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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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thank you for this simple perfect recipe. I am a new to canning Texas gal, and will let
you know how yours turns out. thanks again.
You are very welcome Cindy – hope you have great success with the recipe and canning!
I am excited to gift this jam but I cannot get the labels to print
Hi Roberta – You’ll need to download the labels first (once you visit the link, see upper right corner). Then go to the download and print from there. Hope that works!
I was going to make this jam the weekend, but I shopped at 3 stores and NO one has frozen or fresh cranberry. Can you use dried cranberries?
Hi Patricia – No – dried cranberries won’t be the same. Sorry! At this time of year, frozen is your best bet – fresh won’t be harvested until closer to early October.
How long will this jam keep? Want to make it for Christmas presents. And can it be frozen?
Hi Judith – As long as you follow safe canning methods, this jam should keep for up to a year. We haven’t tried freezing it ourselves but I’m guessing you could freeze it.
Can this made as freezer jam? If so, how?
Hi Cleo – We’ve only made this jam as written and canned.
Let me your jam. Would you please share where your colored labels cane from? The scalloped ones. thank you,
Debbie Wilcox
Hi Debbie – I placed the stickers on red card stock and then cut the scalloped circles around using craft scissors similar to these: https://amzn.to/2lgOkgI
Hope that helps!
So pretty and tasty! Makes a lovely Christmas gift ! Would you be so kind as to share where you got your hang tags and pretty string?
Thanks Debra – We made the hang tags using the printable labels in the post (you can download and print them) – we stuck them on red card stock and used craft scissors to cut out circles, creating the fluted edge on the circles. Red card stock and string was from Michaels, the craft scissors came in a set from Target (look in the scrapbook section), and the stickers to make the labels came from Staples or Amazon.
Do you have a Christmas jam recipe made as a freezer jam instead of a cooked version?
No – I’m sorry, we don’t have a freezer version of this recipe.
Could peaches somehow be used or a combination of peaches and strawberries
Hi Jan – I’m not sure. Swapping in different fruits in different quantities may require more or less pectin, and without testing it, I can’t say for sure. I’d search a reliable source such as the Ball Canning website for a peach jam or peach strawberry jam recipe that has been kitchen tested. https://www.freshpreserving.com/home
Can’t wait to try it but can you tell me do you use jam sugar or normal and if it’s jam sugar with pectin do you need the liquid pectin
Hi Jackie – This recipe uses granulated sugar. I’ve actually never heard of jam sugar with pectin already in it so I can’t give you any advice about how that would work for this recipe. The liquid pectic doesn’t require cooking which is why it is added at the end of this recipe. If your jam sugar has powdered pectin in it, it will need to be cooked (but I’m not sure if it would need to be simmered any longer than the recipe already calls for.) Hope that helps!