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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.
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.
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Does this recipe really call for 5 lbs. of sugar? Seem excessive.
Hi Paula – Yes – the original recipe we shared used 5 pounds of sugar. Feel free to browse the comments – come of our readers reported that they were successful in reducing the sugar. (Others may have reduced it so much that the jam didn’t firm up.) We’ve only made the recipe as written so I can’t give you any advice if you prefer to reduce the amount of sugar.
Hi Martha,
Just made the jam and waiting for it to set. I’m really excited! I followed the recipe and it yielded 24 – 4oz jars and 4 – 8oz jars!
I’m now trying to print the labels on Avery 22817 label paper, and I cannot get the labels centered or to print properly. Would you be able to assist with this?
Thank You,
Stefanie
Hi Stephanie! I’m sorry you are having issues with the labels – I think the alignment of every printer is a little different. I found that the labels lined up better using one of our printers at home vs another at our home, so you could try a different printer. (I realize this might not be option if you only have one printer.) Otherwise – The labels are in a Word document so you might be able to nudge the spacing of the labels that aren’t aligning correctly with the Avery template we used. I hope that helps!
Just discovering this recipe when looking for ideas on homemade Christmas gifts. Would you think orange zest would work in this recipe?
Hi Sheila – Although we haven’t tried adding it ourselves, we had another reader comment that they added orange zest too – and they thought it was a delicious addition! Enjoy!
This recipe is delicious and easy to make. I only used 4 lbs. of sugar and added 2 tsp of butter to keep it from foaming and it came out perfect! I also processed it in my electric pressure cooker.
Thanks Lisa!
Not looking like it is going to set up for me. Fingers crossed it does. If not how would I go about trying to fix it or would just starting again be the way to go? I hate the thought of having to start over.
Hi Rebecca – It should thicken more as it cools. But – we’re discovering that some of the folks who are writing to us having issues with the jam not setting up have swapped in other fruits or used powdered pectin instead of the liquid pectin…I’m not sure if that is what you did? Either way, if it doesn’t firm up as it cools, I’d suggest reheating the jam to a boil again and adding some more pectin. (Powdered pectin needs to be boiled in the jam to work, liquid pectin can be added toward the end.) Hope that helps!
Hi there! This recipe looks wonderful! I do like the idea of putting some lemon zest in. It will be a nice addition. I am hoping to make the jam this weekend but was wondering if the jars will be ok unrefrigerated until I give them out?
Hi Kimberly – You need to follow proper canning methods (water bath method) if you plan to keep the jam jars unrefrigerated. The Ball Canning website is a great resource: https://www.freshpreserving.com/waterbath-canning.html
Hui there….assume the the frozen strawberries are unsweetened? Thanks
Correct, unsweetened.
Put my spin on it with reduced merlot and the zest & juice from oranges.
Sounds delicious Karla!
I’m going to try this this week. Was wondering how long is shelf life or must it be kept in refrigerator?
Hi Terry – As long as you follow proper canning techniques (water bath) when putting the jam in the jars, you should be able to store the jars unrefrigerated for up to a year (if it lasts that long). If you don’t can, then yes – the jam will need to be kept refrigerated and will last a few weeks. The recipe makes a large batch so you probably want to plan to can the jars. Enjoy!
I don’t normally do “tweak” things but the first thing I thought of when I saw this was to add some pomegranates-either the juice or take the time to use fresh-crushed and strained. And of course, reduce the sugar!
Sounds delicious Sharon! Let us know how it comes out!