Cranberry Pear Jam - Traditional and Low Sugar Recipes (2024)

I tried plain pear jam several years ago and was underwhelmed. The taste was quite bland. This year I've been blessed with a bounty of pears from the neighbors again, so I went looking for some different recipes.

First I took the most overripe pears and made up a batch of pear wine with candied ginger. Next I ran across a recipe for Autumn Cranberry Pear Jam in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. (If you enjoy canning, I highly recommend this book. There are tons of great recipes!)

I didn't have a couple of the ingredients (they used liquid pectin and apple juice), so I made some substitutions for the first batch.

We loved the flavor profile of the traditional jam, but it was quite sweet. I made batch #2 with Pomona's Pectin and less than half the sugar – much more fruit flavor. I'll share both versions here so you can choose the one that you prefer.

Cranberry Pear Jam – Traditional Recipe

Adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Ingredients

• 3 cups pears – cored, finely chopped and crushed (I kept the peels on – your choice)
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice or unsweetened apple juice or cider
• 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, organic preferred
• 2 tablespoons powdered pectin
• 1/2 teaspoon butter, to reduce foaming
• 5 cups granulated sugar

Directions

Prepare canner, jars and lids. Your water bath canner should be filled about 2/3 full – enough to cover cup sized jars with two inches of water. Jars should be sterilized and kept hot. I run mine through the dishwasher. Some people heat them in their canning water or in a warm oven. You can see my full canning stovetop set up in the currant jelly post.

In a large, non-reactive pot (I use a heavy bottom stainless steel pot), combine pears, dried cranberries, pomegranate or apple juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, butter and powdered pectin. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in all sugar. Return to full rolling roil and boil exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam, if desired.

Ladle into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two piece lids. Screw bands until snug. Process for 10 minutes in a water bath canner. Turn off heat, remove canner lid, let sit five minutes. Remove from canner and place on kitchen towel on counter top. After jars are cool, check seals. Refrigerate any jars that did not seal and use them first. (It's rare that a jam jar will not seal, but once in a while there may be a nicked rim or some other factor that causes a failure.)

Makes around 6-7 cups.

Cranberry Pear Jam – Low Sugar Recipe

Adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Ingredients

• 3 cups pears – cored, finely chopped and crushed (I kept the peels on – your choice)
• 2/3 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup cranberry juice or unsweetened apple juice or cider
• 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar or 3/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, organic preferred
• 2 teaspoons Pomona's pectin powder
• 2 teaspoons calcium water (included with Pomona's Pectin)

Directions

In a small bowl, mix together sugar or honey and pectin powder. Don’t skip this step, or your pectin will clump. Set aside.

In a large, non-reactive pot (I use a heavy bottom stainless steel pot),combine pears, dried cranberries, pomegranate or apple juice, lemon juice, cinnamon, and the calcium water. Bring to a full boil.

Add honey-pectin or sugar-pectin mixture, stir vigorously 1-2 minutes while cooking to dissolve pectin. Return to boil and remove from heat.

Ladle jam into sterilized jars leaving 1/4″ headspace. Wipe rims clean and screw on the lids. Process for 10 minutes in water bath canner (add 1 minute for every 1,000 feet above sea level). Jam will last about three weeks once opened. Makes around 5 cups.

The cranberries, cinnamon and fruit juice team up with the natural sweetness of the pears to make a great fall jam that is more than the sum of its parts. If you use a fair amount of cinnamon, I highly recommend buying bulk Ceylon cinnamon, as opposed to cassia or Chinese cinnamon. The flavor is richer and more complex.

More Preserving Recipes and Tips you May Enjoy

• 9 Ways to Preserve Pears, Plus Tips to Prevent Browning
• Blueberry Pear Jam
• Autumnberry-Apple Cider Jam
• Peach Jam Two Ways – Peach Vanilla and Fuzzy Navel
• Pumpkin Fruit Leather – Tastes Like Portable Pumpkin Pie

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Originally posted in 2013, last updated in 2018.