Red Currant Jelly is a classic jelly that we prepare from scratch every year during the months of June and July in Europe.
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This red currant jelly recipe is without pectin and preservatives, you can make it easily at home with the process shots in the recipe and how to + tips further below.
If you like sweet savory spiced chutneys, then check out my red currant chutney.
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📕 What are red currants?
Red Currants (or redcurrants spelled) are ruby red semi-translucent round berries.
The red currants are related to gooseberries and black currants.
Similar varieties are the white albino currants and the jostaberry which is a cross of the red and white currant.
Red Currants grow in cold climates on shrubs and are usually harvested in July.
📜 Are they sour or sweet berries?
The red currants are usually turned into a sweet red currant syrup.
However, there is always enough red currants to prepare this organic red currant jelly recipe from scratch.
Red currants are known to be very sour fruits and they look like gorgeous sparkling ruby red stones.
The moment you crush a berry you realize that the red currants aren't just sour but extremely sour!
Then, of course, it depends where the red currant bush hail from.
For example, my grandfather and uncles grow red currants in north France.
Somehow those red currants always turn out sweeter in France as compared to the ones growing at 600 m above the sea level in the Austrian Alps.
Also if the red currant bush leaves don't get enough sun due to a heavy rainy spring, the berries tend to turn out more sour.
Besides the number of sun rays that hit the plant, the soil in which the bushes grow also has an impact on the sweetness of the fruits.
Though in general, commercially available red currants do tend to be sweeter.
We also shouldn't forget that sour berries indicate something important!
👩🏻⚕️ Health benefits
Sour means the berries are filled with nutritious ascorbic acid, better known as Vitamin C, which is an essential Antioxidant.
Antioxidants block damages caused by free radicals which can destroy DNA.
Consider this: The more free radicals the more health problems (cancer) and the faster you will age.
We all have come across these terms, Antioxidants and free radicals over the past couple of years but I noticed often that it isn't always understood by others.
So the knowledge around the topic is limited and people can be easily fooled.
I have a great example: Somebody proclaimed some selected fruits as superfoods, so-called cancer killers, as for example the soursop fruit, Guava and Goji berries to name a few.
The problem with that is that some people take advantage and are selling these so-called superfruits at overpriced rates in the markets to those who are desperate to find a cure for cancer, and that just can't be right.
You see, soursops or guava are not the only fruits rich in vitamin C, there are other fruits such as citrus fruits, red currant, blueberries or lesser-known Indian berries such as the Zunna berry which are also very rich in vitamin C.
These fruits are commonly available, completely normally priced, especially lemons and oranges.
To enjoy our red currants longer, I choose to preserve them.
One of the best ways to indulge in red currants is this red currant jelly recipe.
🫐 Ingredients
The red currant jelly recipe is a family recipe calling for only 3 ingredients.
Also, this red currant jelly is completely pectin-free.
If you want added flavor, then use organic red currants to bring out all the goodness of this gorgeous jelly.
The amount of sugar in the recipe below is normal for making any jam or jelly.
The sugar is required to preserve the jelly well and for a longer period.
If you would reduce the sugar, you would end up with mold on your gorgeous homemade jelly.
You would have to consume the jelly within only a few days.
Commercial jams have chemical preservatives included which makes the jam taste strange and artificial.
Also, these preservatives might not always be good for you.
That is why you need to use plain old regular sugar instead so that the jelly preserves long enough and so that you can retain the natural flavor in the jar.
When you intend to use the jelly, you usually just take a small spoonful on your bread slices, so the jelly will never taste too sweet.
🔪 How to make it?
To prepare this red currant jelly simply follow the steps.
Find the full printable recipe further below with the ingredient and instruction details.
Step 1
Wash your fruits and place the red currants into a pot with water.
Boil until the water is infused with the cooked red currants.
Step 2
Strain to separate the hot red currant water from the fruit pieces.
Discard the fruit pieces.
Cook the red currant water with the sugar.
Step 3
Cook the red currant jelly until it is set.
Test if the jelly is set with a thermometer: 220 Fahrenheit/ 105 Celsius OR test by dropping some hot jelly on an ice-cold plate to see if it's running when cooled down.
Pour the red currant into jam jars when still hot and liquid right after cooking.
🍱 Storing
Store your red currant jelly in a sterilized glass jar locked with a clean lid.
Keep in a cool and dry place away from direct sunlight.
Store in the fridge once opened and consume within months.
🍴 Uses
The homemade redcurrant jelly is great...
- as bread spread or with croissant, scones etc. for breakfast
- as a doughnut filling
- as a cake glaze instead of apricot jam or in tart and pie jellies
- in cookies such as Linzer cookies and Thumbprint cookies
- served as a sauce with savory meals such as with game, lamb, turkey, veal or with Schnitzel instead of Lingonberry or Cranberry Jam.
👁️ More red currant recipes
- Red Currant Cordial
- Red Currant Eclairs by blondieishatkitchen.com
Dear Reader, do you grow your own red currant or do you buy them?
📖 Recipe
Red Currant Jelly Recipe
Instructions
- Strain the boiled currants. Make sure to squeeze the fruit left overs well so that all the juice comes out. Discard the fruit parts.
- Take the strained red currant water back to the heat and add all the sugar.
- Mix everything well. Cook your jelly on a low rolling boil and stir occasionally. The cooking and reducing so that the jelly forms, can take around 70-90 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and test the jelly by adding some of the hot jelly into an ice-cold plate. The jelly is ready if it's not running, if it's still running it will need more cooking and then repeat the test again. OR test with a candy thermometer. Setting temperature is 105 Celsius/220 Fahrenheit.
- Add a few drops of rum into the lid (to kill further bacteria), close the jar with the jelly still hot and turn the jar upside down to create a vacuum. Leave the jelly to cool completely so that it turns from liquid to jelly.
- Store in a cool and dry place for up to 10 months. Store in the fridge once the jar has been opened. Makes about 5 jars.
Notes
- Use fresh red currants only. The recipe can be use with white currants too.
- Use regular sugar, not pectin sugar.
- The ratio should be 1:1 red currant water and sugar. So if your red currant water turns out to be less than 1 kg (2.2 pound), adjust the sugar weight to the same weight measurement. example 1 liter (5 cups) extracted red currant water and 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) sugar.
- 1 serving = 1 teaspooon, 100 servings = 5 jars
Came out hard as a rock. I'm A home economist and followed the directions exactly. what a waste of time and supplies.
Hi Rachel, I'm sorry that it didn't turn out as expected. It sounds like you overcooked the jelly. Did you use the candy thermometer to check if it was set and did you do the ice-cold plate method to determine if it was runny or set or stone hard? When a jelly overcooks, it can still be saved, and it's easier than a jam. Just place the hard jelly with some water into the pan and heat it over a low-heat setting. Add about 1/2 to 1 cup water first and dissolve the jelly gradually so that it mixes with the water. Then do the whole process again. Use a thermometer to get the setting point right and then your jelly will be saved and good as new.
Th jelly was good but you didn't right out with details so I was confused on every step.
Hi, the post includes a detailed recipe card at the bottom, step by step progress shots in the post and a how-to video with instructions. You must have missed one of the 3 because combined you can easily follow the recipe. I have to also point out that the video won't show if you use an ad-blocker.
Would it be possible to get this recipes in Cups vs. weight? For folks without a scale please?
Thank you! It looks lovely.
D
Hi D., you will need 2 1/2 cups water, about 5 cups red currants and 5 cups sugar. I didn't try it with cups, it's just my guess with the berries. The problem with cups is that it's not exact. I highly recommend that you get a nice kitchen weighing scale. Many things in the kitchen should be weighted.
How do you scale this old french recipe? Is it scalable proportionately? For example, I just picked 4 pounds(1.81Kg) of currants this morning. I don't want to make 4 batches of a half kilo each but rather cook and can all the red currants at the same time. Thanks
You can do the whole lot of 1.81 kgs but it's riskier as a beginner if you haven't made jellies before. The higher the quantity the more chances that it will take longer to set. It's easier to work with 1 kg quantities or less (as I did with 500 grams/ 1.1 pound). If for example, you have 2 kgs fruits use about 2.8 liters of water. Cook it down and measure your liquids and then add equal quantities of sugar (1:1 rule for jellies. With 1.8 kg fruit you can add more or less about 2.5 liters of water.
The huge volume of added water simply requires more “cook down” time. 1 1/2 cups for 20 cups fruit is plenty. Sugar equal to juice is about right. Or very slightly more. Return to full rolling boil stirring constantly (prefer wooden tool flat on bottom) and boil at least a minute after rolling boil despite stirring.
(All the same as in the sure jell package but without the sure jell) !
Have had great set jelly.
My aunt in Germany makes currant jelly. I am looking forward to trying this recipe with my daughter's extra currants.
Barbara, feel free to share your experience afterwards. I bet it will be helpful to others. 🙂
My jelly did not set up even though I followed your recipe carefully. After two days on the counter, it is still in syrup form and I will have to open the bottles and redo with pectin.
I'm sorry to read that your jelly didn't work out the way you expected.
Did you check with a thermometer if the jelly was set - 220 Fahrenheit/ 105 Celsius? Did you make the setting test with the ice-cold plate and jelly? That way you will know when your jelly is ready and set. Your jelly is liquid because it was still not ready set and it needed to be cooked further down. The jelly will still look liquid when it's hot and it can be misleading. The moment it cools down the jelly gets more jelly-like. Hence why the ice-cold plate test is so reliable because hot jelly is dropped on a cold plate and the jelly cools off instantly and that's how you know if it's set or not.
I think you can still save your jelly. Take it back to the heat without anything and cook it down, make the test if it's set and when it set, simply pour it back into clean sterilized jars.
I grow my own currants red, black and lots of white ones. I live North of Reno Nevada and several years back I got rid of all the landscaping bushes that did not produce something I could use as food and should I chose not to use the berries they can be eaten by the birds that live around my yard. I only have one small bush of red currants but it was enough to make two small jelly jars for my daughter who lives near Buffalo New York. She was here a week ago to visit and saw those beautiful red currants and she went home and sent me your recipe from this web page. It thrilled me to be able to do something for her as she does so much for me. The jelly sure did set up nice and firm having been cooked with those stems.
Hi Sheila, That's brilliant! I love your point of view and I sure recommend planting red currant bushes in the garden. I'm glad to read that your jelly turned out great and I bet your daughter will treasure your lovely homemade red currant jelly.
I dont understand about the red currant jelly without pectin.red currants have loads of pectin already in the fruit so you dont need to add any.to achieve a good set.you can add red currants to raspberry s to make a lovely jam as raspberries dont contain any natural pectin.Here in england we grow loads of red currants,black currants and raspberries.and I've just made raspberry jam with red currants added and then went on to make raspberry and red currant jelly with the fruit I had left over.
Hi Bill,
I'm not sure what your question is since this recipe is a red currant jelly without pectin.
Why so much water? I’m comparing recipes and it seems like a lot. Also how many jars should I have ready?
Hi Megan,
The sugar water ratio is equal amounts and you need the liquid or else no jelly will form and the sugar quantity will be too much. This is an original french red currant jelly family recipe, and not copied from other websites online. You will be fine with the amount of liquids it just looks a lot. Remember this is a jelly recipe and not a jam. A jam would not require water. You will need about 5 sterilized jars (with lids preferably) as mentioned in the recipe card notes. I hope this helps, and feel free to ask me if something else is unclear.
I'm in Eastern Washington, USA. We recently bought a house and I discovered that we have dozens of Red Current plants behind the house. I've never had currents of any kind and I'm excited to try this recipe for jelly.
Hi Nichole.
Oh wow you are lucky! 🙂
If you have a lot of berries, then you can make a red currant syrup too (which makes a lovely summer cooler) or you can just wash the berries and pack them into zip lock bags to freeze. We usually take a bag out and heat the berries and use it with ice cream or in cakes. Enjoy your harvest!
Wow..My grandmother gave me a lot of red currants. Now I know what to do with them. Thanks for your sharing!
This current jelly is absolutely beautiful, I just love the colour. Currents are such a European fruit, we virtually NEVER have them in our multi-national grocery stores, just the local green grocers in our neighbourhood. I'll have to bookmark the recipe for when I see them again.
Oh Helene, this looks wonderful. I love red currant jelly!
so fantastic. So beautiful and vibrant and sweet with hint of heat. I love it
Oh I wish I did grow currants. I love the and the simplicity of yours! What beautiful jelly Helene!
I just bought some red currants 🙂 The jelly looks great!
This looks terrific Helene and thank you for allowing me to learn something new re the name Jostaberrry!
Gorgeous looking jelly! Red currants have such an interesting flavor, don't they? Really nice recipe -- thanks.
Fantastic post! Thanks for clearing up the importance of vitamin C and anti-oxidants. The jelly looks delicious!
Helene, I so agree, red currants sure do "look gorgeous, like sparkling ruby red stones"! And, they make the prettiest jelly ever!
I love everything about this post. The current photo is stunning and the step by steps are so helpful!
Red currants are gorgeous no doubt, but it's your photography that makes them look like such precious gems. Stunning all around. Now if I could drizzle some of that onto a cup of Vanila ice cream 😀
I love redcurrant jelly! One of my favorite jams...
Cheers,
Rosa