Red Currant Jelly
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Bursting with the fresh and vibrant flavor of summer, this beautiful and delicious Red Currant Jelly recipe is made without pectin and requires just two ingredients – fruit and sugar!
For more berrylicious jams try our Black Currant Jam, Gooseberry Jam, Blackberry Jam, and Huckleberry Jam!
Growing up in Germany and England, red currant jelly is something I enjoyed on a regular basis and I was so disappointed when I moved to the U.S. to find that it is virtually unknown here. Unable to find fresh red currants or red currant jelly in the stores or at the farmer’s markets, I started growing my own. Now I can open up a jar of this homemade jelly and enjoy the delicious taste of red currants all year long.
A popular condiment throughout Europe, in particular England, France, and Germany, this homemade red currant jelly without pectin is made with only two ingredients and can be ready to grace your table any time of the year. From savory roast meats to sweet pastries and confections, you won’t be able to get enough!
What Are Red Currants?
Red currants are a type of berry known for their bright, tart, sweet taste and harvested during the summer season. These bright red berries are considered part of the superfruit category. They might be small but they pack a punch when it comes to antioxidants, vitamin C, and potassium. Great for snacking on their own, they are also often made into jellies (like the one we’re making today) or sauces. Aside from their health benefits, red currants are even used in face masks to brighten and firm the skin. These beautiful red gems can do it all!
How to Use Red Currant Jelly
Red Currants are bursting with such tangy flavor, they pair perfectly with anything from venison to English muffins. Of course spreading this jelly on your morning toast is the easiest way to enjoy this tart treat. But it can be used for so much more! Try it with lamb, roast chicken, or turkey as you would a classic cranberry sauce. Charcuterie boards are another great way to enjoy this jelly – it’s a delicious accompaniment to your smokey meats and cheeses.
If you’re looking for the sweeter side of this delectable jelly, it’s great for English muffins, scones, pound cake, coffee cake, or used as a filling in pastries, pop tarts, and muffins. Mix it in yogurt, use it to flavor cake frostings, use it in English trifles, layer cakes, thumbprint cookies, Linzer Kekse, and more. One of of the many ways I like to eat this red currant jelly is by spreading it on my homemade English Crumpets – it’s SO good!
Does This Require Pectin?
Nope! Red Currants are not only high in vitamins, they are also high in natural pectin and acidity which enables it to gel beautifully without any additional pectin. Red currants and sugar are all you need!
Do I Have to Remove the Seeds?
No, it’s entirely up to you. You can either remove the seeds with food mill to make a smooth red currant jelly or you can leave the seeds in if you prefer some texture. It’s strictly a matter of personal preference.
How Long Does It Keep?
Red currant jelly can be stored in a sealed jar in the fridge for several months. When properly canned, this jelly can sit on the pantry shelf for at least 12 months without losing any of that amazing flavor. I grow my own red currants and make several batches of this jelly to have on hand throughout the year. It’s a particularly wonderful addition to any festive table and it also makes a great gift. You really can’t beat that homemade touch.
Red Currant Jelly Recipe
Let’s get started!
You can use fresh or frozen red currants. Rinse and drain them. If you’re planning on making jelly by removing the seeds, don’t worry if your berries have stems – just add the berries with their stems directly in to the pot. If you are making jam and are not running the berries through the food mill, be sure to remove and discard all the stems and leaves.
Add just a little bit of water to the bottom of the pot – just enough to cover the bottom to prevent scorching. Cook the currants, stirring frequently, until they are soft and wilted.
Run the berries and liquid through a food mill.
Weigh how much of berry pulp you have and then place it all back into the pot and discard the remnants left in the food mill.
Typically jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar so in the case of this red currant jelly you will weigh the red currant puree and then use the same amount of sugar. That said, feel free to use less sugar if you prefer, it will not impact the safety of your jam/jelly for canning.
Add the sugar to the berry puree in the pot and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil the berry puree for 5 minutes and then do a wrinkle test to check if the jelly has set. You do this by placing a plate in the freezer for several minutes. Then spoon a tiny bit of jelly onto the chilled plate and wait a couple of minutes. Push against the jelly mixture with your finger; if it wrinkles when you push it the jelly is set and ready. If it doesn’t let the jelly mixture boil for a few more minutes before testing it again.
Ladle the hot jam into sterilized jars and wipe the rims clean before screwing on the lids. For long-term storage process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes (mine was packed so this time I used a regular extra large pot and layered dish towels on the bottom so the jars didn’t make contact with the metal bottom). Carefully remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours before removing the lid rings. Store in a dark, cool place where they will keep for at least 12 months.
Alternatively you can skip the water bath process and let the jars cool completely after filling them and then store them in the fridge for up to several months.
Enjoy!
For more delicious homemade jams and spreads be sure to try our:
- Toasted Hazelnut and Date Spread
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Blackberry Jam
- Plum Jam
- Black Currant Jam
- Gooseberry Jam
- Huckleberry Jam
- Peach Bacon Jam
- Blueberry Lemon Apricot Jam
- Lemon Lime Marmalade
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Red Currant Jelly
Ingredients
- fresh or frozen red currants , rinsed and drained (leaves removed; if you're using a food mill to remove the seeds you do not need to remove the stems)
- sugar (an equal amount in weight to the weighed berry pulp; see directions below)
Instructions
- Place the red currants in a heavy stock pot. Add just a little bit of water to the bottom of the pot - just enough to cover the bottom to prevent scorching. Cook the currants, stirring frequently, until they are soft and wilted.
- Run the berries and liquid through a food mill (this is optional if you wish to remove the seeds). Weigh how much of berry pulp you have and then weigh an equal amount of sugar. Place the berry pulp and the sugar back in the pot. Bring it to boil, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until the sugar is dissolved. Continue to boil for another 5-10 minutes and then do a wrinkle test to check if the jelly has set. You do this by placing a plate in the freezer for several minutes, then spoon a tiny bit of jelly onto the chilled plate and wait a couple of minutes. Push against the jelly mixture with your finger. If it wrinkles when you push it the jelly is set and ready. If it doesn't let the jelly mixture boil for a few more minutes before testing it again.
- Ladle the hot jam into sterilized jars and wipe the rims clean before screwing on the lids. For long-term storage process in a water bath canner for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the jars and let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours before removing the lid rings. Store in a dark, cool place where they will keep for at least 12 months.Alternatively you can skip the water bath process and let the jars cool completely after filling them and then store them in the fridge for up to several months.
Originally published March 19, 2021
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Wow, this was the first time I made currant jelly, must be lots of pectin in those little gems! It set up so fast that I couldn’t believe it. Much faster than other fruit jam/jellies. Used pink currants, cut the sugar by 10%, but still too sweet for me… I’d advise adding ½ the amount of sugar, then ‘taste and add’ more as needed. I needed to thin it, so used a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon which amped up the flavor a notch as well. Serendipity!
If you like the taste of wine, consider replacing the scant amount of water with a splash of wine; any good wine should work well.
Fantastic, Thom, thanks so much for the feedback!
This was so simple to make and tastes absolutely devine. We will be trying with roast lamb this weekend. I will definitely make this again.
Thank you, Elaine, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
So … not a “jejjy” since it is not just refined juice but rather a “jam” using pulp. Delicious in any form. I have red currants, black currants and gooseberries all just coming ripe. I experimented last year with using Monk Fruit/erythritol as sweetener but that was a huge bust! Using sugar now for brilliance in the jam/jelly — will just control portion (that’s my difficulty.)
I did a hybrid of your recipe, keeping the red currants whole and then making a jelly, each jar has a float of berries on top, and did use one pack of liquid pectin, so i will keep yposted on how they turn out, but they look lovely and the taste in the leftover pan was amazing.
I love red currants, have 3 bushes (we just moved them last year)and usually make jelly with them. I also make a raspberry red currant jelly; the high pectin red currants help the low (zero) pectin raspberries and make a delicious jelly! This year I added a liquor (Tattersal’s Crème de Fleur) to the jelly right after it hit the gel point, stirred it in (lots of bubbles) and let it come back to a boil, checked the gel point and it was beautiful (and delicious!).
Have you ever done anything with the leftover fruit? Since I use an overnight strain (I do like the clear jelly), I have lots of fruit and wondered if I could use it like grape must?
That sounds delicious, Tina, thanks for sharing! We have chickens and they get the leftover fruit :) Your idea is far more creative! :)
Bitterly dissappointed. Usually very successful with the Redcurrent jelly but this technique failed miserably. What threw me was the term “food Mill”. I used a cold press machine which destroyed the juice. Better to let the boiled redcurrents drip through muslim overnight. A much cleaner clearer liquid. Your picture showed a fruit strainer. Also I thought “pulp” was the part that the juice had been removed from, not the juice itself. I will try another of your recipes. Perhaps I will have better luck next time.
Absolutely FLAWLESS!! THANK YOU SO MUCH for This Recipe! I only had 1 1/2 cups of Red Currants (Pork Tenderloin w Red Currant Sauce)……But This Worked PERFECTLY & I ended up with Double of what I needed!!
I’m so glad, Sarah, thanks so much for the feedback!
It grows wild all around where I live In New York great place to plant