This Easy Christmas Jam recipe is brimming with cranberries and the wonderful flavors of the season. This homemade jam can be a great gift or a special treat for yourself!
- Why you will love this recipe
- Christmas Jam Ingredients
- Variations
- Equipment
- How to make Christmas Jam
- Serving Suggestions
- Storage
- Other Christmas recipes
This homemade Christmas Jam is perfect for the holiday season. It’s made with seasonal cranberries and the addition of the spices gives a wonderfully warming flavour and aroma which is quintessential this time of year.
Jars of jam make excellent homemade gifts thanks to their long shelf life. I love that you can use fresh or frozen fruit and get the same delicious results!
I love this Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce with my Christmas dinner.
Why you will love this recipe
Easy recipe that is suitable for vegan and gluten-free diets.
Scale the recipe down to make a small batch.
Perfect way to use up extra cranberries.
You do not need lemon juice or any additional pectin in this recipe.
I keep the cranberries whole which saves you having to crush them with a food processor.
Christmas Jam Ingredients
Ingredients should be available at your local grocery store.
Cranberries – I used frozen cranberries but you can use the same volume of fresh cranberries too.
Orange – for peel and juice.
S pices – cloves (alternatively ground cloves), cinnamon stick, star anise, ginger powder.
Sugar – I used white granulated sugar. I recommend sticking to the amount given as less sugar might prevent the jam from setting.
Variations
Strawberry Cranberry Jam – add half fresh strawberries and half cranberries to this recipe. Frozen strawberries work too.
You can experiment with the holiday spices – you may want to add in or substitute some of the spices above. Nutmeg and cardamom are also fantastic options.
Equipment
Large saucepan
Wooden spoon
Clean jam jars with lids
How to make Christmas Jam
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar, spices, orange peel or orange zest and orange juice.
Bring the fruit mixture to a full rolling boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to a low heat and allow to cook and thicken for about 5-10 minutes.
Stir at occasions to prevent burning. I used the back of my spoon to gently crush the cranberries but you can use a potato masher too.
To check that the jam is ready, I like to use chilled plates. Place a plate in the fridge or freezer until it is cold. Ensure you take the jam off the heat source at this point. Drop a little jam onto the plate and allow it to cool. You can now either turn the plate upside down or sideways. If the jam remains stuck, it is ready. If it slides off, it needs another minute of cooking time.
You can also push a finger through the jam – it will crinkle if it is set.
Allow the hot jam to cool slightly before spooning into jam jars. You can place it in the fridge once it has reach room temperature
Serving Suggestions
Spread onto warm toast with a bit of butter for a sweet morning treat or snack.
Spread onto puff pastry with cream cheese and bake until the pastry is golden to make Cranberry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Pinwheels . They make a fantastic appetizer for the holidays.
Use in thumbprint cookies or linzer cookies to make Christmas Jam Cookies
Use it in these Orange and Cranberry Scones .
It is also great with savoury biscuits or crackers with a selection of cheeses.
Storage
Store this jam in the fridge as soon as it reaches room temperature. I recommend consuming within 2-3 weeks.
To freeze, place the jam in freezer safe containers or sealable bags. Freeze for up to one year.
Other Christmas recipes
Non Alcoholic Mimosa – enjoy this booze-free treat on Christmas morning
Cranberry Mocktail
Bread Sauce
Christmas Corn
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Christmas Jam
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Jar with lid
Ingredients
- 1 cup cranberries
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 small cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 1 star anise
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar, spices, orange zest and orange juice.
- Bring the fruit mixture to a full rolling boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to a low heat and allow to cook and thicken for about 5-10 minutes.
- Stir at occasions to prevent burning. I used the back of my spoon to gently crush the cranberries but you can use a potato masher too.
- Allow the hot jam to cool slightly before spooning into jam jars. You can place it in the fridge once it has reached room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
Christmas Jam
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Jar with lid
Ingredients
- 1 cup cranberries
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 small cinnamon
- 3 cloves
- 1 star anise
- ½ teaspoon ginger powder
Instructions
- In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar, spices, orange zest and orange juice.
- Bring the fruit mixture to a full rolling boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce to a low heat and allow to cook and thicken for about 5-10 minutes.
- Stir at occasions to prevent burning. I used the back of my spoon to gently crush the cranberries but you can use a potato masher too.
- Allow the hot jam to cool slightly before spooning into jam jars. You can place it in the fridge once it has reached room temperature.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
This creamy Christmas Corn recipe is the perfect side dish to your holiday menu. This delicious recipe needs only 4 ingredients and can be ready in less than 15 minutes.
- Christmas Corn Ingredients
- How to make Holiday Christmas Corn
- Storage
- Other Baked Recipes
It is the perfect time of year to indulge in rich holiday meals!
Sweet and crisp corn is so delicious in its own right but it pairs wonderfully with creamy cheesy goodness too! This holiday corn side dish recipe is a must for your holiday table.
There are so many different ways of preparing this Christmas corn, such as stovetop cream cheese corn or slow cooker creamed corn. I’ve baked mine as I find it the easy way to simply mix together the ingredients, top with cheese and bake!
Other side dishes you may like to try for your holiday spread at Christmas, Easter or Thanksgiving:
Air Fryer Cauliflower Cheese
British Bread Sauce
Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower
Air Fryer Parsnips
Lemon Green Beans (external link)
For the main course, go for this festive Vegan Baked Butternut Squash
Christmas Corn Ingredients
Corn kernels – fresh corn, tinned corn or frozen kernels both work well. If using frozen corn, you can either defrost it or use directly from frozen.
Cream cheese aka soft cheese – if your cheese is too thick, you can always use a little skim milk to thin it out.
Garlic – fresh minced garlic clove adds great flavor
Cheddar cheese
Salt and black pepper
Fresh herbs for garnishing – cilantro, parsley or fresh thyme
Optional:
Add heavy cream or milk.
To make it into more of a dip, stir in sour cream along with the cream cheese.
Add in grated parmesan cheese.
Add veggies such as chopped green bell peppers or even jalapeno to add spice!
To make vegan creamed corn, use vegan cream cheese and vegan block cheese to grate on top.
How to make Holiday Christmas Corn
In a bowl, mix together the sweet corn kernels, cream cheese, minced garlic clove then season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to a oven safe baking dish or skillet.
Grate over cheddar cheese – add a little bit or a lot, it’s totally up to you!
Now bake until the cheese is bubbly and just turning brown.
Sprinkle over any garnishes and serve immediately.
Oven Instructions:
Bake in a preheated oven at 180C or 360F for 10-15 minutes.
Air Fryer Instructions:
Place the skillet or casserole dish in the air fryer basket and air fry at 180C or 360F for around 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling.
Note that the cooking time can vary between appliances and depending on the scale of your recipe. Also note that a large skillet may not fit in your air fryer.
Storage
You can store Christmas corn in an airtight container and, once at room temperature, place in the fridge for up to 3 days.
You can freeze this recipe also. Place in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 1 month. Allow to defrost before reheating.
Other Baked Recipes
Air fryer Pasta Bake
Eggplant Parmigiana
As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
Don’t forget to follow me on social media using the buttons below – I can’t wait to see you all there!
- YouTube
Christmas Corn
Ingredients
- 1 cup sweet corn
- ⅓ cup cream cheese
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese grated
- salt and black pepper to taste
- fresh herbs as garnish
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the corn, cream cheese, garlic, salt and pepper
- Spoon into a baking dish or skillet
- Top with grated cheese
- Bake at 180C or 360F for around 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top with finely chopped herbs.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
