I grew up with cranberry jelly from the can at Thanksgiving; but given its high-fructose corn syrup and gelatin (made from animal skin and bones), a healthier version is in order. This recipe is very easy to make and calls for only five ingredients!
Gelatin, the primary ingredient in traditional cranberry jellies (along with high-fructose corn syrup) is made from collagen that has been extracted from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of animals such as domesticated cattle, chicken, pigs, and fish. As a vegan, that sounds really unappetizing; even if I wasn't vegan, I don't think I would like eating that now that I know!
Other thickeners, like corn starch, arrowroot, and flour won't firm up a cranberry jelly as well as agar agar, which is vegan and derived from seaweed (but it doesn't smell or taste like seaweed).
Agar (or "agar agar") can be found as powder or threads; the threads take a little longer to dissolve in Step 2. I bought my agar agar powder online, but you can also find it in health-food grocery stores, or Asian markets. It's most often used in desserts, so check the baking isle.
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Cranberry Jelly
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4.5 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 8-oz. bag fresh whole cranberries (about 2½ cups)
- 5 oz. pitted dates (7-9 Medjool or 14-16 Deglet), chopped
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 4 teaspoons agar agar powder
Instructions
- Place the water, cranberries, dates, and pumpkin pie spice into a saucepan on medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Pour into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the pot, on medium-high heat, and stir in the agar powder with a fork or whisk to dissolve, bringing to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5-6 minutes to activate the agar, stirring or whisking frequently.
- Pour into your dish or container of choice, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator to set completely.
Notes
Cranberries: I could only find organic cranberries in 8-ounce bags, so that is what I used in this recipe. They are also sold in 12 and 16 ounce bags; if you have one of these sized bags, you'll have to do a little math. If you want a larger yield, I suggest buying two 8-oz. organic bags and doubling the recipe.
Pouring hot liquid into the Vitamix: As I was creating this recipe, I checked the Vitamix website to see what their guidelines are for hot liquid. They state that liquids up to 170F are safe. But if very hot liquid is blended in the plastic jar (say, right from boiling on the stovetop) repeatedly, it can crack and discolor your jar over time. This is why I say to let cool for at least 5 minutes in Step 1.
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup (9 servings total)
- Calories: 61
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 26 g
- Protein: 0.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0
Most recipes for homemade cranberry jelly instruct you to strain the mixture after blending (in Step 2), but I like keeping the whole (blended) cranberries and their fiber in the final jelly. It's a bit more matte looking and "rustic," which I kind of like.
I think if 1-3 more teaspoons of agar was used, it would work better, but then it gets pretty rubbery, which is fine if you don't mind a really stiff jelly. Many recipes for this online say to spray the mold with oil first, which I'm not willing to do since I never use oil in my recipes.
Having said all that, give it a try if you like; the purple, bigger mold above worked best compared to the rounded surfaces of the small hearts mold. The can worked okay but wasn't as smooth and shiny as store-bought cranberry jelly. If you do try the can, after it's set, use a can opener to open the bottom, and then push it out onto a plate or into a dish.
If you'd like to add some flair to your jelly, feel free to add raisins, nuts or small-diced fruit (apples, pears, persimmons) after blending the jelly. If you're looking for more texture, try my chunky Cranberry Sauce recipe, or my Raw Cranberry-Persimmon Relish recipe.
I haven't tried this, yet, as I'm just perusing right now. But, I thought I might suggest using an immersion blender and just leave the cranberry date mixture in the saucepan to blend.
Anyway, I'm excited to try this!
Sure! 🙂