Go Back
cranberry jelly

Cranberry Jelly

Lisa Lombardo
This delicious cranberry jelly is easy to make with cranberry cocktail juice! Make some as a gift or enjoy it yourself.
5 from 1 vote
Course Condiment
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups cranberry juice cocktail
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 6 tbsps pectin 2 packages of pectin

Instructions
 

  • Put a hot water bath canner on the burner and fill with enough water to cover jelly jars, with an extra inch of water over the top of jars. Turn the burner on high and cover with the lid.
  • Wash jelly jars and screw bands. Place jelly jars in the canner to sterilize.
  • When the water in the canner comes to a full rolling boil, boil jelly jars for 20 minutes to sterilize them. Set the timer and start making your jelly.
  • Prepare canning jar lids according to the manufacturer's directions. (Most jar lids are no longer designed to be boiled, be sure to check.) Pour boiling water over the screw bands and set aside.
  • Reconstitute frozen cranberry juice and measure 6 cups of juice into a large saucepan.
  • Measure the pectin into a small bowl and add 1/4 cup of the sugar to the pectin. Combine and set aside.
  • Measure the rest of the sugar into a bowl and set aside.
  • Place the saucepan of cranberry juice on a medium-high burner. Stir the juice as you bring it to a full rolling boil.
  • Slowly add sugar and pectin mixture and stir to incorporate.
  • Bring juice mixture back to a full rolling boil, then add the remaining sugar all at once and stir.
  • Bring the juice back to a full rolling boil. Stir and boil for 1 minute or until jelly forms a sheet on a cold spoon. Turn off the burner.
  • Use a jar lifter to remove sterile jelly jars from canner and place them on a heavy towel on your countertop.
  • Place a canning funnel in a jelly jar and use a ladle to fill with jelly. Work quickly but carefully to prevent the jelly from cooling.
  • Wipe rim of jar clean, place canning lid on the jar, then screw canning band in place until finger tight.
  • Use the jar lifter to place the filled jar into the boiling water bath.
  • Repeat until all of the jars have been placed in the canner. Place lid on the canner and return to a full rolling boil.
  • Process jam for 10 minutes once the water returns to a full rolling boil. Remove jars from canner with the jar lifter and place them on a heavy towel to protect your countertop. Allow jars to cool without disturbing the jars or screw bands until jam reaches room temperature.
  • When the jelly has cooled completely, remove screw bands and wash the jars to remove any jam that may have leaked during processing. Check each jar to be sure it has sealed properly. A properly sealed lid will not spring up and down when pressed with your fingers.
  • If any of the jars did not seal properly, refrigerate them and use the jam within 3 weeks.

Notes

For foods that are processed for less than 20 minutes, the jars must be sterilized before filling. To sterilize jars, boil them at a full rolling boil for 20 minutes.
 
When canning food, do not allow the food to cool down before placing in the jars and then into the boiling water. The difference in temperature can cause the jars to crack, wasting your food, time, and money.
 
 
As an added measure of cleanliness, I wash and dip the canning funnel and ladel in the boiling water bath just before using them.
 
 
Fruit preserves are high acid foods and should be processed in a water bath canner.
Keyword cranberries, jams and jellies