Easy and delicious Homemade Cranberry Jam. This simple cranberry jam is made with only 4 ingredients and makes a perfect addition to many breakfast dishes.
Cranberry Jam
Cranberries are such a wonderful fruit with many health benefits. I love the tart and sweet flavor of cranberries when they’re baked in desserts and baked goods.
There is always a bag of cranberries in my fridge in the winter and when I make sure to freeze some for the off-season. During the winter months, I like to make some simple cranberry jam for breakfast. This is a delicious and easy seasonal jam.
Cranberries are not only delicious, they are also very healthy and considered superfood. Cranberries are full of vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin K. Cranberries outrank almost every fruit and vegetable when it comes to antioxidants.
So for breakfast, substitute store-bought strawberry jam for this vitamin packed cranberry jam!
What else can be added to the cranberry jam:
To change up the flavor a little, try using a pear instead of apple.
During holiday time, I like to spice up this cranberry jam with cinnamon, allspice, and cloves. The aroma and flavor is just perfect to put everyone in Christmas mood.
Add some orange zest and squeeze a little orange juice for additional flavor.
How to serve cranberry jam:
Serve this cranberry jam on toast, bagels, muffins, fresh baked sweet bread.
Add some to oatmeal.
Cranberry jam can also be added to fudge, cookies, cheesecake, and sweet creamy dips.
Some more cranberry ideas:
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Homemade Cranberry Jam
This simple cranberry jam is made with only 4 ingredients and makes a perfect addition to many breakfast dishes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh cranberries
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 large apple peeled, cored, diced
Instructions
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Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, mix, and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
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Reduce heat to medium-low, cover with a lid, and simmer, stirring frequently, for about an hour. Keep covered while simmering, leaving only a little crack for the steam to escape. Stir from time to time.
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Transfer into a blender and puree until smooth.
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Let cool completely and transfer to a medium jar. Once completely cooled, close with a lid tight and refrigerate.
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Without canning process, this jam will last about 6 weeks in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have a slight variation.
Maria Long says
I have never seen cranberry jam, wow. love for you to share on Friday food frenzy if you get a chance. http://www.stayingclosetohome.com/2012/12/friday-food-frenzy-3-weeks-until.html
Diana - FreeStyleMama says
Last month I couldn’t get enough pumpkin and now I cannot get enough cranberry! I want to try this!! I’d love you to come link up at my Pin Me Linky Party. Pinning now!
Diana - FreeStyleMama says
Picking up ingredients to make this today!
Lyuba @ Will Cook For Smiles says
Great! I hope you like it 🙂
Jenn says
I have never heard of cranberry jam before, but I bet I would love it. It sure looks amazing!
Flour On My Face says
Lyuba
Love this recipe! I have been wanting to make a cranberry jam for ever! Pinned to my canning board.
Winnie says
Looks VERY TEMPTING and I’d love a slice of fresh bread with this wonderful jam 🙂
Mommy Testers says
I would never have thought to make cranberry jam! It looks awesome and you made it seem simple enough that I think I might be able to pull it off!
Swidgen says
Hi, Thanks for the recipe. I’d like to try it but I don’t think I quite understand something. If you put chunky fruit in a pot and simmer it for an hour, then pour it into jars to cool, does it disintegrate into jam-form? Is there no blending or food-processing going on here? I don’t see how it could look the consistency of smooth jam with no blending involved. Thanks!
Lyuba @ Will Cook For Smiles says
You are absolutely right 🙂 I misses a step! Thank you for the catch.
Smart! School {House} says
This looks so tasty! Yummers☺ You make Whimsy Wednesday look so good!
Thanks for joining us,
Kelly at Smart! School {House}
http://www.smartschoolhouse.com
Amanda says
I love cranberries. I never thought of making them into a jam. We will be giving this a try! Amanda @ the-taste-tester.com
Micki Sellers says
i love cranberries. I have some left after my cranberry pepper jelly venture. Would love for you to share this at the pin inspriation party! http://www.addhousewife.com/
Lindsay says
How many ounces does this recipe yield? Thank you.
Daniela @Frugal Aint Cheap says
thanks for sharing. Pinning!
Happy in red says
Drool, so yummy!! I love cranberries. This jam would go great on Dutch sugar bread 🙂 You probably have de-pit the cranberries before putting them in the pan, right?
Esther.
Teri says
Does the apple need to be peeled?
Teri says
Does the apple need to be peeled?
Lyuba @ Will Cook For Smiles says
Yes, peeled and cored. Unless you’d like small bits of apple skin in it.
Miz Helen says
Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you are having a great day and come back real soon!
Miz Helen
Theresa says
I have a bag of cranberries burning a hole too! Think I may try this in the crockpot, like apple butter. Thank you for posting this scrumptous looking recipe.
Katie Drane says
I love this! Just wanted to let you know that I featured this post in my 15 Homemade Gift Ideas post!
Katie
http://www.funhomethings.com
Kelly @ Ruby Begonia says
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kelly @ Ruby Begonia says
Did you add any water anywhere during the process? I might have overcooked mine because it was incredibly thick. When I put it in the blender, it wouldn’t do anything with it. The taste was great but I think I’ll add a little water or juice the next time I try it. Thanks for the idea!
Margaret says
We make this all the time. Except we add orange juice or frozen orange concentrate instead of the apple and lemon juice. We use this as a topping for pancakes or (my favorite) to teas.
I’ll give you variation a try next time we make it. 🙂
Margaret @ Live Like No One Else
Amanda says
Hello! I am anxious to try your recipe this Fall. I am new to jam making and am wondering how this should be stored. (Pantry? Fridge?) And how long of a shelf life does it have? Thank you.
lyuba says
Hi Amanda. I would recommend storing it in the fridge. Since we are not canning it and sealing it, it will have air coming it and should be refrigerated. I don’t know the exact shelf life but I would estimate 4-5 weeks based on personal experience. (That’s how fast it was gone not when it went bad.)
Pat says
Try this wonderful condiment on much more than toast! It may sound strange but try some peanut butter and this jam on your next bacon cheeseburger–a small bite of heaven.
lyuba says
That is very interesting, Pat! I think I will have my husband try this one 🙂
Thank you!
Trish Butler says
I don’t think it is the Holiday season until you hear your first cranberry pop. Thank you for your wonderful jam recipe and I will use it with your white fudge recipe.
lyuba says
Thank you so much, Trish!
Jennifer J. says
WOW!! I followed the recipe exactly. I did throw the end result in the Magic Bullet…Amazingly different from the over sweet berry jams. This is sweet and tart, balanced just right. I had the jam with multigrain bagels this morning… Yummmmm!!! Thanks for the great (and painless) recipe, will do it again!! 🙂
Michal says
Just made it,, How do you overcome bitterness?
lyuba says
It might be a personal preference. When I made the jam, it wasn’t very bitter at all. There was some tartness but the sweetness was much stronger.
Jill says
Oh my goodness ….. I am in love with cranberries and can’t wait to make this … I am assuming that you could seal like other jams and jellies ?? Thanks for sharing….. I came via Trendy Tree House a share party ?
Happy Holidays…..into the New Year…
lyuba says
Hi Jill, welcome! You can definitely can it if you know how 🙂 It’s been so many years since last time I canned anything (I used to with my grandmother) so I can’t quite remember how.
Happy New Year to you as well!
Carey says
Great recipes 🙂
lyuba says
Thank you, Carrie!
LAUREN DILLON says
I AM SO DELIGHTED TO SEE A RECIPE FOR CRANBERRY JAM . I HAVENT FOUND THAT RECIPE ANYWHERES !! I AM NOT SO SURE I CAN MAKE IT , BUT WISH ME LUCK !! BY THE WAY GREAT RECIPES AND A REALLY NICE FOOD BLOG ! YOU ARE SUCH A GREAT COOK !!
Meah says
I finally found the recipe using fresh cranberries on your website!!
Thank you very much for the wonderful recipe 🙂
I have a question, can I use lime juice instead?
lyuba says
Hi Meah! Yes, you can use lime juice, it will give it the same bit of acidity. I’m glad you found what you were looking for 🙂
Thank you!
Meah says
I see! I might try with lime juice 🙂
Thank you for the reply, Lyuba!
lyuba says
Of course! Let me know how you like it, Meah 🙂
Libby says
Hi, I’m from Australia and we don’t get fresh cranberries here. Would I be able to use craisins (dried cranberries)?
lyuba says
Oh no, Libby, I’m sorry you don’t get fresh cranberries. I’m also sorry to tell you that it won’t work with craisins. You’d need juice and “meat” from the berries for the jam. I’m sorry 🙁 I hope that may be you’d be able to find some fresh cranberries sometime!
Daniel Mielke says
Why couldn’t she used dried cranberries? All she would have to do is rehydrate them, I believe that 3/4 cup of dried cranberries is equivalent to 1 cup of fresh cranberries. Craisens are dried cranberries where the juice was extracted for juice. then sweetened. So if she were to use 3/4 cup of craisens and a 1/4 cup of cranberry juice she would be ok. She might have to adjust the sugar a bit as I believe they do add some sugar to craisens
.
Cenny says
Looks yummy. Do you add any water to boil the cranberries? I am planning on making and canning this.
Leny says
Do you not add any liquid other that that little bit of lemon juice? I would think the betries would scorch if they were dry in the pan and needing to reach a boil.