Mulled wine jelly takes the spiced wine you would serve in mugs at a Christmas party and sets it in a jar. The result is a clear, deep garnet jelly that tastes of red wine, cinnamon and orange. It is made for the cheese board: a spoonful on brie with a cracker is the whole idea. The recipe takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, plus a full day of setting, and makes about 6 half pints.
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What you need
- 3 1/2 cups dry red wine, such as Merlot or Zinfandel
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 wide strips orange peel
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 package (1.75 oz) powdered fruit pectin
- 4 1/2 cups granulated sugar, measured into a separate bowl
Pick the wine first
Choose a fruity wine you would happily drink, because its flavor is the whole jelly. Merlot and Zinfandel both work. A wine that tastes harsh in the glass will taste harsh on the cracker too.
Keep the wine below a boil while the spices steep. It should be steaming, then it comes off the heat for 30 minutes. That slow steep pulls the cinnamon, cloves and orange into the wine without cooking it hard. Strain out every piece of spice before the pectin goes in, so the finished jelly stays clear.
How to make mulled wine jelly
- Warm the wine with the cinnamon, cloves and orange peel in a saucepan over low heat until steaming but not boiling, then take off the heat and steep 30 minutes. Strain out the spices.
- Combine the spiced wine, lemon juice and pectin in a large heavy pot and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
- Add all the sugar at once, return to a full rolling boil and boil hard exactly 1 minute. Remove from the heat and skim.
- Ladle into hot half pint jars with 1/4 inch headspace, wipe the rims and add lids and bands.
- Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (add 5 minutes above 1,000 feet). Sealed jars keep 1 year; refrigerate opened jars up to 1 month.
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Give it 24 hours
Right out of the canner, the jars look liquid. Pectin jelly needs a day to firm up, so leave the jars alone on the counter for 24 hours before you tip one to check. Most set problems come from two places: the mixture never reached a full rolling boil, the kind you cannot stir down, or the hard boil after the sugar went in ran short of a full minute.
Serving and storing
Set out a wedge of brie or a log of goat cheese, a bowl of the jelly and a stack of crackers. It also works as a glaze for roast pork or duck in the last minutes of cooking. Sealed jars keep 1 year. Once opened, keep the jar in the fridge and use it within a month.
For more ideas on the same board, our hot pepper jelly baked brie and Christmas jam baked brie both go straight into the oven. The spiced Christmas jam is a fruit jar with the same warm spices, and the cranberry jalapeno pepper jelly is the one to make for guests who like heat.
Mulled wine jelly questions
Can I use a sweet wine?
The recipe calls for a dry red wine. The sugar amount is set for dry wine, so a sweet wine would change the balance.
Can I leave the spices in the jars?
No. Strain them out after the 30 minute steep. Whole spices left in can cloud the jelly and keep getting stronger in the jar.
Can I cut the sugar?
Not with regular powdered pectin. The 4 1/2 cups of sugar are part of what makes it set.
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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team
The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us
Mulled Wine Jelly
Ingredients
Instructions
Warm the wine with the cinnamon, cloves and orange peel in a saucepan over low heat until steaming but not boiling, then take off the heat and steep 30 minutes. Strain out the spices.
Combine the spiced wine, lemon juice and pectin in a large heavy pot and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.
Add all the sugar at once, return to a full rolling boil and boil hard exactly 1 minute. Remove from the heat and skim.
Ladle into hot half pint jars with 1/4 inch headspace, wipe the rims and add lids and bands.
Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes (add 5 minutes above 1,000 feet). Sealed jars keep 1 year; refrigerate opened jars up to 1 month.
Notes
Choose a fruity wine you would happily drink, because its flavor is the whole jelly.
Allow 24 hours for the jelly to set.