Homemade cranberry jelly is quick and easy to make, only requires 3 ingredients, and has a flavor and texture similar to canned cranberry sauce. You can eat this yummy sauce on its own, serve it with Thanksgiving dinner, spread it on peanut butter sandwiches or toast, serve it with a charcuterie board, or use it as a cake filling. Add a little more liquid for a “spoonable” consistency, and use it as a sauce on ice cream, or stir it into yogurt for breakfast.
Looking for more cranberry recipes? Don’t miss these cranberry orange muffins, cranberry almond crumb bars, and cranberry raspberry compote.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Quick and Easy. Cranberry jelly takes just a few minutes to cook, with no prep work involved. After cooking the sauce, just strain out the seeds, and you’re all done.
Only Three Ingredients. It doesn’t get much simpler than this!
Versatile. You can add spices, or vanilla extract, to add more depth of flavor. And there’s so many ways you can use this delicious sauce, whether you eat it on its own, or use it in another recipe.
Ingredients
- Cranberries. You need fresh or frozen cranberries, not dried cranberries.
- Sugar. Cranberries are extremely tart, and the sugar will balance the sourness.
- Orange Juice or Water. A little liquid helps the cranberries simmer and burst.
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar and orange juice/water.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer for about 20 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring frequently. The cranberries should all burst, and the mixture will be thick.
- Use a blender, immersion blender or food processor to briefly puree the fruit and break down the pulp. No need to try to get it really smooth, since you’ll be straining out the seeds and pulp.
- Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the cranberries into the strainer, then use a silicone spatula to press the liquid through the strainer. Press as much through as you can, then discard the seeds and pulp left in the strainer.
- Refrigerate the jelly in a lidded jar or container until completely cooled.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I store the jelly?
Homemade cranberry jelly should be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 3-6 months.
What can I use cranberry jelly for?
- Serve it with Thanksgiving dinner.
- Spread it on peanut butter sandwiches or toast.
- Serve it with a charcuterie board.
- Use it as a cake filling.
- Stir it into yogurt.
- Spoon it onto oatmeal.
- Spoon it over ice cream (add a few tablespoons more liquid for a “spoonable” consistency)
What spices can I add to this recipe?
For a little spice, you can try adding a pinch of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg or allspice. A teaspoon of vanilla added after the mixture cooks would be delicious.
Can I use a different sweetener besides sugar?
I haven’t tested any alternate sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, and I’m not sure if it would set up the same way. If you try it, please let me know in the comments.
Why doesn’t this recipe use any pectin?
Cranberry is naturally very high in pectin, a thickening agent for jams and jellies. So this cranberry jelly sets all on its own without any additional pectin.
Is the texture as thick as canned cranberry sauce?
While the flavor is very similar, it’s not quite as thick and gelled as canned cranberry sauce, so you probably couldn’t slice it. It holds its shape very well, though, for using in sandwiches and between cake layers.
Do I have to strain out the seeds?
You don’t have to, but there are a lot of seeds, and straining out the seeds and pulp makes this jelly perfectly silky smooth.
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Seedless Cranberry Jelly
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Medium-Sized Saucepan
- Fine Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup orange juice or water
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar and orange juice/water.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat, then simmer for about 20 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring frequently. The cranberries should all burst, and the mixture will be thick.
- Use a blender, immersion blender or food processor to briefly puree the fruit and break down the pulp. No need to try to get it really smooth, since you'll be straining out the seeds and pulp.
- Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl. Pour the cranberries into the strainer, then use a silicone spatula to press the liquid through the strainer. Press as much through as you can, then discard the seeds and pulp left in the strainer.
- Refrigerate the jelly in a lidded jar or container until completely cooled.
I plan to give to give this a try. I also have high bush cranberries and I wonder if I could try the recipe with them too. I know they are not a true cranberry but they are very similar.
I can’t say that I’ve ever cooked with high bush cranberries, and have always used the bagged cranberries from my grocery store. Whether or not they will work in this recipe will depend on if they contain the same amount of pectin as cranberries. If not, the jelly won’t thicken and jell the same way. I’m also not sure if the flavor/tartness is different, and if you’d need to adjust the amount of sugar.