Description
Cranberry Orange Jam is a quick and festive recipe made with fresh cranberries, orange zest, juice, and a grated apple for natural thickening. Sweet, tangy, and versatile, it’s perfect for the holidays, sandwiches, baked goods, or as a thoughtful homemade gift.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 16 ounces fresh cranberries
- Juice and zest of 1 orange (about 1/2 cup juice, add water or extra orange juice if needed)
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, grated
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries and place them in a medium saucepan with sugar, grated apple, and orange zest.
- Add the orange juice (with extra juice or water if needed).
- Stir and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a gentle boil and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to pop.
- Taste after 10 minutes and stir in orange liqueur if desired. Mash some of the berries with a spoon or masher to reach preferred texture.
- Cook for another 5 minutes, then remove from heat and let cool slightly.
- Transfer to clean jars and refrigerate for 2–4 weeks or freeze for longer storage.
Notes
- Rinse and sort cranberries before cooking to remove stems or damaged berries.
- Frozen cranberries can be used directly without thawing.
- For best results, use a tart apple for natural pectin and better thickening.
- Ensure jars are very clean before filling to extend shelf life.
- This is a refrigerator/freezer jam recipe, not designed for shelf-stable canning.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 2–3 tbsp)
- Calories: 97
- Sugar: 20g
- Sodium: 1mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg