Cranberry Kissel Holiday Jelly
A thicker, festive kissel set into a trembling ruby jelly — tart cranberry sweetened with honey. Rides the 2026 "wobbly texture" trend and the old Slavic tradition at once. The jiggle is the money shot.
Why you'll love this recipe
- An old world recipe, made the way it always was
- Not one spoon of refined sugar
- Sweetened with real honey
- Naturally gluten free
- Makes enough for 6
What you'll need
Everything here is a real ingredient you can find in a normal shop. Nothing artificial, no powders pretending to be sugar. Here is the full list, with the quantities I actually use.
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 4 cups (960 ml) water
- 1/3 cup (110 g) raw honey (off heat)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch + 4 tbsp cold water
- 1 strip orange peel, 1 cinnamon stick
How to make it
Simmer cranberries with water, orange peel and cinnamon 10 minutes until they burst.
Strain, pressing the fruit, for a clear kissel (or leave rustic).
Return to a simmer; whisk in the starch slurry.
Cook 2–3 minutes until glossy and thickened. Off the heat, stir in honey.
Pour into a mold or cups; chill 2 hours until softly set and wobbly. Turn out to serve.
Storage
Keep it covered in the fridge and it will hold for three to four days. If you are making it ahead, hold back any fresh topping until just before you serve so nothing goes soft. Most of these freeze well too, wrapped tight, for up to three months.
Cranberry Kissel Holiday Jelly
A thicker, festive kissel set into a trembling ruby jelly — tart cranberry sweetened with honey. Rides the 2026 "wobbly texture" trend and the old Slavic tradition at once. The…
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 4 cups (960 ml) water
- 1/3 cup (110 g) raw honey (off heat)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch + 4 tbsp cold water
- 1 strip orange peel, 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Simmer cranberries with water, orange peel and cinnamon 10 minutes until they burst.
- Strain, pressing the fruit, for a clear kissel (or leave rustic).
- Return to a simmer; whisk in the starch slurry.
- Cook 2–3 minutes until glossy and thickened. Off the heat, stir in honey.
- Pour into a mold or cups; chill 2 hours until softly set and wobbly. Turn out to serve.
