Cranberry-Strawberry Jam With Warm Spices
Make the best Christmas Jam with fresh summer strawberries and cranberries. This jam recipe is full of warm baking spices for that classic Christmas flavor. It’s perfect for gifting and you don’t need pectin to make it!
Servings: 12 x 8 oz. (250 ml.) mason jars
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb. granulated sugar 800 g.
- 2 lb. strawberries hulled and quartered (900 g.)
- 1 ½ lb. frozen cranberries 680 g.
- 2 large oranges juiced and zested
- 1 large lemon juiced
- 4 whole cloves
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
- Combine strawberries, frozen cranberries, sugar, orange zest and juice and lemon juice in a large, heavy-bottomed wide pot.
- Stir well to coat everything with sugar.
- Cover with a lid and let the mixture macerate for at least 3 hours, or overnight in the fridge.
- Once macerated, add spices and bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally.
- Let it boil for 5 minutes then blend it with an immersion blender or mesh with a potato masher.
- Skim any foam off the top if needed.
- We recommend breaking up the strawberries and cranberries but leaving some chunks for texture.
- Return the pot to the stove and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the jam thickens and clings to a cold spoon, about 10-15 minutes.
- You’ll know it’s ready when it passes the cold plate test.
- Ladle the hot Christmas jam into sterilized jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace.
- Process the jars in a water bath or steam canner, following the canning times in the table below.
- Remove jars and let cool completely. Check seals after 12–24 hours.
Want this to be freezer jam instead? Skip the canning and freeze the cooled jam in freezer-safe containers.
Notes
Processing time guidelines for hot water bath or atmospheric steam canners
Style of Pack: Hot| Process Time at Elevations of: | |||
| Jar Size | 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 – 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
| Pints (16 oz, ~500ml) | 5 min | 10 min | 15 min |