This gluten free cranberry jam is sweet, tart, and bright with fresh orange. It cooks down in one saucepan in about 20 minutes, and there's no pectin needed because cranberries thicken on their own. It's perfect for holiday breakfasts, brunch, and homemade gifts.
I love spreading this jam on toast and waffles, and I've even used it as a filling between cake layers. Making my own jam means I know exactly what goes into it and that it was made in my gluten free kitchen. Once you see how easy it is, you'll want to keep a jar in the fridge all season long.
If you are looking for more cranberry recipes try my Gluten Free Cranberry Orange Muffins, my Gluten Free Slow Cooker Cranberry Meatballs, my Gluten Free Orange Cranberry Cake or my Gluten Free Pumpkin Cranberry Breakfast Cookies.
You can find all my cranberry recipes here: 10+ Gluten Free Cranberry Recipes
You can find all of my breakfast recipes here: Gluten Free Breakfast Recipes
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No pectin needed. Cranberries thicken on their own as they cook down.
- Ready in about 25 minutes. One saucepan, a few ingredients, and no canning equipment.
- Sweet, tart, and bright. Orange gives it a fresh citrus flavor that's perfect for the holidays.
- So many ways to use it. Toast, biscuits, scones, thumbprint cookies, cake filling, or a turkey sandwich.
- Makes a great homemade gift. Pour it into small jars for neighbors, teachers, and holiday hostesses.
How to Tell When Your Cranberry Jam Is Done
Cranberry jam thickens a lot as it cools, so it can be hard to tell when to stop cooking. Pull it too early and it stays runny. Cook it too long and it sets up stiff in the jar.
The easiest way to check is the cold plate test:
- Before you start, put a small plate in the freezer.
- When the cranberries have popped and the jam looks thick, spoon a little onto the cold plate.
- Set it back in the freezer for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Push the edge with your finger. If the surface wrinkles, your jam is done. If it runs, keep simmering and test again in a few minutes.
Ways to Use Gluten Free Cranberry Jam
This jam goes far beyond toast. A few of my favorite ways to use it:
- Breakfast: spread it on a slice of gluten free sourdough bread or cranberry pecan sourdough bread, warm buttermilk drop biscuits, or gingerbread scones.
- Baking: use it to fill gluten free thumbprint cookies or spread it between cake layers.
- Holiday leftovers: add it to a turkey sandwich made with leftover air fryer turkey breast.
- Appetizers: spoon it over a wheel of baked brie or add a small bowl to a cheese board.
- Everyday: swirl it into yogurt or oatmeal.
Easy Flavor Variations
- Cinnamon: add a cinnamon stick while it simmers, then remove it before jarring.
- Ginger: stir in a little grated fresh ginger for warmth.
- Apple cider: use apple cider in place of the orange juice for a milder flavor.
Gluten Free Cranberry Jam as a Homemade Gift
A jar of homemade cranberry jam is one of my favorite easy holiday gifts. One batch fills several small jars, so you can make gifts for neighbors, teachers, and holiday hosts in under half an hour.
- Use small jars (4 to 8 ounces) so each gift is just the right size.
- Tie on a tag that says to keep the jam refrigerated.
- Pair it with something to spread it on, like a loaf of homemade gluten free bread or a batch of scones.
This is a refrigerator jam, not a canned jam, so give it within a few days of making it and let the recipient know to store it in the fridge.
Storage
Store the cooled jam in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. To freeze, spoon it into freezer safe jars, leaving half an inch of space at the top, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Top Tip
Stir more often as the jam gets close to done. Once it starts to thicken, the sugar can scorch on the bottom of the pan quickly. A heavy bottomed saucepan helps it cook evenly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Jam should be thicker than a sauce. Usually jam has bits of the fruit it is made out of while a sauce may be pureed and smooth. For this jam I used whole cranberries and left hearty chunks of them and their seeds in the jam.
This gluten free cranberry jam has a cup of granulated sugar. This is more than I would use in a cranberry sauce to go with savory foods.
Yes, cranberries naturally have pectin. You won't need to add pectin to get a nice thick consistency to your jam. Fresh cranberries contain somewhere between 0.4 and 1.2 percent pectin. The longer you boil the cranberries the more pectin that is released.
Likely you need to boil it more and cook it down. Depending on how much moisture your fresh cranberries release you may need to cook the jam a bit longer. If the jam seems too runny and isn't a jam consistency it needs to be cooked more.
Continue to lightly boil the jam while stirring to keep your jam from sticking to the pan until you get the thickness you want. Once your jam is done remove your pan from the heat and transfer the jam to a heat proof jar to store in your refrigerator.
Yes. Frozen cranberries work just as well as fresh. You can add them to the pan frozen. They may take a few extra minutes to come to a simmer and start popping.
Yes. Spoon the cooled jam into freezer safe jars or containers, leaving about half an inch of space at the top for it to expand. Freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the refrigerator and stir before serving.
This recipe is a refrigerator jam and hasn't been tested for water bath canning. If you want a shelf stable jam, follow a tested canning recipe and process from a trusted source like the National Center for Home Food Preservation.
You can reduce it a little, but the jam will be more tart and may not set as thick. Sugar also helps the jam keep longer in the fridge, so a lower sugar batch is best eaten sooner.
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Gluten Free Cranberry Jam
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: approximately 3 cups 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This easy gluten free cranberry jam cooks down on the stovetop in about 20 minutes, with no pectin needed. It's sweet, tart, and bright, perfect for holiday toast, biscuits, and brunch. Make a batch to keep in the fridge or share in small jars as a homemade gift.
Ingredients
- 3 ½ cups Fresh Cranberries
- 1 cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Orange Juice
- 2 tsp. Orange Zest
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
In a sauce pan add the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, grated orange peel and water. Cook on medium low heat until it begins to simmer.
Continue to simmer the jam while stirring constantly to keep the jam from burning on the bottom of the pan. This should take 10-12 minutes to cook the ingredients down into a jam.
The cranberries will begin to pop. Watch out for hot splatter!
Once the jam has reached the consistency you desire remove the pan from heat.
Pour the jam into a heat proof jar and let sit on the counter until it cools completely.
Once the jam is cooled seal the jar and store in your refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 weeks.
If you made this recipe please leave a star rating and comment below. It helps other readers find this recipe and means so much to me.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Condiment
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
If you made this gluten free cranberry jam, I would love to hear how you used it! Please leave a star rating and a comment below. Your ratings help other gluten free cooks find this recipe.
