Gluten Free Holiday Recipes

Gluten Free Cranberry Jam

This easy gluten free cranberry jam recipe uses fresh cranberries, orange juice and orange zest. It's so simple to make this homemade sauce! It's perfect with Christmas breakfast or brunch.

a jar of cranberry jam with orange slices and fresh cranberries

Gluten-free cranberry jam is a delightful addition to your holiday table, perfect for enhancing breakfast or desserts. This easy cranberry jam recipe transforms fresh cranberries into a vibrant, flavorful spread that captures the essence of the season.

Whether you're looking to make a homemade Christmas jam or a Thanksgiving jam recipe, this jam is versatile enough to complement various dishes. With its sweet and tangy flavor, it's an ideal topping for toast, scones, or even as a jellied cranberry sauce alternative.

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 of my breakfast recipes here: Gluten Free Breakfast Recipes

a jar of gluten free cranberry jam with a spoon out of it

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Ingredients

Fresh Cranberries
Granulated Sugar
Orange Juice
Orange Peel
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 a month.

Supplies

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between cranberry sauce and cranberry jam?

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. I also cook this jam longer to get a thicker consistency than I would with a sauce.

Do cranberries have pectin?

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.

Why is my cranberry jam not thickening?

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.

More Recipes You Might Enjoy

I get some of my ingredients from Thrive Market. Thrive Market has been a game changer for me eating gluten free. They have so many options I can't get at my rural grocery stores! Use this link to get 25% off your first order!

Gluten Free Cranberry Jam

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5 from 1 review

Author: Elaine VanVleck
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: approximately 3 cups 1x
Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

This easy gluten free cranberry jam recipe uses fresh cranberries, orange juice and orange zest. It's so simple to make this homemade sauce! It's perfect with Christmas breakfast or brunch.

Ingredients

Units Scale

3 ½ cups Fresh Cranberries
1 cup Granulated Sugar
½ cup Orange Juice
2 tsp. Grated Orange Peel
1 cup Water

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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 a month.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Jam
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: Gluten Free

Top Tip

I love this gluten free cranberry jam on toast, waffles and to use for a cake filling. It has the perfect sweet and tart flavor with a bit of citrus zest. It's so simple to make your own jams! Plus, you get to control the ingredients and know that it's processed in a gluten free kitchen.

Gluten Free Gingerbread Scones

This easy recipe for gluten free gingerbread scones is perfect for Christmas morning. They are moist and drizzled with cinnamon glaze. I added rolled oats to make them a bit more dense and perfect for breakfast.

a plate with a gingerbread scone drizzled with cinnamon glaze next to a cookie sheet of scones.

Gluten free gingerbread scones are a delightful addition to your holiday baking repertoire. They are perfect for Christmas morning or any cold winter day. This easy scones recipe combines the warm flavors of ginger and spices, creating a sweet treat that embodies the spirit of the season.

With a soft and tender texture, these homemade scones are not only gluten free but also make for a cozy breakfast or brunch option that everyone will love. Drizzled with a luscious cinnamon glaze, they bring a festive flair to your holiday favorite recipes.

If you are looking for more ginger recipes try my Gluten Free Gingerbread Pancakes, my Gluten Free Gingerbread Bundt Cake, my Gluten Free Ginger Cookies, or my Gluten Free Gingersnap Cookies.

You can find all of my breakfast recipes here: Gluten Free Breakfast Recipes

A plate with a gingerbread scone drizzled with cinnamon glaze

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Ingredients

Gluten Free Flour
Gluten Free Rolled Oats
Brown Sugar
Baking Powder
Xanthan Gum
Ground Ginger
Ground Cinnamon
Ground Nutmeg
Ground Cloves
Sea Salt
Unsalted Butter
Crystalized Ginger
Heavy Whipping Cream
Molasses
Egg
Powdered Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Milk

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of your stand mixer beat together the gluten free flour, rolled oats, brown sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves and sea salt.

Add the cubed butter to the dry mixture and beat until a lumpy, dry mixture forms. Add the crystalized ginger, heavy whipping cream, molasses and egg. Blend just until the mixture starts to form a ball.

Take the dough out of the bowl and mix any remaining dry ingredients on the bottom of the bowl in by hand. Form the dough into a 10-12 inch disc. Cut the disc into 8 equal sections like a pie.

Place each triangle on the baking sheet so that they aren't touching each other.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15-16 minutes. The scones will be slightly browned when they are done.

Place the scones on a cooling rack and let cool completely.

Make the glaze in a small bowl. Mix together the powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and milk. Start with 1 tablespoon of milk and add more if needed. I like the glaze to be a bit thick.

Drizzle the glaze over the cooled scones. Serve plain or with a ginger spread.

Supplies

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to use eggs in scones?

In my opinion, yes you should use an egg or egg substitute in your gluten free gingerbread scones. Eggs provide structure to the scones. Since we aren't using gluten in this recipe it is crucial for the texture of your scones to use an egg.

Eggs also add moisture to the scone dough, if you can't use eggs you need to substitute with either flax seed meal and water or applesauce. You could use a combination of the two, but it will alter the flavor and texture some.

Why are my scones hard?

There are a couple of things that could cause your gluten free gingerbread scones to be hard. First, you do not want to over mix the dough. Once all the ingredients are in the mixing bowl you will want to mix just until ingredients are blended.

Next, remove the dough from the mixing bowl and if there are crumbs in the bottom that didn't get mixed in knead them in with your hands while you are forming the dough into a large disc shape.

Second, make sure your baking powder isn't too old. If you are using expired baking powder you aren't going to get fluffy scones. It is also important to use the egg in this recipe or replace it accordingly to keep the moisture level in the scones correct.

Why are my baked scones so crumbly?

It is important that you use the heavy whipping cream, molasses and egg in this recipe. They are the only liquids being added. If you don't use enough liquids in the recipe you are likely to get crumbly, dry scones.

If you've used all the ingredients and your scones are still crumbly you can add a bit more heavy whipping cream or a tablespoon or two of applesauce. Either will add more moisture to the recipe and should remedy your dry scones.

More Recipes You Might Enjoy

I get a lot of my ingredients from Thrive Market. Thrive Market has been a game changer for me eating gluten free. They have so many options I can't get at my rural grocery stores! Use this link to get 40% off your first order!