This cranberry orange jam will become a Thanksgiving staple in your home. So easy to make but full of flavor – perfect to give as a hostess gift and for all those delicious sandwiches the next day!
Another great way to use this jam is in my orange cranberry rugelach!
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Why you’ll love this recipe!
When the gift giving season arrives, this cranberry orange jam serves as both a perfect host/hostess gift and a delectable side dish for your holiday buffet.
Orange cranberry jam is so flexible! It can be a side dish for the Thanksgiving meal, the perfect spread for your leftover turkey sandwich or just a simple toast topper in the morning. I even use it to make a delicious holiday cookie called rugelach flavored with, you guessed it, orange and cranberry.
This jam cooks up so quickly, uses apple, instead of pectin, to thicken it, and can be refrigerated or frozen. No canning required. Shredding that apple is the most time-consuming part of this refrigerator jam recipe – it’s so easy!
See my cranberry orange jam web story for a quick visual guide to making this recipe!
Ingredients you’ll need
This recipe uses few ingredients and if you keep extra packages of cranberries in the freezer, you’ll likely always have what you need on hand. When I first developed this jam recipe, I knew I wanted to keep the sugar level as low as possible and use my “secret” Spanish citrus liqueur called 43. Any orange liqueur will do but if you’ve never tried 43, I highly recommend it.
- Cranberries: When you see fresh cranberries in stock at your grocery store, buy a few packages and keep them in the freezer. They last for months and then you’ll always have some on hand.
- Orange zest and juice: If you don’t get enough juice from the orange, just add bottled orange juice or water to reach the half cup.
- Apple: From experience, any apple works but tarter apples have more pectin.
- Sugar: Granulated or superfine sugar works just fine.
- Orange Liqueur: If you’ve never tried the Spanish citrus liqueur called 43, I recommend it. But any orange liqueur such as Cointreau, will work. Or feel free to skip the liqueur.
Steps to make this recipe
1. Rinse the cranberries and place them in a medium saucepan. Add the sugar, shredded apple and orange zest.
2. Then add the orange juice.
3. Give it a mix and bring it to a boil. Keep it at a low boil and you’ll hear the cranberries start to pop.
4. About 10 minutes in, add in your orange liqueur if using it.
5. This is also a good time to take a masher and squish some of the berries further. I leave lots of texture but like to smooth it out a bit.
6. At about 15 minutes in, I turn it off, let it cool for a bit, then put it in jars and refrigerate. Remember this is not a recipe for canning. Just refrigerate or freeze the jam for later use.
Expert Tips and FAQs
- Be sure to give the cranberries a rinse and sort through them to look for stems or a random off berry.
- If the berries were in the freezer, you can use them frozen.
- Even though this recipe isn’t for canning, your jam jars should be very clean – either right out of the dishwasher or run under boiling hot water and quickly air dried. The cleaner they are, the better.
Many fruits – apples are an example – have natural pectin in them. Since apple and cranberry mix well together, I used shredded apple to thicken this jam. You can’t really discern any apple flavor in the end but it sure does a great job thickening this up!
Yes you can definitely freeze this jam if you want to make it several weeks in advance or store some away for after the holidays. Just be sure to leave at least a 1/2 inch of headspace in your glass jar. Soups and jams need room to expand in the freezer. I learned that the hard way freezing some chicken stock.
My experience is that it lasts at least a month. If you are at all concerned about using it up, remember it can be frozen and you can take it out when you need it. Try using small jars and just keep one small jar in the refrigerator at a time. But if you’re using it for the holidays, it will go quickly!
Other way to use this jam
This cranberry orange jam recipe is so versatile.
- It’s outstanding as a spread on a turkey sandwich
- Perect tangy tart addition to a holiday brunch buffet
- A surprise bite inside a mini corn muffin. Use any cornbread recipe, fill each muffin tin halfway, add a dab of the jam and fill the rest of the way. Bake as usual. Doesn’t that sound yummy?
- Or try it on your next cheese platter – it pairs beautifully with goat cheese and so much more.
- Make rugelach with cranberry orange flavoring!
- Use it instead of cranberry sauce with your Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
- Top your potato latkes with cranberry jam, instead of just applesauce or sour cream. Really – it’s fantastic!
Other OMG! Yummy Thanksgiving recipes
- Honey Cornbread with Olive Oil and Sage (Dairy-free option)
- Turkey Pot Pie
- How to Dry Brine Turkey for a Stress-Free Thanksgiving
- James Beard’s Persimmon Bread: A Perfect Way to Use Hachiya Persimmons
- Vegetable Wellington: An Elegant Vegetarian Entree for your Holiday Meals
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Pomegranate Molasses and Dukkah
- Sage Sausage Stuffing: A Staple for Thanksgiving and the Holiday Season
- The Best Thanksgiving Menu Plan — Including an Elegant Vegetarian Entrée Option
Helpful supplies
Here are helpful supplies for making cranberry orange jam. Jam jars, whether Ball or Kerr or any brand you prefer are not only nice to have around for jam-making but you’ll find many other uses for them. They are much cheaper by the each if you buy them in bulk. A good potato masher is always handy to have around. And we have had an All-Clad sauce pot I think since we were married. We use that pot all the time!
Also check out my Amazon shop that includes some of my favorite food and food-related products. I am always updating it – please visit often. And let me know if you need specific product recommendations – I am happy to help!
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Cranberry Orange Jam Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 16 ounces fresh cranberries
- Juice and zest of 1 orange (juice should be about ½ cup – add water or orange juice if necessary to bring up to a ½ cup)
- 1 medium apple peeled, cored, grated (any variety apple you have will do but tarter apples have more natural pectin which helps thicken the jam)
- 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (optional)
Instructions
- Put all ingredients, except liqueur, in a medium saucepan on medium heat – bring to a boil, then keep at a low boil for about 15 minutes.
- Intermittently, you’ll hear the cranberries popping. Mix often to check for thickening. If the cranberries have not all popped and it’s getting too thick, add a bit more water or orange juice.
- Taste for sweetness and flavor at about 10 minutes, and if desired, add in the orange liqueur. This is also a good time to use a wooden spoon or potato masher to break up some of the chunks, depending on the texture you prefer.
- Cook for another 5 minutes, take off heat and let it cool off.
- Makes about 3.5 cups. Once cool, put in jars and refrigerate. Should last 2 – 4 weeks or you can freeze for later use.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to give the cranberries a rinse and sort through them to look for stems or a random off berry.
- If the berries were in the freezer, you can use them frozen.
- Even though this recipe isn’t for canning, your jam jars should be very clean – either right out of the dishwasher or run under boiling hot water and quickly air dried. The cleaner they are, the better.
Nutrition
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Tonya
I literally made this two minutes ago…oh, wow, is all it can say!!! This is a keeper and SO easy!
Beth Lee
Yay! I am so glad you like it! Enjoy and happy holidays.
A.
My mom has been searching for something like this like crazy for weeks so I’m making this for her for Christmas! How long is it good until after I’ve made it?
Beth Lee
Great question – A few weeks in the fridge, at least. You can also freeze it if you want to keep some even longer. The batch I made on Nov 24 is still perfect and I’ll be using it to make orange cranberry rugelach in the next couple days. I hope your mom loves it! Homemade gifts are the best.
Anita Baranovsky
Just made the jam. Quite spectacular, and this is before I tried it well cooled down. Did use Grand Marnier, given it is turning into an antique in my cupboard. Lovely touch.
Thank you for the cristal clear explanations. Have a great holiday and my best to Doug and Ali.
Beth Lee
So good to hear from you Anita. I am making my batch today too. So glad you made it and like it as much as I do! XOXO to the Scottsdale crew.
Sara
Love the touch of orange through orange liqueur in addition to the orange zest! Really pairs well with the cranberries!
Beth Lee
Oh that orange liqueur gives it a little bit of unexpected depth – you don’t really know what it is – just pops a bit more in your mouth!
Jennifer Farley
How perfect is this? I love adding orange juice and zest to cranberries. It does so much to enhance the flavors!
Beth Lee
Such a natural combination – I can never really get enough of oranges and cranberries together this time of year.
Britni
I love learning new recipes for jams. Thank you for this creative recipe.
Beth Lee
Isn’t it the best when it’s easy but just a little bit different? So many people from young adults to grandmas tell me they make this every year.
Kali Stanland
Hi. Maybe I missed it, but how much does this actually make?
Beth Lee
Hi – good question! Looks like I left that off! It makes about 3.5 cups. And remember these instructions are for refrigerator jam, not shelf stable canning. Have fun!
Kathleen W
This recipe is not only easy and tasty it’s also very forgiving. My store only had 12oz bags, not 16, so I used two bags for a total of 24 ounces. I ended up adding about 1/4 cup orange juice extra when cooking and it turned out perfect. I was a bit worried about the apple not doing it’s job but the jam texture was perfect. Even my family members who are not fans of cranberries (Like I am) liked the jam. I would say this is a perfect project for those learning to cook as well.
Beth Lee
Hi Kathleen! Thanks for this great feedback and details of how you made the jam. Isn’t the apple amazing? Makes a great jammy texture. And I totally agree that this is a great way to get your feet wet with cooking or making jam. I know college kids new to cooking that make this! Have a happy and delicious Thanksgiving!