Mulled Berry Jam
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If you’re looking for festive joy in a jar, you’ll be delighted by this mulled berry jam! It features the warm spices and rich aroma of mulled wine or cider, but you can spread it on your breakfast sourdough toast or serve it on a party cheese platter. It’s something a little different for cold winter days and gives you a bit of holiday spirit with every bite!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Great for gifting - With its deep berry color and festive flavors, this jam makes a fabulous gift idea during the holiday season. Whether you bring it to a holiday party or tuck it into someone’s stocking, this jam will brighten up anyone’s day.
Very versatile - this jam can use fresh or frozen berries so you can make it during the summer or the depths of winter. And while I love adding port or red wine for a grown-up twist, you can leave out the alcohol and just use orange juice if you’d prefer.
No pectin required - I added an apple to this recipe and simmered the jam with orange peels, which provides all the thickening you need, just like this small batch strawberry jam and orange and cranberry jam.
Ingredients
- Berries - you can use fresh or frozen for this recipe. I used a frozen berry medley of blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackcurrants, but if you want the reddest jam you could use all raspberries. No need to thaw!
- Sugar - you can use brown sugar or white sugar here.
- Apple - apples have a lot of pectin (green apples have the most!) so the jam thickens naturally.
- Cinnamon - I used ground cinnamon for a lovely warmth, but you could also use cinnamon sticks and fish them out with the other whole spices.
- Cloves - I added whole cloves for depth, but you could use ground if that’s what you have.
- Star anise - for a hint of licorice sweetness
- Orange zest, plus half an orange - the zest and juice adds brightness and flavor, the peel adds additional pectin to thicken the jam.
- Red wine or port - for a grown-up twist! Most of the alcohol will cook off as you make the jam, but you could substitute with orange juice if you prefer not to have any alcohol at all.
How To Make Mulled Berry Jam
Put the wine, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise in a small heavy based saucepan. Squeeze in the juice from the orange slices and add the peels to the pot too. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes to let the spices infuse the wine, adjusting the heat if needed to maintain a low simmer. Strain the mixture into a bowl and discard the cloves and star anise. I keep the peels in to add more pectin, they’re easy to fish out later.
Put the berries, sugar, apple, and orange zest into the pot along with the orange peels and pour the spiced red wine over the berries. Stir to combine everything and heat over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium, adjusting the heat as needed to keep it at a low simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and jammy.
About halfway through, I like to check on the taste and see if it needs any additional sugar. Just remember the jam will be super hot! If the pot looks dry or the flavor is intense, you can add a splash of water. This is also a good time to carefully use your spoon to smush any larger berries like strawberries that haven’t broken down, plus fish out the orange peels.
After about 30 minutes the jam should be close to done, so I stir constantly in the last few minutes to keep an eye on the texture. The jam should be thick and bubble up slowly like lava. Cook until you’re happy with the consistency, then turn off the heat. It’s OK if it’s a little runny as it thickens up quite a bit once cooled.
You can store the jam in an airtight container, but I like to use sterilized jars so it lasts a bit longer and they’re ready for easy gifting! Sterilize the jars you’re using with boiling water or run them through a super hot dishwasher cycle. Transfer the jam to the jars while they’re both still hot. I like to use a stainless steel jam funnel to keep from making a mess! Leave about 1cm headspace at the top of each jar, then seal the jars tightly and let cool on the counter before transferring to the fridge.
Kate's Recipe Tips
- Using mixed berries means it can be hard to tell the sweetness of the fruit, so consider the amount of sugar listed as a starting point. If using very tart or out-of-season berries or you prefer a sweeter jam, add a bit more sugar.
- You don’t need to peel the apples! As long as they’re finely diced or shredded or grated (by hand or in a food processor, up to you) the peels will break down with the rest of the fruit.
- I found this jam bubbled up a bit during cooking, especially if I hadn’t stirred it for a few minutes, so keep an eye on the heat and turn it down if needed. And since it’s got red wine in it, maybe don’t lean over the pot wearing your best white shirt!
Serving Ideas
This jam is fantastic spread on a piece of buttered sourdough, but there are so many ways to enjoy the mulled wine flavor.
- Try spooning some jam onto this Baked Brie in a Sourdough Bread Bowl.
- For a fun grown-up cookie, the aromatic spices add lots of extra oomph to my Sourdough Thumbprint Cookies.
- I love a good homemade jam to serve with a cheese platter. These mulled wine flavors would be fantastic alongside good cheddar and seeded sourdough crackers.
- I always appreciate a nice quick breakfast that’s still full of flavor, and a spoonful of this jam stirred into Sourdough Baked Oatmeal is both easy and indulgent at the same time.
- Tied with a bit of ribbon or kitchen twine, I love this mulled berry jam as a festive gift alongside a homemade loaf of sourdough (I love gifting these small batch sourdough loaves)!
How To Store and Freeze
I don’t can this jam, I pop it in the fridge. With the sterilized jars, it lasts at least a month unopened, and once opened I try to use it within 2 weeks or so. You can also freeze the jars, just make sure you’ve left enough room in the jars for the jam to expand when it freezes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Much of the wine will be cooked off during the simmer, but usually there will be a small amount of alcohol left. If you don’t want any trace of alcohol, I recommend substituting with orange juice.
You can push the jam through a sieve if you like. I prefer my jams rustic with chunks of fruit so I don’t bother!
Cooking time can vary widely depending on your pans and your stove, as well as the variety and ripeness of your berries. You can increase the temperature if you’re trying to speed things up, but be sure to stir constantly to prevent any sticking or burning. Or, if you notice things moving faster, you can always turn down the heat.
Mulled Berry Jam
Equipment
- Heavy Based Pot
- Strainer
- Zester
- Stainless Steel Jam Funnel
Ingredients
- 100 g Port or red wine
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Whole Cloves
- 2 Star Anise
- 500 g Mixed Berries
- 200 g Sugar
- 60 g Apple (diced or shredded - approx. 1 small apple)
- 1 Orange (small orange, zested and sliced)
Instructions
- Put the wine, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise in a small heavy based saucepan. Squeeze in the orange slices and add the peels to the pot too. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
- Cook for 5 minutes to let the spices infuse the wine, adjusting the heat if needed to maintain a low simmer. Strain the mixture into a bowl and discard the cloves and star anise.
- Put the berries, sugar, apple, and orange zest into the pot along with the orange peels and pour the spiced red wine over the berries. Stir to combine everything and heat over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat to medium. Simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and jammy. About halfway through, I like to check on the taste and see if it needs more sugar or a splash of water, plus fish out the orange peels.
- After about 30 minutes the jam should be close to done, so stir constantly in the last few minutes to keep an eye on the texture. The jam should be thick and bubble up slowly like lava. Cook until you’re happy with the consistency, then turn off the heat. It’s OK if it’s a little runny as it thickens up quite a bit once cooled.
- Sterilize the jars you’re using with boiling water or run them through a super hot dishwasher cycle. Transfer the jam to the jars while they’re both still hot. I like to use a stainless steel jam funnel to keep from making a mess! Leave about 1cm headspace at the top of each jar, then seal the jars tightly and let cool on the counter before transferring to the fridge.
Nutrition
