Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (2024)

Red currants are a rare summer find. If you're lucky enough to have a bush at home, or your farmers' market carries these tiny and delicious berries when in season, try our recipe for a simple jelly and enjoy the sweet and tart flavor of this delicious fruit all year round. If the currants you find still have stems on, don't bother picking the fruit off as the stems themselves have pectin, which will further help the fruit to achieve a better gel. Plus, the stems add some tannins to the mix, which are the compounds at the root of the attractive astringent flavor in, for example, wine and coffee. If your currants are already picked, you'll still get a beautiful jelly.

Made with fruit, sugar, and water, this jelly doesn't need the addition of store-bought pectin, as the currants naturally possess a perfect combination of pectin and acidity, which ensures a good gel and texture without the need to add any stabilizer agent. The result is a delicious jelly with color as brilliant and bright as that of the fruit. We use measurements for a small-batch recipe as currants can be both difficult to find and expensive—unless you grow your own. But if you are blessed with an abundance of them, simply double the recipe.

This easy jelly is delicious serve alongside game, venison especially. But it pairs well with roast lamb, beef, and cornish hens. Use it on toast, scones, English muffins, or as an addition to your cheese plate. Before you start, make sure to have at hand jars that are suitable for sterilizing.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ripe red currants

  • 1/2 cup water

  • 2 1/2 cups sugar

Steps to Make It

Cook and Strain the Fruit

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (1)

  2. Wash the currants, and if the stems are on don't pick them. You'll get rid of stems and seeds later when you strain their juice.

  3. Place the washed currants in a nonreactive pot—no cast iron unless it is enameled, and no aluminum. Add the water.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (3)

  4. Cook, stirring, over medium-low heat until the red currants have released all of their juice, about 20 minutes. While they are cooking, gently crush the fruit with a potato masher or the bottom of a wine bottle; this will help the fruit release the juice.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (4)

  5. Drain the red currants and their liquid overnight by pouring the mixture into either a dampened jelly bag or by lining a colander with butter muslin or several layers of cheesecloth. Pick your method and place a large bowl or pot underneath the bag or colander. Do not squeeze the jelly bag, muslin, or cheesecloth because that will result in a cloudy jelly.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (5)

Sterilize the Jars

  1. Sterilize your canning jars.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (6)

Make and Can the Jelly

  1. Once strained, measure the red currant juice. You should have about 2 1/2 cups.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (7)

  2. Pour the measured juice into a large, nonreactive pot and add an equal amount of sugar—for 2 1/2 cups of juice, add 2 1/2 cups of sugar.

  3. Bring the red currant juice and sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook until the mixture reaches the gelpoint.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (9)

  4. If the jelly is ready before the jars are sterilized, simply remove the jelly from the heat until the jars are ready. Reheat the jelly just back to a simmer before filling the jars.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (10)

  5. Ladle the hot, liquid jelly into the sterilized jars, leaving 1/4 to 1/2 inch headspace.

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  6. Screw on canning lids.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (12)

  7. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes. Keep in mind that the jelly will still be hot and liquid when it comes out of the boiling water bath. It will gel as it cools.

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (13)

  8. Once cooled, the jelly is ready to be used. Enjoy!

    Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (14)

What to Use in Place of Currant Jelly?

Finding currant jelly is not always easy, as it's seasonal, but there are some brands that you can find online or in specialized stores. If you can't find currant jelly, concord grape jelly or apple jelly are good substitutes to use; simply add a dash of lemon juice for some tartness. Alternatively, make a low-sugar cranberry sauce and add lemon zest and lemon juice.

What Are Currants?

  • American Food
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
102Calories
0g Fat
26g Carbs
1g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories102
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g0%
Saturated Fat 0g0%
Cholesterol 0mg0%
Sodium 1mg0%
Total Carbohydrate 26g9%
Dietary Fiber 2g6%
Total Sugars 24g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 15mg77%
Calcium 13mg1%
Iron 0mg2%
Potassium 104mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

  • jelly
  • currant
  • british
  • easter

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Easy Red Currant Jelly Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Do red currants contain pectin? ›

Redcurrants are rich in natural pectin and acid, making them a top-rate fruit for making jelly.

What can I use red currant jelly for? ›

A slightly tart jelly, great with game.

Works as an accompaniment to roasts, adds something special to gravy, and brings a delicious tartness where needed.

Why is red currant jelly hard to find? ›

Red currant jelly can be challenging to find in some areas due to several reasons: Seasonality: Red currants aren't as widely grown as other fruits, and their availability is seasonal.

What can I do with red currants from my garden? ›

Redcurrant recipes
  1. Berry shortbread cheesecake slice. A star rating of 4.8 out of 5. ...
  2. Redcurrant & red onion relish. A star rating of 4.3 out of 5. ...
  3. Summer pudding. ...
  4. Raspberry & redcurrant cobbler. ...
  5. Duck breasts with redcurrant & onion relish. ...
  6. Peach & redcurrant sour cream ring. ...
  7. Venison stew. ...
  8. Pear & rose punch.

Are red currants anti inflammatory? ›

Currant's nutrient profile makes them excellent antioxidants. In addition, they are also anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antimicrobial, rich in fibre (both soluble and insoluble), nearly fat-free, and great for your eyesight. Here are some of the significant benefits of currant.

Why doesn't the US have red currants? ›

In the early 1900s, currants were banned in the northern United States to prevent the spread of white pine blister rust. However for most states, including Utah, the ban was lifted in 1966.

What is the difference between red currant jelly and blackcurrant jelly? ›

Red and white currants taste (and look) similar; they are tart with a touch of sweetness. Black currants are larger and have a distinctly different flavor, more earthy or musky than other currants (and a flavor much loved by connoisseurs).

Can you eat red currants raw? ›

Redcurrants are high in Vitamin C, K and antioxidants, they can be eaten raw but are naturally quite tart. Like blackcurrants, redcurrants were banned from being grown in America during the early 1900s, this ban was only lifted in 1966.

Is redcurrant jelly the same as redcurrant sauce? ›

Redcurrant sauce, also known as redcurrant jelly, is an English condiment, consisting of redcurrants (Ribes rubrum), sugar and rosemary.

Does Smuckers make currant jelly? ›

Smucker's® Currant Jelly 12 oz. Jar | Jellies | Superlo Foods.

Why is currant not popular in the US? ›

Blackcurrant bushes were grown in America back in the 1629s, but in 1911, the professional cultivation of the plant was banned. It is a carrier of a fungus called white pine blister rust. Hence, blackcurrant was declared illegal to protect pine forests.

What is the shelf life of red currant? ›

At low temperatures, the blackcurrants have a shelf-life of 2–6 days and redcurrants 2–4 weeks, dependent on maturity stage. Picking the berries slightly unripe increases the shelf-life. The fruits should be kept cooled during transportation and marketing.

Can you freeze fresh red currants? ›

Red currants taste especially yummy on a hot day when frozen. Simply put currants, stems and all, on a tray and freeze. Pop frozen currants into lemonade, or just eat frozen currants as a cool treat.

What is the pest in red currants? ›

Currant blister aphid (Cryptomyzus ribis) are pale yellow and live on the underside of the leaves where they feed by sucking sap. Where they feed a puckering, distortion and reddish discolouration often develops. Wingless forms of the blister aphid are active on currants from bud burst until July.

Can you eat red currant leaves? ›

Currant leaves are commonly dried and used in teas. Young leaves are used in the Finnish summer drink known as 'Louhisaari'. Currant leaves are so tasty that when steeped in a warm liquid, they release a definitive currant-like flavor. This makes them good as a flavoring agent for jellies and ice creams.

Which fruit has the most natural pectin? ›

Some fruits and vegetables are more pectin-rich than others. For example, apples, carrots, oranges, grapefruits, and lemons contain more pectin than cherries, grapes, and other small berries with citrus fruits containing the most pectin.

Which berries are high in pectin? ›

High-Pectin Fruits
  • tart, underripe apples.
  • unripe blackberries.
  • lemons, limes.
  • crab apples.
  • cranberries.
  • currants.
  • gooseberries.
  • plums (but not Italian variety)
Mar 24, 2019

What are red currants high in? ›

Rich in iron, Vitamin C and dietary fiber and potassium. Using Ordermentum? Sourced from Poland, our red currants are pearl sized, red to light-red colour and have a sour tart flavour.

Are Jostaberries high in pectin? ›

Jostaberry is characterized by high content of biologically active substances, as well as pectin (0.8–1.5 g per 100 g of raw matter). Due to the high content of pectin, jostaberry is a promising raw material for the structured sweet dishes production, such as jelly.

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