Christmas Freezer Jam – 🎄🍓🍊 This EASY recipe for Christmas jam requires NO PECTIN and there’s NO CANNING INVOLVED! Candy strawberries, orange zest, and cranberries create the proper candy but completely tart jam that’s excellent for gifting across the holidays! It retains within the freezer for as much as 1 yr. Making do-it-yourself jam doesn’t get any easier than this even for those who’ve by no means made jam earlier than!
Fast and Straightforward Freezer Jam Recipe
Love the flavour of do-it-yourself jam however don’t have the time or vitality to undergo the laborious technique of canning it your self utilizing a canner? Skip the sophisticated canning steps and make freezer jam as a substitute!
This straightforward freezer jam recipe jogs my memory of the limitless batches of jam my mother would make once I was a woman. She was a freezer jam fanatic – and I can’t consider it’s taken me this lengthy to share my very own recipe with you!
Right here’s what makes this cranberry freezer jam so implausible:
- It’s a versatile recipe with simply 5 substances. I used recent cranberries and strawberries, however frozen berries work simply as properly.
- Lively time/cook dinner time is quick. After boiling the substances collectively for about 20 minutes, the remaining is simply ready for the jam to chill and switch into containers.
- It lasts a very long time within the freezer. 1 yr! (roughly) Which suggests you may make a giant batch now to get pleasure from the remainder of the yr.
- It’s the proper reward across the holidays. The festive purple coloration of the jam and the inclusion of cranberries within the recipe makes this the best Thanksgiving or Christmas jam.
- Use in different recipes. This pectin-free freezer jam in any of your favourite recipes that decision for jam or jelly. It’s excellent for utilizing within the heart of Thumbprint Cookies and Linzer Cookies, or just having fun with in your morning toast or English muffins!
Substances for Freezer Christmas Jam
That is basically a freezer-friendly strawberry cranberry jam that’s made with out pectin. It’s a easy recipe that requires simply 5 substances:
- Cranberries – recent or frozen are okay
- Granulated sugar
- Strawberries – recent strawberries or frozen are superb. Wish to use different berries? See the FAQs under
- Orange zest – or substitute lemon zest for a extra tart jam
- Strawberry Jell-O – questioning if you should utilize one other taste or sugar-free? See the FAQs under
Word: Scroll all the way down to the recipe card part of the put up for the substances with quantities included and for extra full instructions.
Methods to Make Freezer Jam for Christmas
This cranberry Christmas jam recipe comes collectively in about half an hour and requires minimal babysitting in your half.
- Cook dinner the fruit: Mix the berries, sugar, and orange zest in a massive high-sided saucepan or massive pot or Dutch oven. Convey to a full boil, then simmer till the cranberries have burst. It’s frequent to see foam on prime.
- Mix till easy (non-compulsory): I generally use an immersion blender to interrupt up the fruit a bit, however a meals processor additionally works (use warning because the combination shall be extremely popular). Or, you may skip this step for those who favor a chunkier jam.
- Add the Jell-O: Place the saucepan again over low warmth and stir the Jell-O into the fruit combination. Cook dinner for simply 1 to 2 extra minutes.
- Let cool: Let the saucepan cool, off the range, for 10 minutes earlier than transferring the nice and cozy jam combination to freezer-safe containers or jars (a kitchen funnel makes this simpler; you too can spoon the jam into your containers). Then, let the recent jam cool to room temperature.
- Freeze (or Fridge): Jam will hold hermetic within the fridge for about 2 weeks. But when you’re going to retailer it within the freezer, then freeze it instantly. I like utilizing 4 8-ounce containers however you should utilize what you assume is finest on your wants. Extra within the recipe card under about storage and freezing in step 7.
Recipe FAQs
You’re welcome to exchange the strawberries with raspberries (recent or frozen) to create a tangier jam. Nonetheless, I don’t advocate substituting the cranberries since they’re naturally very excessive in pectin and assist create the precise consistency for this freezer jam recipe.
Sure, you’re welcome to make use of all frozen berries if that’s what you could have readily available. This can be a time the place a bag of “frozen blended berries” from Dealer Joe’s or your native market is useful. Use 2 cups of berries.
You don’t must thaw the berries first and might merely add them to the saucepan and observe the recipe directions as written, noting it might take a bit longer to cook dinner resulting from their chilly temp.
If including some grated recent ginger, floor cloves, lemon peel, or flavorings alongside these strains sound interesting as recipe variations, go for it. Add to style.
Jello is used on this recipe as each a taste enhancer and a thickening agent. It provides a candy, fruity taste that compliments the recent cranberries and strawberries, whereas additionally serving to to create a gel-like consistency for the jam with out the necessity for added pectin. This makes it simpler to realize the specified texture for the jam and ensures that it units correctly, making it freezer-friendly and straightforward to unfold.
Sure, you may additionally use raspberry Jell-O on this recipe, noting that the flavour of the jam shall be barely totally different.
I’ve by no means used sugar-free Jell-O so I can’t say how the jam will arrange (or not set) or the way it will style. I’d keep on with common good ‘ole usual Jello with sugar.
In case you don’t have Jell-O the place you reside or just favor to not use it, you may substitute it with a 1.75-oz. field of pectin as a substitute. Your jam received’t style as candy with out the Jell-O although, so contemplate including additional sugar to compensate.
You’ll yield about 32 ounces whole. Due to this fact, you should utilize two pint jars that are 16-ounces every, or you may fill 4 jars which can be 8-ounces every.
Very simply! Merely scale up the substances as wanted, and plan on including 10 to fifteen minutes to the whole cook dinner time because the extra substances means the combination will take longer to return to a boil.
If saved correctly in an hermetic container with ½ inch of headspace your Christmas jam will last as long as 1 yr within the freezer or long-term storage. I exploit these freezer-safe stackable 8-ounce containers. Whenever you’re able to eat it, thaw your jars of jam in a single day within the fridge and revel in it inside about 2 weeks when storing it within the fridge. In fact, since there aren’t any synthetic preservatives, use your judgment on storage instances.
I additionally get this query lots with my Cabernet Cranberry Sauce across the holidays.
However I’m not a canner and don’t learn about what modifications you’d must make to the recipe, or for the way lengthy you wish to boil it (canning). You’d must do some web researching and check issues out your self. Or simply make the recipe as written, which is a stunning, easy, goof-proof freezer jam recipe!
Recipes to Make Utilizing This Freezer Jam
Downloadable Christmas Jam Printable for Jars
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To a big saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar, strawberries, orange zest, and produce combination to a boil over medium warmth, stirring lots to start with since there is no such thing as a added liquid and it is advisable assist encourage the fruit to interrupt down and launch its pure juice. Tip – Use a excessive sided saucepan and err on the facet of larger slightly than skimping. Jam will sputter and bubble up and it is much less messy and easily simpler to have sufficient “room” in your saucepan.
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Scale back the warmth to low and permit the combination to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or till the cranberries have burst and the strawberries are tender; stir very often and scrape down the perimeters of the saucepan with a spatula as wanted. Tip – In case you’re utilizing frozen fruit, you do not have to thaw it first and might add it straight to the saucepan. Nonetheless, the cooking time will enhance by 10 minutes or so since you’re beginning with frozen substances.
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Non-obligatory: Take away the saucepan from the warmth and thoroughly mix the combination utilizing an immersion blender till it reaches your required consistency. In case you’re not doing this, simply hold the pan on the warmth.
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Return the pan to the range, sprinkle the Jell-O on prime, stir it in to mix, and permit the combination to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
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Enable the combination to sit down off the warmth (however nonetheless within the pan) for about 10 minutes to permit it to thicken barely. Thickening Tip – Word that jam will proceed to thicken because it sits and cools to room temp (step 7 under) so do not be alarmed if it appears a bit skinny or runny now when it is nonetheless fairly heat.
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Ladle the jam into clear freezer-safe containers, leaving about 1/2-inch of headspace on the prime of every container to permit for growth throughout freezing. When you have a funnel, it might be useful, too.
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Enable the jam cool to room temperature (relying on the temp of your kitchen, this may very well be half-hour or it may very well be 3 hours), after which seal the containers with lid and place the containers within the freezer. Storage and Gifting Ideas – I often freeze 3 and hold 1 within the fridge (utilizing 8-ounce containers). In case you’re gifting this, I’d hold place it in ornamental jars, and retailer within the fridge till you are able to reward it, as much as a couple of week upfront. Nonetheless, if you are not gifting it for a lot of weeks, then place it in freezer-safe containers and retailer it within the freezer till you are able to reward it.
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When prepared to make use of, thaw the jam within the fridge. As soon as thawed, retailer it within the fridge and devour it inside about 2 weeks, noting there aren’t any synthetic preservatives added so all the time use your personal judgment.
Storage: As mentioned, jam will hold for as much as 1 yr within the freezer, or for as much as about 2 weeks (perhaps 3 weeks) within the fridge when saved hermetic. In fact, all the time use your judgment and customary sense when evaluating in case your do-it-yourself jam is protected to devour practically a yr later since no synthetic preservatives have been used.
Serving: 1ounce, Energy: 95kcal, Carbohydrates: 24g, Protein: 0.4g, Fats: 0.1g, Saturated Fats: 0.002g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.02g, Monounsaturated Fats: 0.01g, Sodium: 17mg, Potassium: 25mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 9IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 3mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Vitamin data is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.
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