cranberry jelly layered on a cake

Cranberry Jelly

 

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5 from 2 votes
Cranberry Jelly is a low-sugar or low-honey cooked jelly made with Pomona’s Universal Pectin. Pomona’s Pectin contains no sugar or preservatives and jells reliably with low amounts of any sweetener.
Servings 5 cups

Ingredients

  • 2 12 ounce bags fresh or frozen cranberries to make cranberry juice
  • 2 cups of water to make cranberry juice
  • 4 cups cranberry juice (from berries + water listed above) see step #3
  • 1/4 cup lime juice optional
  • 4 teaspoon calcium water see step #1
  • ½ cup up to 1 cup honey or ¾ cup up to 2 cups sugar
  • 4 teaspoons Pomona’s Pectin mixed with sweetener

Instructions

  • Before you begin, prepare calcium water.
    To do this, combine ½ teaspoon calcium powder (in the small packet in your box of Pomona’s pectin) with ½ cup water in a small, clear jar with a lid. Shake well.
    Extra calcium water should be stored in the refrigerator for future use.
  • Wash jars, lids, and bands. Place jars in canner, fill canner 2/3 full with water, bring to a boil. Turn off heat, cover, and keep jars in hot canner water until ready to use. Place lids in water in a small sauce pan; cover and heat to a low boil. Turn off heat and keep lids in hot water until ready to use.
  • Bring cranberries and water to a boil then simmer, covered on low until the cranberries burst and soften. Drip through a jelly bag to get 4 cups of cranberry juice.
  • Measure prepared cranberry juice into sauce pan.
  • Add calcium water and lime juice (if using) and mix well.
  • Measure sugar or room temperature honey into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into sweetener. Set aside.
  • Bring juice to a full boil. Add pectin-sweetener mixture, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin while the jelly comes back up to a boil. Once the jelly returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.
  • Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean. Screw on 2-piece lids. Put filled jars in boiling water to cover. Boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level). Remove from water. Let jars cool. Check seals; lids should be sucked down. Eat within 1 year. Lasts 3 weeks once opened.

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22 Responses

  1. Christina Phillips
    | Reply

    I just want the recipe to that gorgeous picture. Lol. Beautiful dessert!

  2. Kim
    | Reply

    Could I substitute port wine for the water?

    • Shelby Collings
      | Reply

      Hello Kim! We have never done that substitution before, but we cannot think of a reason why that wouldn’t work. Our other port wine jam only uses 1/2 cup sugar, so maybe start there instead of 3/4 cup. If you decide to give it a try, we would love to hear how it turns out.

      • Kim
        | Reply

        So I didn’t have as much port wine as I thought so to stretch it, I did 1 cup wine with 1 cup water and used 3/4 cup sugar (I started with 1/2 cup but thought it needed more). It smells absolutely divine when cooking. I then used the jelly to make a vinaigrette for a salad with greens, turkey and pears. Delicious! Probably next year I will try the full 2 cups of wine just to see how that tastes.

  3. Anna McClain
    | Reply

    Could I make this recipe with monk fruit sweetener? I cannot use sugar, splenda or stevia.

    • Shelby Collings
      | Reply

      You sure can! We recommend using the least amount amount called for (1/2-3/4 cup). Monkfruit sweetener does have a tendency to crystalize.

      • Anna R McClain
        | Reply

        Are there ways to lessen the likelihood of it crystalizing?

        • Shelby Collings
          | Reply

          Not that we know of. We. believe it is just the make up of the monkfruit and the way it reacts to being preserved.

  4. Abby
    | Reply

    I think this recipe needs to be tweaked: in reading the ingredients list, it seems as though you need: 2 12oz bags of berries, 2 cups of water, AND 4 cups of cranberry juice. In the instructions it feels as if you start with 4 cups of juice, but no use for the berries. Until later I’ve finally realized that you use the berries & water to make the called for 4 cups of juice….
    So what should I do if I cooked the berries in 4 cups of cranberry juice? Should I simmer it to make it thicker? Or what amount of pectin & calcium water do I need now??

    • Shelby Collings
      | Reply

      Hello Abby,

      So sorry for the confusion, though we are not sure how to be more clear with the directions.

  5. Karen Johnston
    | Reply

    How much lime juice should you use?

    • Shelby Collings
      | Reply

      1/4 cup lime juice, but it is optional 😊

  6. Rose
    | Reply

    Can the Cranberry Jelly be made without straining the berries, using the whole fruit? Would any adjustments be needed?

    • Shelby Collings
      | Reply

      You sure can! You will use 4 cups of mashed cranberries, and reduce the pectin and calcium water by half.

  7. Cynthia
    | Reply

    Can this be changes to two cups prepared cranberry juice and two cups apple juice with good results? Or a 3 to 1 of apple to cranberry?

    • Shelby Collings
      | Reply

      Hello Cynthia,

      Thanks so much for reaching out! Yes, that should be just fine as long as the apple juice does not have any added sweetener to it.

  8. Misha Be
    | Reply

    Can I make this with commercial cranberry juice? I have some on hand from canning whole cranberries in juice.

    • Shelby Collings
      | Reply

      You sure can, just made sure it does not have any added sugar in it. Happy jamming!

  9. Cranberry Miss
    | Reply

    Did anyone at pamona test this recipe? You don’t get 4c juice from 2c water and 2c berries. I got less than 2c juice Bc evaporation. Put in jelly bag overnight to ensure max drainage. What am I missing?

    • Shelby Collings
      | Reply

      Hello there,

      Thanks so much for reaching out to us!
      We sure have tried this recipe. It could be that the recipe calls for (2) 12 ounces bags of fresh or frozen cranberries with 2 cups of water…not 2 cups of water with 2 cups of cranberries.

  10. Jennifer Essad
    | Reply

    Oops I should have asked, where can I find the recipe for the pie shown above?

  11. Jennifer Essad
    | Reply

    this sounds delicious, simple but so unique

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