.
You can store this homemade jam in a mason jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks (if it lasts that long!) I like to make small batches so the jam can continuously be fresh.
You can also freeze this for up to 2 months as long as it's sealed well.
Regular granulated sugar actually uses a non-vegan technique when processing. To make vegan homemade jam, substitute the granulated sugar with coconut sugar.
Other Easy holiday Breakfast Recipes You'll Love!
If you tried this Homemade Cranberry Orange Preserves Recipe, or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you! Thanks for visiting!
Homemade Cranberry Orange Jam (No Pectin!)
Equipment
- Large Bowl (for cleaning the berries)
- Pot
- Microplane
- Citrus Squeezer
- Silicone Spoon
- Candy Thermometer
- Mason Jar (for storage)
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup granulated white sugar
- 1 count orange (zest and juice)
- water (optional - may not need)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground ginger
Instructions
- If using fresh cranberries, soak in a mixture of cold water and a little apple cider vinegar for about 10 minutes. Drain, and rinse again with cold water.16 ounces cranberries
- Drain once more, and set aside.
- Add the berries, sugar, and the zest of an orange to a pot.½ cup granulated white sugar, 1 count orange
- Squeeze the juice of the orange and measure. If needed, add water to get your liquid to reach ½ cup (118 mL). Add the orange juice to the pot with cinnamon and ground ginger.water, ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 pinch ground ginger, 1 count orange
- Cook on medium heat until it begins to boil, stirring frequently.
- Continue cooking for about 15 - 20 minutes. While the pot is boiling, smash some of the larger berries against the side of the pot with the back of a spoon.
- Your jam should reach 220℉ (use a candy thermometer to test).See the recipe notes for another test if you don’t have a candy thermometer!
- Add the hot cranberry preserves to a mason jar or heat-safe container and let it cool completely.
- Once the preserves are cooled, seal, and store in the fridge.
- Serve on biscuits, toast, pancakes, or anything else you can think of. Enjoy!
Notes
- Set a plate in the freezer for about one minute.
- Drop a quarter-sized amount of the hot preserves onto the plate and put back in the freezer for another minute.
- If you can run your finger through and it wrinkles up (aka, the preserves don't quickly fill the path you made with your finger), your preserves are ready!
Did you make this recipe? Let me know what you think!