Cranberry Apple Jam

Cranberry apple jam combines two classic seasonal flavors into one incredible holiday treat!

Cranberry jam always seems to get lumped in with cranberry sauce, and you rarely see an actual jam recipe with cranberries.  Plain cranberry jam is just plain wholeberry cranberry sauce.  You can add more sugar if you’d like it to be more “jammy,” but it’s more or less the exact same recipe.

Since cranberry sauce often has orange zest, cranberry orange jam is forever associated with turkey too.

This season, I was looking for a cranberry jam recipe that would really stand out and scream, “I’m a Jam!  Not a Sauce!”

I finally found this spectacular recipe for cranberry apple jam that does just that.  It’s a jam!  It’s an honest-to-goodness real cranberry jam!

This cranberry apple jam recipe is adapted from a recipe in the book Food In Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year Round  (pg. 47).  Ironically, the original recipe wasn’t a small batch recipe.  The author notes that,

“This Recipe has a larger yield than many of the others in this book. When you’re canning for holiday gifting, I’ve found that it’s always handy to have a couple of extra jars.  No matter how well I plan, I always find that there’s a neighbor or co-worker I’ve inadvertently left off the list.”

It initially made 10 half-pint jam jars, but I’ve cut it in half, so it’s a “normal” batch of 5 half-pint jars.

Beyond the batch size, I’ve added a maceration step for the apples, which keeps them as solid apple-y chunks in the finished jam.  If you don’t macerate the apples in sugar, they fall apart, and you get a really sweet cranberry applesauce (instead of cranberry apple jam).

I really wanted this to be a “jam” with chunks of fruit in it, rather than a smooth sauce.  If you’re ok with a smooth spread, you can skip the maceration step.  (I think it really makes the jam, though.)

Ingredients for Cranberry Apple Jam

To make a batch of 5 half-pint jars (8 oz each) of cranberry apple jam, you’ll need the following:

• 4 cups peeled, cored, and diced apples (about 2 lbs, or just under 1 kg fresh as purchased)
• 2 cups fresh cranberries (200 grams)
• 3 cups sugar (600 grams)
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 to 4 Tbsp)

You’ll notice that there’s no added boxed pectin in this recipe, and that’s because both cranberries and apples are rich in pectin. 

Freezing cranberries reduces their pectin content, so if you use frozen cranberries the yield will be slightly less, and the set a smidge softer.  (It does still set nicely with frozen cranberries though, so that’s a fine substitution.)

The original recipe went for soft fleshed cooking apples, to encourage them to disintegrate, but I’d suggest going with crisp apples that hold their shape (like Honeycrisp or granny smith).  That’ll help you keep nice apple chunks in the finished jam.

Cranberry Apple Jam

To make cranberry apple jam, start by peeling and coring the apples.  Next, dice them in to small pieces. 

We’re going to be macerating the apple pieces in sugar so that they hold their shape, and that technique really works well.  Make sure you dice the apples into whatever size you’ll want them to be in your finished jam.  They’ll shrink ever so slightly, but that’s it.

I’d suggest 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces, and I went with around 1/4 inch which leaves a chunky jam (but not so chunky that you can’t spread it on a biscuit).

Next, toss the diced apples in the lemon juice.  This keeps them from turning brown so that your jam keeps a nice color when it’s finished.  It also adds some tart notes, which improve the flavor of the jam.  (The lemon juice isn’t strictly necessary for canning safety or to preserve the jam, but it is recommended for flavor.)

The original recipe included the zest of 1 lemon as well, but I’ve removed that.  It made the jam lemon-y, and distracted from the apple cranberry flavor.  If you want to add zest in too, go ahead.

Next, add the sugar and toss apples in it to coat.

Three cups is quite a bit of sugar on top of 4 cups of apples, and it’s going to look a bit absurd.  I did try reducing the amount of sugar to 2 cups, and the jam does still set nicely…but it’s tart with all those cranberries in there (more like a sauce).  If you truly want a cranberry jam, go with the full 3 cups.

Allow the apples to macerate in the sugar for at least 2 hours, or overnight.  Put them in a container in the refrigerator if you’re going with them overnight.

This firms up their texture and will allow them to stay as chunks in the finished jam.

After maceration, place the apple/sugar mixture into a jam pot and add the cranberries.  Turn on the stove to medium high, and cook the jam at a hard boil until the cranberries fall apart and the jam thickens.

Stir frequently, as this jam thickens quickly and is likely to scorch.

The total cook time is about 8 to 10 minutes, but turn off the stove when the jam is almost as thick as you want it to be when it’s done.  (It’ll thicken more as it cools.)

I tried taking this one to “gel stage” on a candy thermometer, but there’s just so darn much pectin in there that it thickens up way before it hits 220 F.  I finished mine somewhere in the 215 to 217 range.  The actual temperature will depend on how thick you want your jam, and the type of apples you use.

Either way, when it’s as thick as you’d like, remove it from the heat and ladle it into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.

Canning Cranberry Apple Jam

It’s perfectly fine to make this cranberry apple jam recipe as a refrigerator jam (or a freezer jam).  It’ll last several weeks in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. 

If freezing, be sure to leave plenty of headspace and use freezer-safe jars.

Personally, I prefer to can my jams because then they’ll keep for 18+ months right on the pantry shelf.  They’re also great for gifting that way.

If canning, prepare a water bath canner before you begin cooking the jam.

When the jam has thickened to your liking, ladle it into prepared canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Cap with 2-part canning lids and process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes if above 6,000 feet in elevation).

Remove the jars to cool on a towel on the counter, and check the seals after 12-24 hours when the jars have cooled completely.  Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use.

Properly canned and sealed jars of cranberry apple jam will maintain peak quality on the pantry shelf for around 18 months.  Past that, they’re still good, provided they’re sealed, but the quality will start to decline. 

Refrigerate after opening.

Yield: Makes 5 half pint (8 oz) jars

Cranberry Apple Jam

Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Canning Time (Optional): 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Cranberry apple jam is a delicious homemade jam that comes together quickly without added pectin.

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Ingredients

• 4 cups peeled, cored, and diced apples (about 2 lbs, or just under 1 kg fresh as purchased)
• 2 cups fresh cranberries (200 grams)
• 3 cups sugar (600 grams)
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 to 4 Tbsp)

Instructions

1. Peel, core, and dice the apples into small pieces (1/4 inch or about 1/2 cm cubes).
2. Toss the apples first in lemon juice and then the sugar. Stir, so they're evenly coated. Cover and set aside to macerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
3. After maceration, place the apple mixture and cranberries into a jam pot. (If canning, prepare a water bath canner before turning on the jam to start cooking.)
4. Turn on the stove to medium-high heat and cook the apple-cranberry mixture until it thickens. (About 6 to 10 minutes.) Stop when it's not quite as thick as you want the finished jam, as it thickens considerably when it's cooling. It's done when the cranberries have popped and fallen apart, but the apple chunks are still pretty much in their original shape.
5. Remove the jam pot from the heat and ladle into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
6. If canning, process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (15 minutes above 6,000 feet in elevation).
7. Cool jars completely on a towel on the counter, and check seals. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use. Sealed jars will keep on the pantry shelf. Refrigerate after opening.

Notes

Lemon Juice

The lemon juice in this recipe is to keep the apples from turning brown, and to bring out their flavor. It's highly recommended but optional. It's not needed for canning safety or preservation, as both cranberries and apples are acidic enough for canning naturally. Use either fresh lemon juice (for better flavor) or bottled, if that's what you have. If you want more lemon flavor, add in the zest of 1 lemon as well.

Low Sugar Variation

This jam comes out "jam sweet" and uses 3 cups of sugar to counter the tart flavor of the cranberries.

You can use less sugar, but the jam will be tart. At 2 cups sugar, it tastes more like a cranberry sauce than a jam. Still deliciously tasty, but more tart than a full sugar jam.

At 1 cup sugar, the jam will still jel nicely, but it's incredibly tart. Below that, it's not going to gel, and it'll make more of a sauce.

Batch Size

You can safely double the batch size of this recipe to make 10 half pints, but don't increase it beyond that. Very large batch sizes don't cook evenly and have trouble gelling.

Shelf Life

It's perfectly fine to make this cranberry apple jam recipe as a refrigerator jam (or a freezer jam).  It'll last several weeks in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer. 

If freezing, be sure to leave plenty of headspace and use freezer-safe jars.

Properly canned and sealed jars of cranberry apple jam will maintain peak quality on the pantry shelf for around 18 months.  Past that, they're still good, provided they're sealed, but the quality will start to decline. 

Refrigerate after opening.

Cranberry Canning Recipes

Looking for more easy cranberry canning recipes?

• Canning Cranberry Juice
• Canning Cranberry Sauce
• Pickled Cranberries

Apple Canning Recipes

Or do apples strike your fancy this time of year?  No worries, I have plenty of apple canning recipes too!

• Canning Apple Slices
• Canning Applesauce
• Canning Apple Pie Filling