• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
My Pure Plants
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
    • Contact us
    • Media & Press
  • Meal Plans
    • FREE 7-day Vegan Meal Plan (Only Easy Recipes!)
    • Quick Vegan Meals
    • Vegan Christmas Dinner
    • Vegan Thanksgiving Dinner
  • Guides
    • Eggplant
    • Oyster Mushrooms
    • TVP
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Entrees
  • Soups
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Entrees
    • Soups
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home > Vegan Sides

    Dried Cranberry Jelly/Jam (No Gelatin!)

    By Emese Maczko on 11/24/2022 - May contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure.

    Jump to Recipe Print Pin

    Recipes with cranberries are essential to make for Thanksgiving. Do you need one at the last minute? It is the quickest and easiest recipe using dried cranberries. Whether you sieve them or not, you end up with cranberry jelly or jam. Which one would you prefer?

    Several types of cranberry jelly shaped as hearts or stars

    Want to save this post?

    Enter your email below and get it sent straight to your inbox. Plus, I’ll send you budget recipes and money-saving tips every week!

    Save Recipe

    We do love homemade fruit sauces. If you are looking for more fruity recipes, try our easy strawberry purée, our cinnamon berries sauce which we often pair with panna cotta, or this vibrant raspberry sauce which we top our baked cheesecake.

    Table of Contents hide
    1. What to expect?
    2. Ingredients
    3. Instructions
    4. Top tips
    5. Variations
    6. Flavor ideas
    7. Allergen info
    8. More recipes with fruits
    9. Dried Cranberry Jelly/Jam (No Gelatin!)

    What to expect?

    This recipe is for you if you are out of fresh cranberries or want to make jelly or jam in 5 minutes. Since dried cranberries soften quickly, all you need to decide is whether you sieve it or not. If you do, you end up with homemade jellied cranberry sauce, but if you don’t, you’ll have a perfect cranberry jam.

    We developed this recipe because we wanted to make a festive and spectacular appetizer for Christmas. My husband had this delicious pistachio nut cheese recipe, but we paired it with cranberries to turn it up a notch. Doesn’t it look amazing?

    A heart shape puzzle of vegetables with a text overlay saying 7-day meal plan
    FREE 7-Day Vegan Meal Plan

    Subscribe to our newsletters and download it right now.

    Small green bundt with purple cranberry jelly on top. It is served on a black plate with crackers and grapes.

    Ingredients

    If you want to make cranberry jelly or jam at home, you need only three ingredients and 5 minutes of cooking time. It sounds perfect.

    • Dried cranberries → We recommend unsweetened ones with no preservatives or added oil (like this one here).
    • Sweetener of your choice → We prefer to use cane sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup.
    • Thickener → We used agar-agar powder since it is the fastest thickener I have ever used. Seriously. It is so fast. If you don’t prepare your mold in advance, you may not have a chance to look for it once you get the mixture off the stove.

    🛒 You can find detailed measurements for all ingredients in the printable version of the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Instructions

    Preparations

    • If you buy unsweetened ones with no preservatives or added oil (like this one), you don’t need to do any preparations.
    • If you have sweetened, oil-coated craisins, we recommend soaking them in hot water for 5 minutes to wash away their sugary, oily coating.

    Cooking

    1. Take a saucepan and add soaked/dried cranberries, water, and cane sugar.
    2. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the cranberries are soft.
    Step photos to make cranberry jelly - showing cooking dried cranberries, water and sugar in a saucepan
    1. Take a tall and thin container and pour the cooked cranberry sauce into it.
    2. Blend it with a hand blender as smoothly as you can.
    Step photos to make cranberry jelly - blending the cooked sauce with a hand blender

    Jam or Jelly?

    You need to decide here if you want to make jam or jelly.

    • If you prefer to make cranberry jelly, get a fine-mesh strainer and strain it directly on top of the saucepan, you used to separate the pulp from the juices. See photos #5-6. Push the pulp gently but firmly against the inside of the strainer with a wooden pestle or rubber spatula. Scrape and repeat.
    • If you want cranberry jam, you can skip straining and go directly to thickening. In this case, agar-agar will only be able to thicken the sauce to a perfect jam consistency. We love to make yummy peanut butter and jam sandwiches using this quick cranberry jam. 🙂

    Thickening

    1. Add agar-agar powder to the strained or unstrained cranberry sauce. Stir thoroughly. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes on medium-high heat to activate the thickener. 
    2. Pour it into a silicone mold of your choice. You can see that agar-agar acts fast in a couple of minutes.
    Step photos to make cranberry jelly - straining the cooked cranberry sauce and adding agar agar finally pouring it into a heart-shaped mold

    Top tips

    • Why do you need a thickener? → Cranberries usually have natural pectin, making a great sauce or jam without any thickener. However, add extra pectin, gelatin, or other types if you require jelly consistency. Since we are a vegan blog, we prefer to use plant-based thickeners like agar-agar powder.
    • How to use agar-agar? → Like any other thickener, it also requires heat to activate it. This means you should heat any liquid with agar-agar over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes. Unlike starch, where you can see the mixture thickening immediately, you will not see any changes in texture with agar-agar during this 5-6 minutes. However, it sets quickly(!!!). So prepare your mold in advance, as you will not have time to search for it later!
    • Do you need a unique strainer? → We use a regular fine-mesh strainer. A chinois strainer or a food mill also works. 
    A heart shaped cranberry jelly between two fingers

    Variations

    Jelly in a tin can

    The cranberry jelly was often eaten from a tin can or plunked down to look like a reddish jiggly tin can with ridges. If you want to re-create it, you don’t need a fancy mold. Take a regular tin can (maybe that had canned fruit and not spicy beans) or a jar and pour the hot cranberry sauce into it. When it sets, take a butter knife and go around the rims gently. Turn it upside down and slide it onto a plate. Happy Thanksgiving!

    So what do you plan for Thanksgiving dinner? Check out our 35+ vegan thanksgiving recipes if you need more delicious ideas for the festivities.

    Colorful leaves with a text overlay saying more thanksgiving recipes

    Jelly in a bundt mold

    A little more festive would be to use a silicone bundt mold. You can see it in action in our pistachio nut cheese recipe. Or get creative and use a gingerbread house mold or a snowflake mold to make it unique and spectacular.

    Small green bundt with purple cranberry jelly on top. It is served on a black plate with grapes and crackers.

    Jelly gummies

    You know what? Cranberry jelly is not only for Thanksgiving. We like making jelly gummies for our daughters as a treat. And they love them. We often use our heart-shaped jelly mold, which you may have already seen in our vegan Baileys recipe, as ice cubes.

    Several types of cranberry jelly shaped as hearts or stars scattered around to form a Christmas tree from above

    Flavor ideas

    If you want to add some additional flavors to cranberries, we have some ideas:

    • Cinnamon – We love cranberries with cinnamon or any berries. Add ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon to two cups of dried cranberries. So yummy! If you use a cinnamon stick, don’t forget to take it out before blending.
    • Other spices – Do you love spiced cranberry jelly? A pinch of pumpkin spice, nutmeg, or allspice can give this jelly or jam a unique twist.
    • Orange zest – Cranberries and oranges go hand in hand. Add two teaspoons of freshly grated orange zest. Make sure you buy oranges with edible peel.
    • Ginger – Add ¼ teaspoon of freshly grated ginger before blending to give a spicy, peppery flavor to it.
    • Apple cider – Cook dried cranberries in apple cider instead of water, you’ll love it.
    Several types of cranberry jelly shaped as hearts or stars

    Allergen info

    This Cranberry Jelly/Jam recipe is dairy-free and egg-free.

    • Vegan – All suggested ingredients are supposed to be vegan.
    • Nut-free – All ingredients are supposed to be nut-free, but always check the packaging before using any ingredient, especially spices.
    • WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) – If you use maple syrup, date paste, or coconut sugar, this recipe is compliant with the WFPB diet.
    • Gluten-free – All proposed ingredients are supposed to be gluten-free, but always check the packaging for cross-contamination info, especially for spices.
    • Soy-free – All ingredients are supposed to be soy-free.

    More recipes with fruits

    • Light brown cookies in shapes of heart, star and circle filled with red jam is scattered around dusted with powdered sugar on a black surface. A hand is taking one cookie from the middle.
      Vegan Lemon Shortbread Cookies
    • Several round cookies with orange and purple jam filling placed on a wire rack from above.
      Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
    • A black bowl up close with white pudding topped with a swirl of thick red-purple sauce and different berries. A spoon is taking the first bite. Another bowl is in the background.
      The Creamiest Vegan Rice Pudding (8 Flavor Variations!)
    • 3 white plates with white panna cotta topped with a thick purple sauce and different berries.
      Vegan Panna Cotta
    • 2 small glass bowls with white pudding with pearls topped with strawberry sauce and fresh strawberry slices. A hand is holding a spoon with a mouthful of the pudding.
      Vegan Tapioca Pudding
    • Two small white bowls with strawberry puree and some mint leaves. More fresh strawberries are scattered around it on a yellow tablecloth. A hand is holding one strawberry.
      Warm Strawberry Puree for Topping

    THANK YOU so much for visiting our website. Please comment below if you have tried this recipe. We LOVE hearing from you! If you loved the recipe, please don’t forget to give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ RATING. We appreciate all of our readers.  

    Different colorful vegetables drawn as icons on an orange background in a shape of a heart.

    ⇒ GET OUR FREE 7-DAY VEGAN MEAL PLAN E-BOOK NOW! OR CHECK OUT ALL VEGAN MEAL PLAN RECIPES! ⇐

    Dried Cranberry Jelly/Jam (No Gelatin!)

    Emese Maczko
    Recipes with cranberries are essential to make for Thanksgiving. Do you need one at the last minute? It is the quickest and easiest recipe using dried cranberries. Whether you sieve them or not, you end up with cranberry jelly or jam. Which one would you prefer?
    4.4 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 20 minutes mins
    Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
    Servings 4 servings (¼ cup)
    Calories 274kcal

    Equipment

    • Non-stick sauce pan (3-quart / 2.8 liter)
    • Immersion hand blender with 20 fl oz container
    • Fine mesh strainer
    • Food mill
    • Heart-shaped silicone mold
    • Simple silicone bundt mold

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 2 cup Dried cranberries
    • 4 cup Water
    • ½ cup Cane sugar or coconut sugar
    • 1 Tbsp Agar agar powder
    • ¼ tsp Cinnamon optional
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    EXCLUSIVE 5-ingredient recipes for busy home cooks that are ready in 15 minutes!Check out our Express Vegan Cookbook!

    Instructions
     

    • Soak dried cranberries in hot water to wash away the oil + sugar that store-bought cranberries are coated with. (You can skip this step, if you buy organic unsweetened craisins like this one here.)
    • Take a saucepan and add soaked craisins, water, and cane sugar.
    • Bring them to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the dried cranberries are soft.
    • Use a hand blender and blend it until smooth.

    Making jelly

    • Take a fine mesh sieve and strain it to separate the pulp from the juicy cranberry sauce. Gently but firmly push it against the sides to work efficiently.
    • Transfer the strained cranberry sauce back to the saucepan and add agar-agar powder. You can use the pulp to add to your oatmeal, for example.
    • Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes to activate the agar-agar. Then pour your cranberry sauce into a silicone mold, jar, or tin can. Watch out, as it sets pretty quickly!

    Making jam

    • Skip straining and add agar-agar after blending.
    • Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5-6 minutes to activate the agar-agar. It will thicken into a jam consistency. Perfect!
    Tried this recipe? Can we see it?Please share a picture with us by uploading an image to Pinterest below ours.

    Notes

    For more variations and flavor ideas, read the post above the recipe card. 

    Top tips

    • Why do you need a thickener? → Cranberries usually have natural pectin, making a great sauce or jam without any thickener. However, add extra pectin, gelatin, or other types if you require jelly consistency. Since we are a vegan blog, we prefer to use plant-based thickeners like agar-agar powder.
    • How to use agar-agar? → Like any other thickener, it also requires heat to activate it. This means you should heat any liquid with agar-agar over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes. Unlike starch, where you can see the mixture thickening immediately, you will not see any changes in texture with agar-agar during this 5-6 minutes. However, it sets quickly(!!!). So prepare your mold in advance, as you will not have time to search for it later!
    • Do you need a unique strainer? → We use a regular fine-mesh strainer. A chinois strainer or a food mill also works. 

    Video

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Dried Cranberry Jelly/Jam (No Gelatin!)
    Amount Per Serving (4 servings (¼ cup))
    Calories 274 Calories from Fat 9
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 1g2%
    Saturated Fat 0.1g1%
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0.2g
    Sodium 16mg1%
    Potassium 53mg2%
    Carbohydrates 76g25%
    Fiber 3g13%
    Sugar 69g77%
    Protein 0.2g0%
    Vitamin A 0.4IU0%
    Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
    Calcium 22mg2%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in Dec 2019. More info, tips, and details were added, and it was republished in Nov 2022.

    71 shares

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.43 from 7 votes (7 ratings without comment)

      Leave a comment Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating





      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. CRISTINA SMARS

      April 23, 2024 at 2:53 am

      How do you go from step 7 to 8? If the agar sets so quickly, how do you get the boiled cranberry into the squeeze bottle? Can you share your technique?

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Portrait of Emese and Nandi My Pure Plants

    Hi, we are Emese Maczkó and Nándor Barta, the founders and recipe creators behind My Pure Plants. We are sharing our knowledge and expertise in vegan recipes and encourage you to try home-cooked meals using locally-sourced, organic, whole foods.

    More about us →

    Reader Favorites

    • A large white bowl with white rice and sticky brown battered strips on top sprinkled with sesame seeds, orange peels and chopped spring onion
      Crispy Vegan Orange Chicken (Copycat Panda Express)
    • Lots of spring rolls cut in half and arranged in a semi-circular dish facing upwards around a brown dipping sauce.
      Crispy Rice Paper Spring Rolls
    • A burger with layers of green ruffled lettuce, yellow sauce, thin cheese slices, dark brown burger patty twice, sliced pickles and white chopped onion.
      Meaty Vegan TVP Burger (Big Mac Style)
    • Copycat IKEA Veggie Balls

    Hearty stews

    • Vegetable stew in a red white enameled Dutch oven with lots of chopped vegetables like potatoes, carrots, mushroom, celery and red kidney beans. Topped with freshly chopped green herbs.
      The Best Hearty Vegetable Stew
    • 2 white bowls with thick brown stew, lentils, chopped veggies and a couple of dumplings. The remaining stew is in a red-white Dutch oven.
      Vegan Stew with Dumplings
    • Red Dutch oven from above with a stew where you can see chopped potatoes, spinach leaves, carrot slices, tomatoes, and mushroom slices. Slices of bread is next to it. A hand is holding a spoon taking some from the middle
      Jackfruit Stew (Vegan Beef Stew)
    • Cast iron skillet with veggie stew topped with puff pastry in a lattice pattern.
      Vegan Pot Pie
    Portrait of Emese and Nandi My Pure Plants

    Hi, we are Emese Maczkó and Nándor Barta, the founders and recipe creators behind My Pure Plants. We are sharing our knowledge and expertise in vegan recipes and encourage you to try home-cooked meals using locally-sourced, organic, whole foods.

    More about us →

    Reader Favorites

    • A large white bowl with white rice and sticky brown battered strips on top sprinkled with sesame seeds, orange peels and chopped spring onion
      Crispy Vegan Orange Chicken (Copycat Panda Express)
    • Lots of spring rolls cut in half and arranged in a semi-circular dish facing upwards around a brown dipping sauce.
      Crispy Rice Paper Spring Rolls
    • A burger with layers of green ruffled lettuce, yellow sauce, thin cheese slices, dark brown burger patty twice, sliced pickles and white chopped onion.
      Meaty Vegan TVP Burger (Big Mac Style)
    • Copycat IKEA Veggie Balls

    Hearty stews

    • Vegetable stew in a red white enameled Dutch oven with lots of chopped vegetables like potatoes, carrots, mushroom, celery and red kidney beans. Topped with freshly chopped green herbs.
      The Best Hearty Vegetable Stew
    • 2 white bowls with thick brown stew, lentils, chopped veggies and a couple of dumplings. The remaining stew is in a red-white Dutch oven.
      Vegan Stew with Dumplings
    • Red Dutch oven from above with a stew where you can see chopped potatoes, spinach leaves, carrot slices, tomatoes, and mushroom slices. Slices of bread is next to it. A hand is holding a spoon taking some from the middle
      Jackfruit Stew (Vegan Beef Stew)
    • Cast iron skillet with veggie stew topped with puff pastry in a lattice pattern.
      Vegan Pot Pie

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Contact
    • About
    • Media & Press
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Nutritional disclaimer
    • General Disclaimer

    Categories

    • Vegan Main Dishes
    • Vegan Soups
    • Vegan Desserts
    • Vegan Pasta Sauces
    • Vegan Sides

    Seasonal

    • Vegan Lentil Loaf
    • Vegan Shredded Chicken
    • Chickpea Mushroom Curry
    • Hokkaido Pumpkin Soup
    • Vegan Bechamel

    Quick links

    • TVP Recipes
    • Quick Vegan Meals
    • Creamy Vegan Soups
    • Rice Paper Recipes
    • Oyster Mushroom Recipes

    This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.

    Stock images for articles by Depositphotos.com.

    Copyright © 2018-2024

    71 shares

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.