Christmas Freezer Jam – 🎄🍓🍊 This EASY recipe for Christmas jam requires NO PECTIN and there’s NO CANNING INVOLVED! Sweet strawberries, orange zest, and cranberries create the perfect sweet yet perfectly tart jam that’s perfect for gifting around the holidays! It keeps in the freezer for up to 1 year. Making homemade jam doesn’t get any simpler than this even if you’ve never made jam before!
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Quick and Easy Freezer Jam Recipe
Love the flavor of homemade jam but don’t have the time or energy to go through the laborious process of canning it yourself using a canner? Skip the complicated canning steps and make freezer jam instead!
This easy freezer jam recipe reminds me of the endless batches of jam my mom would make when I was a girl. She was a freezer jam fanatic – and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to share my own recipe with you!
Here’s what makes this cranberry freezer jam so fantastic:
- It’s a flexible recipe with just 5 ingredients. I used fresh cranberries and strawberries, but frozen berries work just as well.
- Active time/cook time is fast. After boiling the ingredients together for about 20 minutes, the rest is just waiting for the jam to cool and transfer into containers.
- It lasts a long time in the freezer. 1 year! (approximately) Which means you can make a big batch now to enjoy the rest of the year.
- It’s the perfect gift around the holidays. The festive red color of the jam and the inclusion of cranberries in the recipe makes this the ideal Thanksgiving or Christmas jam.
- Use in other recipes. This pectin-free freezer jam in any of your favorite recipes that call for jam or jelly. It’s perfect for using in the center of Thumbprint Cookies and Linzer Cookies, or simply enjoying on your morning toast or English muffins!
Ingredients for Freezer Christmas Jam
This is essentially a freezer-friendly strawberry cranberry jam that’s made without pectin. It’s a simple recipe that calls for just five ingredients:
- Cranberries – fresh or frozen are okay
- Granulated sugar
- Strawberries – fresh strawberries or frozen are fine. Want to use other berries? See the FAQs below
- Orange zest – or substitute lemon zest for a more tart jam
- Strawberry Jell-O – wondering if you can use another flavor or sugar-free? See the FAQs below
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Freezer Jam for Christmas
This cranberry Christmas jam recipe comes together in about half an hour and requires minimal babysitting on your part.
- Cook the fruit: Combine the berries, sugar, and orange zest in a large high-sided saucepan or large pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a full boil, then simmer until the cranberries have burst. It’s common to see foam on top.
- Blend until smooth (optional): I sometimes use an immersion blender to break up the fruit a bit, but a food processor also works (use caution since the mixture will be very hot). Or, you can skip this step if you prefer a chunkier jam.
- Add the Jell-O: Place the saucepan back over low heat and stir the Jell-O into the fruit mixture. Cook for just 1 to 2 more minutes.
- Let cool: Let the saucepan cool, off the stove, for 10 minutes before transferring the warm jam mixture to freezer-safe containers or jars (a kitchen funnel makes this easier; you can also spoon the jam into your containers). Then, let the hot jam cool to room temperature.
- Freeze (or Fridge): Jam will keep airtight in the fridge for about 2 weeks. But if you know you’re going to store it in the freezer, then freeze it right away. I like using four 8-ounce containers but you can use what you think is best for your needs. More in the recipe card below about storage and freezing in step 7.
Recipe FAQs
You’re welcome to replace the strawberries with raspberries (fresh or frozen) to create a tangier jam. However, I do not recommend substituting the cranberries since they’re naturally very high in pectin and help create the right consistency for this freezer jam recipe.
Yes, you’re welcome to use all frozen berries if that’s what you have on hand. This is a time where a bag of “frozen mixed berries” from Trader Joe’s or your local market comes in handy. Use 2 cups of berries.
You don’t need to thaw the berries first and can simply add them to the saucepan and follow the recipe instructions as written, noting it may take a bit longer to cook due to their cold temp.
If adding some grated fresh ginger, ground cloves, lemon peel, or flavorings along these lines sound appealing as recipe variations, go for it. Add to taste.
Jello is used in this recipe as both a flavor enhancer and a thickening agent. It adds a sweet, fruity flavor that compliments the fresh cranberries and strawberries, while also helping to create a gel-like consistency for the jam without the need for additional pectin. This makes it easier to achieve the desired texture for the jam and ensures that it sets properly, making it freezer-friendly and easy to spread.
Yes, you may also use raspberry Jell-O in this recipe, noting that the flavor of the jam will be slightly different.
I have never used sugar-free Jell-O so I can’t say how the jam will set up (or not set) or how it will taste. I would stick with regular good ‘ole fashioned Jello with sugar.
If you don’t have Jell-O where you live or simply prefer not to use it, you can replace it with a 1.75-oz. box of pectin instead. Your jam won’t taste as sweet without the Jell-O though, so consider adding extra sugar to compensate.
You’ll yield about 32 ounces total. Therefore, you can use two pint jars which are 16-ounces each, or you can fill 4 jars that are 8-ounces each.
Very easily! Simply scale up the ingredients as needed, and plan on adding 10 to 15 minutes to the total cook time since the more ingredients means the mixture will take longer to come to a boil.
If stored properly in an airtight container with ½ inch of headspace your Christmas jam will last up to 1 year in the freezer or long-term storage. I use these freezer-safe stackable 8-ounce containers. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw your jars of jam overnight in the refrigerator and enjoy it within about 2 weeks when storing it in the fridge. Of course, since there are no artificial preservatives, use your judgment on storage times.
I also get this question a lot with my Cabernet Cranberry Sauce around the holidays.
But I am not a canner and don’t know about what modifications you’d have to make to the recipe, or for how long you want to boil it (canning). You’d have to do some internet researching and test things out yourself. Or just make the recipe as written, which is a lovely, simple, goof-proof freezer jam recipe!
Recipes to Make Using This Freezer Jam
Downloadable Christmas Jam Printable for Jars
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Christmas Freezer Jam
Equipment
- 1 immersion blender optional
- 4 freezer-safe containers (8 ounces each)
- 1 funnel, optional (or use a ladle)
- 4 decorative glass jars (8 ounces each) OR
- 2 large glass jars (16 ounces each or pint size)
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered if using fresh; frozen berries are ok, including a blend of frozen mixed berries
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 3 ounce package strawberry Jell-O, read the FAQs if you want to use pectin instead or another flavor of Jello-O. I do not recommend sugar-free; note that Jell-O is typically sold in 3 and 6-ounce packages and you want the 3-ounce size
Instructions
- To a large saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar, strawberries, orange zest, and bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring a lot in the beginning since there is no added liquid and you need to help encourage the fruit to break down and release its natural juice. Tip – Use a high sided saucepan and err on the side of bigger rather than skimping. Jam will sputter and bubble up and it's less messy and simply easier to have enough "room" in your saucepan.
- Reduce the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst and the strawberries are soft; stir very frequently and scrape down the sides of the saucepan with a spatula as needed. Tip – If you're using frozen fruit, you don't have to thaw it first and can add it straight to the saucepan. However, the cooking time will increase by 10 minutes or so because you're starting with frozen ingredients.
- Optional: Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully blend the mixture using an immersion blender until it reaches your desired consistency. If you're not doing this, just keep the pan on the heat.
- Return the pan to the stove, sprinkle the Jell-O on top, stir it in to combine, and allow the mixture to simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Allow the mixture to sit off the heat (but still in the pan) for about 10 minutes to allow it to thicken slightly. Thickening Tip – Note that jam will continue to thicken as it sits and cools to room temp (step 7 below) so don't be alarmed if it seems a bit thin or runny now when it's still quite warm.
- Ladle the jam into clean freezer-safe containers, leaving about 1/2-inch of headspace at the top of each container to allow for expansion during freezing. If you have a funnel, it may be helpful, too.
- Allow the jam cool to room temperature (depending on the temp of your kitchen, this could be 30 minutes or it could be 3 hours), and then seal the containers with lid and place the containers in the freezer. Storage and Gifting Tips – I usually freeze 3 and keep 1 in the fridge (using 8-ounce containers). If you're gifting this, I would keep place it in decorative jars, and store in the fridge until you're ready to gift it, up to about a week in advance. However, if you know you're not gifting it for many weeks, then place it in freezer-safe containers and store it in the freezer until you're ready to gift it.
- When ready to use, thaw the jam in the refrigerator. Once thawed, store it in the refrigerator and consume it within about 2 weeks, noting there are no artificial preservatives added so always use your own judgment.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Homemade Sauces and Preserves:
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Hi Averie! Thanks for the cute downloadable labels – they’ll certainly give my containers a more professional look. I’m thinking I’ll also try making a batch subbing everything blueberry for the strawberries, and gifting 1 of each, along with some homemade bread, etc to my neighbors and close friends.
Wishing you, and yours, the very best the season has to offer!
Thanks and glad the recipe will come in handy for you. Happy Holidays!
I want to make this days before Christmas and I’m wondering if I can freeze the whole batch and a day before put it in gift giving jars? Thank you love your receipes. Merry Christmas.
What I would do is freeze it in the jars, and just give out frozen jars and people can then pop it into their own freezers OR thaw it. I realize that depending on your situation, this may not work.
The reason I would try to avoid freezing and thawing the day before is that at that point it will be better for your recipient to store it in the fridge and use it within a week or two – which is probably fine for most people. Rather than they re-freeze it. I hate the freeze-thaw, freeze-thaw stuff. This isn’t meat so in theory it’s fine, but I just personally try to avoid that.
Question: Can I use the Jell-O substitute that does not have bonemeal in it as I eat nothing that has animal bonemeal in it (I lost a friend to CJD in 2013)?
This recipe is definitely on my “to do” list as there is no canning involved – did that once with my sister (a whole day of work for 8 jars of spaghetti sauce).
Thank you
Hi Pam, I really can’t say. I have only made the recipe with Jello and then as I discuss in the FAQs with pectin like I discuss in the FAQs. I don’t know if it will set and turn out with the product you plan to use or not.
What would you do if you wanted to can this jam?
I discuss my thoughts on canning in the last FAQ in the post. Please review that section.