This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
You may also like:
Pasta Frolla Christmas Jam Cookies
Just saw the Christmas Jam recipe looks good.Somwhere I saw where
Orange peel or zest can be added.
How much?
Hi Karen – We haven’t added orange peel or zest ourselves so I can’t say for sure how much to add.
If I water bath some Bonne Maman jars I’ve saved, can these be used instead of Ball jars with the band lid? Would this be a mistake? I ‘m a big fan of reduce, reuse, recycle and would prefer to use the old jars rather than use something new, but am not experienced enough with canning to know if this would work. Thank you!!
Hi Lisa – I really don’t think the Bonne Maman jars are meant to be reused for canning at home. I personally wouldn’t risk it! If you are completely unfamiliar with canning, I’d suggest spending a little time on the Ball Canning website to learn more about it: https://www.freshpreserving.com/home – Hope that helps!
Should the jam be kept refrigerated after it’s canned?
Hi Jamie – As long as you have canned it correctly and it has a tight seal, there’s no need to keep it refrigerated until you open the jar.
Thanks for the recipe, I wanted to share my 2 scents re: powdered pectin. I bought the ball instant pectin in a jar before realizing this called for Liquid. The back of the jar says “6 TBS powdered = One Box of Pectin.” But I wanted to make sure that that one liquid pouch=1box=6 TBSPs
I halved the recipe, because this was my first time making jam, and I was also using 4 oz jars. I found an almost identical recipe elsewhere that said it is ok to half the recipe. https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/christmas-jam/
The ball powdered pectin says for every 1 1/3 cup fruit to use 1 ½ TBSP pectin and 1 cup sugar for the low sugar recipe (or 1 2/3 for the full sugar recipe)
Halfling the recipe left me with about 5 cups of fruit once it was processed. Which means I would use 1.5 TBSP x4, or 6 TBSPs pectin, and 4 cups of sugar. 4 cups of sugar weights just about 2.5 lbs so everything in this recipe verifies what is on the pectin instructions, and vis versa.
However, the only change I had to make is the powdered pectin is added to the fruit at the beginning per the package instructions, before it reaches a boil. Not at the end. My jam came out great, a little sweet for my taste, but it will make great Christmas gifts as planned.
Hope this helps some other jam newbie like me.
Thank you so much Emma!
I have only used Sure Jel to make jelly! Can I use use it instead of the liquid pectin?
Hi Ruth – I’m sure you can, but there will likely be some adjustments you’ll need to make. Without testing it myself, I can’t say for sure what changes you need to make, especially since I don’t know which specific Sure Jel product (powdered, low sugar, etc) you want to use. I’m sorry I can’t be more help, but I can assume you that the liquid pectin is very easy to use!
could you please tell me how many cups to make 5 pounds
Hi Colleen – We typically buy Domino brand sugar and their website calculates 5 pounds of sugar as 11 1/4 cups. Hope that helps!
Can you freeze this jam instead of processing it?
Hi Esther – This isn’t a freezer jam recipe – I’m not sure what would happen if you tried freezing it.
I made this last year. It was Amazing! I plan on making it again this year. I substitute using cherries instead strawberries….yummm.
Sounds delicious Lynn! Thanks for the suggestion!
Made this last Christmas and gave it to family and friends, everyone liked it an several asked for the recipe. ? Should I cold pack to insure a good seal?
Hi Tim – No – you definitely want to can the jam while hot placing it into clean sterilized jars, then use the water bath method to can.
My Mama made this jam several years ago and gave it to my brother and me as part of our Christmas presents. We all fell in love with it!! My brother passed away in 2007 and my Mama passed away just last year. I’ve never canned anything in my life but I wanted to make this jam in memory of both of them!! I made it a couple of days ago and it turned out wonderful!! I will recommend that after the berries have started to warm up, before adding the sugar, I highly recommend that the mixture be put through a fine mesh strainer!! It makes the jam real smooth!! No one wants to eat crunchy jam!! In loving memory of my Mama, Sandy, and my brother Dean!!
Thanks for the suggestion Michele – and what wonderful memories! So glad you wrote to us today!