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Cranberry Orange Jam Recipe

Cranberry Orange Jam in a glass jar with fresh cranberries and orange slices

A bright, ruby-red Cranberry Orange Jam with tart berries, fresh citrus, grated apple, and a soft spoonable texture for holiday meals or everyday toast.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 16 ounces fresh cranberries
  • Juice and zest of 1 orange, with the juice totaling about 1/2 cup; add water or extra orange juice as needed to reach 1/2 cup
  • 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and grated
  • 2 tablespoons orange liqueur, optional

Instructions

  1. Add the cranberries, sugar, grated apple, orange zest, and orange juice to a medium saucepan. Hold back the orange liqueur until later.
  2. Warm the pan over medium heat until the fruit mixture reaches a boil, then reduce slightly and let it bubble gently for about 15 minutes.
  3. Stir often as the cranberries burst and the jam thickens. If the mixture becomes too dense before the berries have softened, loosen it with a small splash of water or orange juice.
  4. After about 10 minutes, taste the jam. Stir in the orange liqueur if you want a deeper citrus note.
  5. Use a wooden spoon or potato masher to crush some of the cranberries, leaving the texture as chunky or smooth as you like.
  6. Cook for 5 more minutes, then remove the saucepan from the heat and let the jam cool.
  7. Once cooled, spoon the jam into clean jars and refrigerate. The batch makes about 3.5 cups and keeps for 2 – 4 weeks in the refrigerator, or it can be frozen for later.

Notes

  • Rinse the cranberries well and check them for stems or berries that should be discarded before cooking.
  • Frozen cranberries can go straight into the saucepan without thawing first.
  • This jam is meant for refrigeration or freezing, not shelf-stable canning.
  • Use very clean jars, either freshly washed in the dishwasher or rinsed with boiling-hot water and air dried.
  • When freezing in jars, leave at least 1/2 inch of space at the top so the jam has room to expand.

Nutrition

Keywords: cranberry, cranberry orange jam