Instant Pot Homemade Cranberry Jelly
Homemade Cranberry Jelly in the Instant Pot is the easiest way to make this must-have Thanksgiving side dish.
My husband always insists on having cranberry sauce on our Thanksgiving dinner table. It used to be the canned stuff, until I started making easy Instant Pot cranberry jelly.
Made with fresh cranberries and pectin for the signature jellied texture, this recipe is way better than Ocean Spray.
Update: This recipe has been on our site for a long time, so we wanted to update it with beautiful pictures and with instructions to make the cranberry jelly in a bundt pan for a beautiful sliced presentation.
How to Make Cranberry Jelly in the Instant Pot
This jellied cranberry sauce recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
To make this jelly, you’ll cook fresh cranberries and apple juice in the pressure cooker. Then this mixture gets run through a food mill to become totally smooth.
💡 Tip: It’s best to pour the cooked cranberries into your food mill in batches. Avoid overfilling the mill, which can cause it to get jammed.
No food mill? You can also blend the sauce in a high-speed blender and push it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any solids.
Then firm up the jelly with liquid pectin in the pressure cooking pot. If the sauce starts to splatter, give it a gentle stir, which will help reduce the splattering.
Finally, transfer the sauce to a mold or bundt pan and let it set up before dinner. We love using a fluted bundt pan, as it creates a centerpiece-worthy dish that slices into beautiful pieces.
Where to Find the Recipe Ingredients
While this recipe has a short and sweet ingredient list, there are a few items that are must-haves for the best Instant Pot cranberry jelly.
First, the cranberries. November seems to be the best time of year to find fresh cranberries in the grocery store. Look for them in bags in the produce section. Fresh berries add true cranberry tartness and flavor to this recipe.
🛑 Be sure to give the cranberries a thorough wash before you add them to your Instant Pot. Remove any damaged, bruised, or deflated cranberries.
The second important ingredient for jelling your sauce is liquid pectin. It’s usually easy to find in a grocery store that sells canning ingredients.
Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce
This is a great recipe to make ahead of time and serve on Thanksgiving. Refrigerate the jelly in an airtight container for up to four days.
Enjoy leftover jellied cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving sandwiches with the rest of your leftovers!
Note: You can find my original stove-top recipe for homemade cranberry jelly using just two bags of cranberries on Barbara Bakes.
If you’re more of a soft cranberry sauce fan, then I think you’ll love Instant Pot Cranberry Apple Sauce.
More Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes
While you’re planning your holiday menu, add these other crowd-pleasing recipes to the list:
- Pressure Cooker Cranberry-Pecan Baked Brie is another Instant Pot recipe that uses fresh cranberries as a creamy and satisfying appetizer.
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Pie is our family’s’ favorite way to make a classic creamy dessert without taking up valuable oven space.
- My Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole is also a must have Thanksgiving side dish on turkey day.
- Or use our full Thanksgiving Recipe Planning Guide from Barbara Bakes to take all of the hassle out of this year’s dinner.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
Leave us a review below to tell us why!
Instant Pot Homemade Cranberry Jelly
Homemade Instant Pot Cranberry Jelly is easy to make with fresh cranberries, apple juice, and pectin for a beautiful presentation and classic fall flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 bags (12 ounces each) fresh cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups apple juice
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon liquid pectin*
Instructions
- Wash and pick over cranberries. Add the cranberries and apple juice to the pressure cooking pot.
- Select High Pressure and 5 minutes cook time. When the cook time ends, turn the pressure cooker off and use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
- Pour the cooked cranberries into a food mill over a large bowl to separate the cranberry puree from the skins and seeds. (You can also use a blender to purée the berries and then use a strainer to remove the skin and seeds.) Rinse out and dry the pressure cooking pot.
- Put the cranberry puree back into the pressure cooking pot and add the sugar and the liquid pectin. Select Sauté and bring the mixture to a boil for 1 minute, then remove the cooking pot from the pressure cooker.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly then pour the jelly into a 6-cup bundt pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, leaving about 1/8 of an inch at the top of the pan. (You can also use a bowl or individual molds.) Chill in the refrigerator until set, up to overnight.
- To unmold, place the bundt pan in a pot of very hot water for 5 minutes, then invert the jelly onto a serving platter. (I turned it out onto a Silpat.)
Notes
If you don't have a pressure cooker, visit Barbara Bakes for the Cranberry Jelly stovetop instructions.
*Use 3 tablespoons of dry pectin. Mix the dry pectin with the sugar before adding it to the puree.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 267Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 1gSugar: 65gProtein: 0g
Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.
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I make this recipe every Thanksgiving. I put the finished jelly in canning jars, use canning lids and rings and water bath the jars so that I have cranberry sauce to enjoy months down the road. It’s so good….no way will canned cranberry sauce make an appearance in this house again!
Happy Thanksgiving to both of you and yours…and Jenn, your puppy is ADORABLE!!! 🙂
That’s so fun to hear – thanks Carol! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours too.
I wrote a review but I also wanted to leave a comment. I made this for thanksgiving this year and it is a winner as my husband and even the grandchildren liked it! It is delicious and beautiful; so much better than canned.
Thank you so much for such great recipes that make cooking fun and easier with the instant pot.
I have a question, though, can you freeze this jelly?
Thanks Sharon – it’s so nice to hear you and your family loved it. Yes, I froze it this year and it froze and thawed in the refrigerator overnight beautifully.
Your cranberry sauce looks wonderful and I will make it this year. I am just confirming the size of Bundt pan to use…recipe says 6 quart, but later you show a 6 cup one. I am trying to learn if I need a large standard size one, or if the mini would work? If the mini Bundle is too small, can you recipe be halved for 2 or 3 people? Thank you so much and have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Thanks for the heads up – it is a 6 cup (half size) bundt pan. The recipe is easily halved with no change in cook time. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for your response! I purchased all the ingredients today!
I noticed the suggestion to make the Cranberry-Apple Jelly on a stove top in case your instant pot is being used to make other Thanksgiving dishes. I have another idea …. I have always been glad that I ordered a SECOND Instant Pot liner pan. When one dish has been pressure cooked, I have another ready to go into the Instant Pot right away. I don’t have to wait for anything to cool or for the first Instant Pot liner to be emptied or washed. And because most recipes cook in a relatively short period of time my second recipe can be pressure cooking before the first one becomes too cool, in most cases. This is great for cooking a meat dish and then starting potatoes, vegetables and even a dessert in quick succession. I also ordered the optional glass lid to keep food warm in an Instant Pot Liner.
Thanks for sharing Roger! I agree having a second liner or Instant Pot is a must at my house.
Your cranberry mold turned out gorgeous! I agree, it’s centerpiece worthy! Happy Holiday Planning:@)
Awww thanks Lynn!!
I like to Vegas because I’m diabetic and I don’t care if it has the skins on it personally I think it taste better and I just use plain old every day sucralose along with Apple cider vinegar to give it a little special flavor I also like to put in the orange rind no white from an orange so it gets the “Oil” from the orange skin. I like it with ham and turkey
Hi Barbara, Didn’t want to miss the chance to tell you and your family; a HAPPY THANKSGIVING. Love all of your recipes for the day, the helpful chart and days to do what /plus the IP to do it in.:). Thank you ! Be well, be happy!
That’s so nice – thanks Elizabeth!
Planning to try this for thanksgiving this year. Your photo caught my eye because those dishes are the same Homer Laughlin eggshell pattern my mother had, and I now use these as my good dishes at Thanksgiving. Love these dishes as they remind me of her!
Hi Susan – how fun that you have those lovely dishes as well. My mom is gone now and using the dishes makes me feel like she’s right there with us celebrating the holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!
I can only get dry pectin versus liquid . what would the measurement be for dry? thanks. love your cookbook.
Thanks Joan! Use two tablespoons of dry pectin for every packet of liquid pectin.
That looks yummy!!
Another thing I’ve never made in the pressure cooker…….good grief I need to get with the program.
great grandma’s baked beans (took her all day-8 to 10 hrs)
beans r cooked & ready to bake in about 1/2 hr
she was scared 2 death of pressure cooker,went 4 a walk when pop made pork & sauerkraut w/ it!
Well I’d definitely be trying this if I had the pectin and apple juice in the house. I want to try this before fresh cranberries disappear from the grocery store.
I usually cook my fresh butternut squash in the pressure cooker-it sure saves a lot of time.