Christmas Freezer Jam
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Make a batch of homemade Christmas freezer jam with fruits, sugar and spices! It’s an easy, festive spread perfect for holiday breakfasts, baking and gifting.
This is a small batch of Christmas jam for the freezer or fridge. No canning nor pectin is needed to make it!
How to make Christmas jam
Ingredients you will need:
- Cranberries
- Frozen strawberries
- Sugar
- Whole star anise (optional)
- Cloves (optional)
- Whole allspice (optional)
- Water
Tools and kitchen gadgets:
- Measuring cups – or scale
- Pot – I used Dutch oven
- Wooden spatula
- 4 glass jars (4.4 ounces/130 milliliters each)
- Immersion blender
- Spoon – to fill the jars
Combine the ingredients in a stockpot or Dutch oven. Simmer until you see it has thickened; this will take about 20 minutes. After this time, you will get a very thick jam. If you like it thinner, cook less.
Slightly puree it with immersion blender and pour into jars. Then simply cool down and enjoy.
The advantages of a freezer jam
- There is no pectin needed since you are not canning it. However, cranberries are rich in pectin so this Christmas jam will set nicely!
- The quantity of sugar can be adjusted to your liking. You don’t have to worry it will go off because you are preserving it in a different way.
- Technically, you don’t need any special jars. Freezer-friendly plastic containers work great too.
- No canning needed.
- Quick and almost hassle-free!
Where to use it?
Christmas jam goes well not only with croissants, scones or toast but also with savory appetizers.
It pairs well with pates (have you tried making a gourmet pork liver pate? It is so easy!) as well as cheese.
Cranberry brie bites are perfect Holiday or New Year’s Eve snacks.
It’s also great for Linzer cookies or thumbprint cookies!
FAQ
No, it cannot. Once completely thawed, store it in the fridge and consume within a week or two.
Any liquids that are frozen expand in their volume. The same goes for jam. If the jars are too full, the content might have no room to expand and can break the jars!
This jam recipe was developed for the freezer. Once you cool it down and put it in the freezer, it will keep up to a year.
After that it will not go off, but it starts losing its quality. I would probably recommend using it within 3 to 6 months to avoid freezer burn and to enjoy it at its best.
Julia’s tips:
- I used frozen strawberries (because the fresh ones are not in season and hard to find this time of year) and fresh cranberries (because these are in season). You can either fresh or frozen, it does not matter here.
- This is a small batch Christmas jam. It fills 4 of the 4.4-ounce (130 milliliters) jars. I bought mine in Ikea, they are cute, reasonably priced and perfect for gift giving! I have not had any problem with using these jars in the freezer.
- To make this jam I used a combination of warm spices like cloves, allspice berries and star anise. They added a subtle flavor to the jam.
- Always make sure to take out the spices before pouring the mixture into jars.
- Another great spice is a whole cinnamon.
More Christmas recipes:
- Christmas Tree Cheese Board – A beautiful spread of snacks, cheeses and deli meats!
- Christmas Sangria – Celebrate the Holiday season with this delicious drink!
- Cranberry Panna Cotta – The perfect Christmas dessert you can easily make ahead.
- Candied Oranges – A festive, zesty treat perfect for snacking or gifting this Holiday season!
- Cranberry Chicken Salad – Perfect for holiday gatherings or light lunches!
Christmas Freezer Jam
Ingredients
- 3 cups frozen strawberries (10.5 ounces/300 grams)
- 2 cups fresh cranberries (6 ounces/180 grams)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
- 1 whole star anise
- 2 cloves
- 2 allspice berries
- ½ cup water (120 milliliters)
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine all the ingredients.
- Simmer on medium-low for 20-25 minutes, or until you see the mixture has thickened up.
- Turn off the heat and blend using an immersion blender (you can omit this part and leave chunks of fruits). Pour into jars while still warm, leaving at least ½ inch/1.5-centimeter) from the top empty. Seal with a lid.
- Let cool down completely before transferring to the freezer or fridge.
Notes
- You can use fresh or frozen strawberries/cranberries.
- The spices are optional. You can use cinnamon stick as well or instead of the spices.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Freezer jam will last up to 1 year in the freezer or 3-4 weeks in the fridge.