Christmas Cranberry Strawberry Spice Jam Recipe
This Christmas Jam Recipe combines fresh cranberries and strawberries with warm holiday spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger, slow-cooked to create a perfectly spiced, naturally pectin-rich jam. It’s an easy, festive spread ideal for the holiday season and makes a delicious addition to toast, desserts, or gifts.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 4 cups of jam 1x
- Category: Jam, Spread
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Fruits
- 24 oz. fresh cranberries (about 6 cups)
- 16 oz. fresh strawberries
Spices
- 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp. ground cloves
- ¼ tsp. ground ginger
Sweetener
- 2 cups brown sugar
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: Add the fresh cranberries, strawberries, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ground ginger, and brown sugar into the slow cooker bowl. Stir thoroughly to mix all the ingredients together evenly.
- Cook the Mixture: Set the slow cooker to HIGH and cook the mixture for 4 hours. Do not open the lid during this time to allow the jam to cook properly and develop its flavors.
- Blend to Jam: Once cooking is complete, transfer the hot mixture carefully from the slow cooker into a blender or use an immersion blender directly in the slow cooker. Pulse the mixture just enough to form a jam consistency. Avoid over-blending to prevent turning the mixture into cranberry butter.
- Cool the Jam: Allow the jam to cool at room temperature. It will thicken as it cools due to the natural pectin from the cranberries.
- Store: Once cooled, transfer the jam into clean jars or containers and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Notes
- Do not open the slow cooker lid during cooking to ensure proper thickening and flavor development.
- Avoid over blending the jam to prevent turning it into a butter-like consistency.
- The jam thickens significantly as it cools because cranberries naturally contain pectin.
- This jam is perfect for gifting in small jars during the holiday season.
- Store the jam in the refrigerator and consume within 2 weeks or freeze for longer storage.
Keywords: Christmas jam, holiday jam recipe, cranberry strawberry jam, slow cooker jam, festive jam, homemade jam
