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This super easy Christmas Jam has sweet-tart, delicious flavor!
I know it’s Halloween today…but we’re already getting ready for Christmas! Homemade gifts for the holiday season are some of my favorites to give and receive – especially when they are as delicious as our Christmas Jam.
This simple jam is a sweet-tart mix of strawberries and cranberries (plus sugar and pectin) – and the flavor combination is out of this world. (It’s so good, my husband Jack says he doesn’t want to give any of these jars of jam away this Christmas!)
In addition to this jam being super delicious, one of the best things is that it is super easy to make! Scroll below to our recipe card to watch a video showing how it’s made.
This Christmas Jam also cans very well, so even though Christmas is still a little less than two months away, it will be here before you know it! So you can make this Christmas Jam now before the holiday rush and then you’ll be all ready for gift-giving. It’s also the perfect jam to use in these cookies.
This recipe is from the Tougas Family Farm cookbook (you can see it here). I’ve seen other versions of Christmas Jam online with orange zest or orange peel added, but we liked the simple sweet strawberry-tart cranberry contrast of flavors the best. You can use fresh or frozen strawberries and cranberries (we used a combination of both) – so use whichever is best for you!
And to make your gift-giving even easier – we’re sharing a free printable for the Christmas Jam labels you see in our photos! They are sized for these two inch round labels to stick to the top of half-pint decorative jars, or to create a gift label as shown in the photo at the top of this post. Please note: You must DOWNLOAD THE LABELS FIRST before you will be able to print them.
Christmas Jam is a simple and delicious treat that everyone on your holiday gift list will love! (And here’s one last helpful tip – this Christmas Jam is a delicious alternative to cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving! If your guests don’t like the tart flavors of cranberry sauce, they will probably love this jam instead!)
Please note: You must DOWNLOAD THE LABELS FIRST before you will be able to print them.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I freeze this jam instead of canning it? The answer is…I don’t know! We’ve only made (and canned) this jam as written so I don’t know how it will work as a freezer jam. If you try it, please let us know in the comments below.
- Does this recipe REALLY call for 5 pounds of sugar? Yes – that is the amount called for in the original recipe.
- Can I make this jam with less sugar? Yes – we’ve had several readers tell us in the comments below that they have successfully made this jam with less sugar. Some readers used low sugar pectin while others simply reduced the sugar. We haven’t done so ourselves so we can’t share our own experience, nor can we say how reducing the sugar will impact the finished texture of the jam. But feel free to scroll below through the comments for some additional information.
- Can I use sugar substitute in this jam recipe? We haven’t tested it ourselves, but I’m going to say no. Pectin needs the interaction with sugar to set the jam so you would likely need to make some other adjustments to the recipe if you cut out the sugar.
- Can I used powdered pectin instead of liquid? Again, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but we have had readers swap in powdered for liquid. Liquid pectin is added at the end of this recipe because it doesn’t need to be boiled/cooked, while powdered pectin requires some cooking time so you’ll want to add it earlier in the recipe. Here’s a great article about the topic.
- How long will this Christmas Jam keep? When properly canned and stored in a cool, dark place, we’ve enjoyed jars of this Christmas Jam for up to a year. If you don’t can the jam, keep refrigerated for about two weeks.
- Can I add other fruits to this jam? Sure. Just note that sometimes the amount of pectin may need to be adjusted depending on the natural pectins found in whatever fruit you swap in.
- My jam didn’t set. What do I do? Assuming that you followed the recipe exactly as written, if your jam didn’t set, you can try reheating it and adding some more pectin.
- I can’t print the labels. What do I do? You MUST download the labels first before attempting to print. The labels are created as a Word document so as long as you have that, or another program that can handle Word documents, you should be able to print them.
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Christmas Jam
If you are planning to can this jam, have your sterilized jars, rims, bands and canning tools ready and sterilized ahead of time.
Ingredients
- 2 packages (20 ounces each) frozen whole strawberries (fresh strawberries may also be substituted)
- 1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
- 5 pounds sugar (This is not a typo – 5 pounds is the correct amount. Some readers have told us that they successfully used less sugar when making this jam.)
- 2 pouches (3-ounces each) liquid fruit pectin
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the strawberries and cranberries – you can process them to a finely chopped texture for a completely smooth jam, or leave some fruit partially chopped for a chunkier jam.
- Pour the processed fruit into a large heavy-bottomed pot. Add sugar and over medium high heat, bring the fruit and sugar mixture to a full rolling boil.
- Boil for 1 minute.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the pectin, stirring to mix completely.
- Allow the jam to cool for 5 minutes, then skim off the foam on the top.
- Ladle the hot jam mixture into sterile half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims clean, cover with hot lids and screw on the jar bands.
- Process the jars for 10 minutes in a water bath. (Read more how to’s here).
- Makes about 14 half-pint jars. Recipe may be halved.
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Hi, so glad you still reply to questions. I do not have a quisenart to chop the fruit, not do I have a blender (teenagers broke it lol) what should I do I desperately want to make this and I already bought the ingredients but didn’t read the recipe before purchasing them. Help help help 😁
Hi Valerie – Do you have a potato masher? I’d let all of the fruit defrost (assuming you buy frozen strawberries) in a bowl or use all fresh strawberries and cranberries – then mash them up in a bowl saving the juices. Depending on how finely you can mash the fruit, your jam might be a little chunkier, but it will still be delicious! Hope that helps!
Can you freeze this jam?
Hi Veronica – I don’t know – I’ve never tried freezing it, only canning it as written in the recipe. If you try it, let us know!
I’ve not made jam for years, but in retirement now find the time for such pleasures. I’m going to make this to take to my children’s families when I visit for the holidays. Just want to double check on the five lbs of sugar. I know jam takes a lot but this seems pretty heavy. So, five pounds and not five cups, right? I look forward to getting deeper into your recipes as they look very good~
Thanks Georgia – Yes – 5 pounds is correct per the original recipe. I’ve had some other readers comment that they have successfully cut back on the sugar without impacting the effectiveness of the pectin. Hope that helps!
Hello Lady Martha,
I’m very excited to make this Christmas Jam. I think I’m going to put a slight spin on it by adding some wine to it. Maybe a Merlot….. what do you think and how much should I add? Cause also email me your labeled?
What an interesting idea Angie! This recipe makes a large pot of jam – maybe start with a 1/4 cup and add more to taste? (I’d be cautious about adding too much – not sure how it will effect the pectin and jelling of the jam). I will email the labels to you later today once I can access the original file at home – did you have issues with downloading them from the link in the post?
In making the Christmas Jam, do I have to use liquid pectin?
Hi Linda – I’ve only made this jam using the liquid pectin – it is added at the end, after the fruit has cooked and is easiest to use. From what I understand, powdered pectin would need to be added earlier in the cooking process. I haven’t tried using powdered pectin myself so unfortunately, I don’t have any advice as to how much powdered pectin you would need to use as a swap for the liquid – if you do a Google search there are lots of different online articles giving advice on how to adapt recipes for powdered pectin use. Hope that helps!
I make this every year in October while there are still fresh strawberries, and give them as Christmas gifts. It is the only time I make and give them, that way the people I give them to can’t wait to get it again the next year….Oh, and I don’t use the 5lbs of sugar…..I use around 3.5 lbs, and it is just perfect.
Thanks Donna – We do get a lot of questions about that 5 pounds of sugar so great to know it’s just as good with less. Thanks for taking the time to write to us today!
Hi , can you use dried cranberries??
Hi Debbie – No – fresh or frozen cranberries should be used for this recipe. While it’s still a little early to find the fresh cranberries at the supermarket, check the frozen fruit case – we’ve found frozen berries there all year round. Hope that helps!
I know this has been addressed in some of the comments, but is it really 5 POUNDS of sugar or 5 CUPS? I have had people tell me the 5 pounds is a misprint and it should be 5 cups.
The original recipe from Tougas Family Farm called for 5 pounds of sugar – some readers have told us that they’ve been successful using less than that.
Hello – I am hoping that you still read your messages as I have a question that ma seem silly to you but for a newbee like me, I have to ask. Is this jam to be stored in the freezer or can it go into a cold room. If you can let me know I would appreciate it. Can you reply to my email as well as I have a funny feeling I wont find the answer in here LOL
Thank you in advance
Margaret
Hi Margaret – We always check for new comments 🙂 and no such thing as a silly question! As long as you’ve canned the jam correctly using the water bath method and have a tight seal, it can be stored in your pantry or cabinet without refrigeration. (It would not be safe to store a glass jar of this jam in the freezer!) We’ve only canned this ourselves in jars, but if you do want to try freezing it, it should be frozen in zipper seal plastic bags. Hope that helps! Martha
Do you know if this can be frozen? I’m thinking of vacuuming sealing small bags for gifts with a pretty jar. Would this work?
I’m sorry Lori – we’ve only canned the jam. The original recipe we followed did not specify that this was safe from freezing. Sorry I can’t be more help!