21 Christmas Jam Recipes to Sweeten Your Holidays

Christmas time is always the right time to bring out your most cherished and beloved recipes. This counts double for the sweets! You’ll never go wrong with a good jam around Christmas: it works as a topping, an accent, and an ingredient unto itself, and you can enjoy it for breakfast, lunch, and Christmas dinner! It also makes a great homemade gift or stocking stuffer.

Below you’ll find some of my favorite jam recipes to make around the holidays that I’ve rounded up from around the net. Sweet, tangy, and even savory, you’ll find something for every palate below…

Traditional Christmas Jam

Christmas jam means different things to different people. Often it is a family favorite recipe, but there is a specific kind of jam that is called, of course, Christmas jam.

The combination of cranberries, oranges, and fragrant herbs is instantly recognizable and will transport you back in time. I can’t tell you how many occasions I’ve enjoyed this throughout my life. It’s amazing on bread and toast, English muffins, pork, and a whole lot more. If you haven’t tried it yourself, make this one a priority! Get the recipe.

Easy Christmas Jam

If you want the basic flavors of traditional Christmas jam but in a recipe that’s a bit easier to bring together, give this one a go.

Cranberries, oranges, and the comforting familiarity of strawberries all work really well together, and this one is a bit sweeter than the previous recipe. I’ve found it is a favorite of children and picky eaters who don’t like the astringency of cranberry and orange alone. Get the recipe.

Red Wine Fig Jam

As far as I’m concerned, nothing is more delicious or decadent than fig jam. But like anything else, you can always take it to the next level. The addition of red wine gives this a rich, indescribable, and sophisticated flavor that is perfect for charcuterie boards, toasted bagel rounds, and a whole lot more.

I like this with a little slice of turkey and watercress on wheat crackers. It’s very sweet, but it pairs wonderfully with savory foods too. Get the recipe.

Maple-Cranberry Butter

Maple is another flavor that is commonly associated with Christmas time, and you already know the cranberries are. Why not bring both of these classics together in an easy and totally delicious butter recipe?

This is a topping your whole family will go wild for, and it’s so good you shouldn’t be surprised to catch them eating it right out of the jar. Take it from me, you’ll want to make a big batch because your relatives are going to want to take some home. Get the recipe.

Apricot-Thyme Jam

Fruit and herb is a combination you’ll see over and over again for Christmas time jam recipes. And that’s for good reason! Even a little dash of dried or fresh herbs can change the flavor of typical jam into something unique and memorable.

Apricot is loved for its sweetness and velvety, rich texture. The addition of earthy thyme transforms it completely. This is another one of my favorites on this list, and one that I enjoy year-round. Get the recipe.

Herbal Honey-Strawberry Jam

It doesn’t get more basic, and for some people it doesn’t get better, than good old-fashioned strawberry jam. Nothing wrong with it, but if you want to step it up a little bit, adding honey and, again, various herbs takes it from mundane to masterpiece.

Here’s what’s interesting about strawberries in particular, though: they pair incredibly well with nearly every kitchen herb you can think of, from basil and oregano to lavender and rosemary. This makes this recipe perfect for experimenters, and allows you to push it a little more toward the sweet or savory side of the plate. Get the recipe.

Balsamic Sweet Onion Jam

Here’s another showstopper! Caramelized, syrupy, savory, sweet balsamic onions are a festival of flavor. These are incredible on everything from burgers to crackers and a whole lot more.

If you’ve never had this stuff, it’s hard to imagine it could be anything but revolting, but I give you my word this is a recipe that will change your life for the better. Be sure to put this one near the top of your list if you’ve got sweet-salty fans in your family. Get the recipe.

Gingerbread Pear Preserves

Sometimes it’s best to trot out old faithful. Pear trees, and accordingly pears themselves, have long been associated with Christmas: “a partridge in a pear tree!” Admit it, you love the song as much as I do.

But besides that, the subtly sweet, unique flavor of pears pairs amazingly with other fruit and lots of other dishes. This is another super simple and straightforward recipe that’s perfect for beginning jam makers or if you need some last-minute gifts and goodies. Get the recipe.

Bourbon Peach Jam

Adding booze to your cooking is a wonderful way to add depth and intrigue to dishes and to impart flavors that you can’t get any other way. The woody, warm, smoky notes of bourbon transform peach jam into something singularly unique and delicious. As far as I’m concerned, it is so good it could be our national dish.

Strange as it might sound, something about the flavor profile just says “holidays” to me. Put me to the test and try this one. Get the recipe.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

A quintessential Christmas time sweet treat, thumbprint cookies need a dollop of jam as the central ingredient. Warm, gooey, cooked jam surrounded by soft, crumbly cookie is a heavenly combination and one that everyone in your house will enjoy with a cup of coffee, tea, cider, or any other beverage of choice.

This is another versatile and adaptable recipe because they can be made with almost any kind of jam there is. Get the recipe.

Easy Slow-Cooker Apple Butter

It always surprises me how few people who don’t live in the South have had apple butter. Thick, rich, a little savory, and a lot sweet, this is another can’t-miss option for breakfast.

But traditional apple butter is surprisingly involved to make. This easy slow-cooker recipe eliminates the guesswork and most of the effort. Get the recipe.

No-Peel Easy Apple Butter

If you are really pressed for time and still want a batch of tasty apple butter, this recipe variation even lets you skip the peeling! Get the recipe.

Caramel Apple Butter

From October through December, one seasonal treat stays on my mind: caramel apples! You can enjoy the wonderful flavor profile on anything with this caramel apple butter recipe.

Fair warning: it is fiendishly addictive, and your relatives will fight over it! Get the recipe.

Caramel Cardamom Fig Jam

If you are a caramel fiend like I am, but you want a jam that is equal parts sophisticated and super tasty, this caramel cardamom fig jam recipe will definitely earn you a spot on people’s Christmas card list.

Warm, sweet, savory, and indefinably satisfying, your friends will think you spent years in a culinary institution when you whip this one out. Get the recipe.

Bourbon Bacon Jam

Another bourbon-based jam recipe, and one that will tickle the fancy of those who love salty snacks. The smoky, woody notes of bourbon simply belong with bacon, and wrapping it all up in a sweet jam turns this into one of the best toppings you’ll ever try in your life. Get the recipe.

Apple Pie Jam

Nothing is more American or more comforting around Christmas time than a classic apple pie. You can get all of the flavor in a smaller package that’s easy to spread with this jam recipe. Get the recipe.

Orange Curd

Part filling, part topping, but 100% super yummy, think of orange curd as the less tart cousin of lemon curd. It works in a lot of the same dishes in the same ways. This is something you’ll want in your repertoire to accompany the classic Christmas jam I talked about above. Get the recipe.

Classic Rhubarb Jam

Rhubarb is usually seen in jam recipes as the second player to strawberry in strawberry-rhubarb jam. The original, though, has unique qualities that deserve to shine. I said that Christmas time is the right time to trot out all of your unique and special jam recipes, and that includes this one. Get the recipe.

Gluten-Free Paleo Pear Butter

Holiday menus are where many diets go to die, but for those with sensitivities or super strict nutritional regimens, fear not. You don’t have to miss out. This gluten-free and paleo-friendly pear butter recipe is outstanding, and it will keep your diet on track and your gut healthy. Get the recipe.

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter

Pumpkin pie is the centerpiece dessert from Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas. Enjoy those flavors in a spreadable format with this slow-cooker pumpkin butter. It requires next to no real effort and tastes like you spent all day working on it. Get the recipe.

Cabernet Cranberry Blueberry Sauce

Closing our list with another highly sophisticated recipe, a combination of cabernet, cranberries, and blueberries in a delectable sauce produces a flavor that must be tasted to be believed. It’s perfect over poultry and pork, drizzled over cheese, and a lot more. Get the recipe.