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spiced cranberry jam

Easy Spiced Cranberry Jam (Makes a Great Gift!)

Rebecca Eisenberg
This easy spiced cranberry jam takes just a few minutes to make. It's so simple and uses just a few easy-to-find ingredients. It's just the right balance of sweet and tart, with a hint of fragrant orange and plenty of warm spices! The perfect way to take advantage of peak cranberry season in the fall.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 18 oz

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries (3 cups)
  • 10 ounces sugar (1¼ cups)
  • 1 orange (zested)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ⅛ teaspoon whole nutmeg (freshly grated)

Instructions
 

Spiced Cranberry Jam

  • Measure sugar and spices and set aside.
  • Cook cranberries in a medium sauce pot over medium heat until they start popping and breaking down, 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently, using a spatula or wooden spoon to mash the cranberries up as you go. If the berries start burning on the bottom of the pot in the first few minutes, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of water.
  • When the cranberries are as mashed up as you can get them and there's no liquid pooling in the bottom of the pot, reduce heat to low and use an immersion blender to break them up even more. (Skip this step for a chunky cranberry jam!)
  • Add the sugar, orange zest, and spices all at once and stir well to melt the sugar into the cranberry mixture. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the spiced cranberry jam mixture to a low boil, stirring constantly.
    • Sugar gets really hot and retains heat very well. Be careful when bringing it to a boil — you don't want it to splash on you.
  • Cook at a low boil for 1-2 minutes until jam thickens. To check the consistency, dollop a small amount of jam (¼ teaspoon) on a non-plastic plate and pop in the freezer for 20-30 seconds. Test it by spreading it on the plate with a knife or your finger; if it's runny, keep cooking the jam a few minutes more. If it spreads like jam, it's ready!
    • You'll be able to tell when it's boiling you see some slow, sluggish bubbles bursting on the surface when you stop stirring for 5-10 seconds.
    For smoother jam, you can use the immersion blender again after adding the sugar, just want to be very cautious to turn it on only when the head is submerged so you don't fling hot sugar around your kitchen!
  • Remove jam from heat and transfer to sterilized canning jar or airtight container to store.

Canning Process

  • Sterilize jars: Submerge glass canning jars upright in large pot with at least 1-2" of water of headroom. Bring to a boil for at least 10 minutes. They can stay longer than 10 minutes, just make sure to keep them fully submerged.
  • Sterilize lids: In a separate pot, submerge the flat part of the lids (not the rings) for at least 10 minutes, or until ready to use. Do not boil!
  • Carefully remove a jar from the water. Dry out the inside with a paper towel, then pour jam into the jar, leaving at least ¼" headspace at the top.
  • Run a knife or small offset spatula around the jar to knock out any air bubbles trapped inside. Wipe the rim of the jar with a damp paper towel to remove any debris or jammy bits.
  • Place one of the flat sterilized lids on the jar and screw the ring piece on so that it's "fingertip tight." (You should be able to unscrew it with little effort using just your fingertips.)
  • When all the jars have been filled, submerge them in a pot of boiling water with at least 1-2" of water above them. Cover with a well-fitting lid to create pressure inside the pot. Maintain a rolling boiling for 10 minutes, then uncover and turn the heat off. Let sit for 5 minutes, then remove the jars to a clean towel.
  • The lids should be perfectly flat on top or will "pop" flat within a few minutes of being removed from the water. Once they do, tighten the rings the rest of the way. Caution: Jars will be hot!
    If the lids don't pop flat, try flipping them upside down to cool. Otherwise repeat the canning process, knocking out air bubbles and making sure there's no debris in the way of the rubber seal.

RECIPE NOTES

  • This recipe makes enough jam to fill (1) sixteen fluid ounce jar, (2) eight fluid ounce jars, or (4) four fluid ounce jars of cranberry jam. An eight fluid ounce jar can hold approximately 9 ounces of jam by weight.
  • Sugar and acid are natural preservatives, so homemade cranberry jam will stay good for at least 1 month in the fridge in an airtight container. "The expected shelf life will be shortened by keeping the container frequently open and/or out at room temperature for long periods of time during use," advises the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP). If you follow the canning process and store your sealed jam jars in a cool, dark place, the airtight seal will keep the spiced cranberry jam good for a year. Once opened, it will stay good in the fridge for at least 1 month. From the NCHFP: "For safe eating practices, store your opened jar of jam or jelly in the refrigerator until consumed, and examine it frequently for signs of spoilage (like mold or yeast growth, or off-odors, including 'fermented,' 'alcohol' or 'yeasty' odors). Discard the product immediately if any signs of spoilage are detected."
  • You can totally swap the cloves for other spices if you want. This is also great with warm spices like allspice, apple pie spice blends, ground ginger, a pinch of cayenne, etc.
  • The flat part of the ring lids on the jars is not reusable for canning purposes. The rings and the jars can be reused, but the flat part of the lid with the rubber rim can only be used once to get an airtight seal. You can use the flat part of the jar as a regular lid, you just can't use it again in the canning process.
  • Shoutout to Chef Jody O'Sullivan for the tip to flip the jars upside down if the lids don't pop flat!