Several dishes benefit from the acidity of red currant jelly. This jelly, made with red currants, rosemary, and a dash of sugar, lends flavor to any meal. Those who are preparing a Sunday roast or a festive holiday supper will appreciate how red currant jelly improves meats such as lamb, turkey, or goose.

The rosemary is essential to the jelly because of its mint, lemon, and pepper taste profile, which pairs so well with meat. Rosemary is a herb that is used sparingly to give depth to a dish. When mixed with red currants and sugar, rosemary highlights the sweetness of the fruit.

You may add red wine, white wine, or port to boost the taste power of red currant jelly. Add orange zest for a citrus taste or mustard for more sharpness to the tartness.

Red currant jelly is often used in classic English recipes, although it may not be something you have on hand. It’s also tough to produce your own red currant jelly since red currants are hard to come by in the grocery shop. Since the berries are so delicate, they are often damaged during transportation.

If you have enough room and partial light, you may cultivate red currant bushes in your outdoor garden. Pick the berries before they are completely ripe to take use of their natural pectin levels. This ensures a smooth texture for your handmade red currant jelly.

Try an alternative for red currant jelly if you want to prepare anything that asks for it. You may substitute dried fruit and cranberry sauce for the red currant jelly, as well as various other varieties of jelly.

Top 5 Red Currant Jelly Substitutes

While searching for an alternative for red currant jelly, the most essential thing to consider is how to balance the tart with the sweet. Although you could add a splash of lemon juice for acidity, the sweetness from the jelly would still be absent.

The trick to creating a currant jelly alternative is to balance the acidity with natural sweetness. While it may seem to be an unusual flavor combination, these top 5 red currant jelly replacements will have your taste buds humming.

Grape Jelly

Choosing a different taste jelly as a red currant jelly alternative is an excellent choice since you will receive the desired texture. Since all jellies have the optimum gelatinous consistency, you won’t need to add any pectin or gelatin on your own.

Grapes resemble red currants in appearance and flavor, but you’re more likely to have grape jelly on hand than red currant jelly. Grape jelly is more commonly accessible since concord grape jelly and muscadine grape jam are both available. Both have a gelatinous texture akin to red currant jelly and a tart taste profile.

Since grape jelly tastes so similar to red currant jelly, it may easily be substituted in recipes. There is no need to calculate equivalencies since both jellies employ the identical fruit, sugar, and pectin ratios.

But, if you’re adding grape jelly to a dish, you should taste it as you go, just as you would with red currant jelly. Despite they have similar tastes, both jellies bring acidity and sweetness to your dish. You don’t want garlic to overshadow anything else in your meal, so add it a teaspoon at a time, tasting as you go.

Apple Jelly

Apple jelly is another option for red currant jam if you don’t have any on hand. The somewhat sweet apple taste is slightly sour, and the jelly has the same texture as red currant jelly. You might add a dash of lemon juice to the mix to bring out the acidity.

For this alternative, use apple jelly rather than apple butter. While apple butter is more commonly available on grocery store shelves, the taste profile is significantly different. Apple jelly is significantly sweeter than apple butter, which has a more pronounced apple flavor.

Despite its name, apple butter has a viscosity more akin to applesauce than butter or jelly, which might alter the texture of your dishes. It’s better not to attempt to replace apple butter for red currant jelly.

If you can’t find apple jelly at the market, you can make your own. Cook the apples until soft, then smash them and strain the juice into a saucepan. To create the right taste, combine water, sugar, and lemon juice.

Like with grape jelly, you can use the same measures to replace red currant jelly with apple jelly for a simple swap. The tastes of apple jelly complement other meats, particularly pig and chicken.

Cranberry Sauce

Given the prevalence of red currant jelly in classic English cuisine, you may think of cranberry sauce as the American equivalent. During Christmas feasts, many individuals create their own cranberry sauce, while others use canned jellied cranberry sauce.

Cranberry sauce’s taste makes it an excellent alternative for red currant jelly. Cranberries are inherently sour, and when cooked into sauce or jelly, the acidity is only slightly mitigated by sugar.

Since there are several varieties of cranberry sauce, you should carefully examine the can or jar before using it as a replacement for red currant jelly. Cinnamon, citrus, or allspice are all included in certain cranberry sauces. Whilst these ingredients will never overshadow the cranberry taste, they will have an effect on the result of your recipe, so use them with prudence.

Cranberry sauce is often served with turkey at traditional Thanksgiving feasts. Yet, just as red currant jelly may be used as a glaze, so can cranberry sauce. Drizzle cranberry sauce over pork chops or chicken breasts five minutes before they’re done for a burst of flavor, or cover it sooner and longer for a caramelized crust.

Dried Fruit

Dried fruits may seem to be an odd alternative for red currant jelly, and they will not give your meal the same texture as one of the preceding choices. Alternatively, you may combine various dried fruits to get the ideal taste profile for your recipe.

Raisins, dried apricots, dried blueberries, and dried cherries are the most popular dried fruits used to replace red currant jelly. You may discover that combining a couple of each gives your dish a more strong taste than simply red currant jelly.

When adding dried fruit to a dish, it must be chopped down to a smaller size. Since the fruits are dry, your dish will need additional water or liquid. You may also turn dried fruits into jelly before incorporating them into a recipe. Let the dried fruits to soak in water for two hours before serving.

To get the texture of red currant jelly, add pectin or gelatin powder. Pectin is a natural fiber present in fruits that gives red currant jelly its gelatinous texture. When you add liquid to flavorless pectin, it turns viscous, allowing you to get the desired texture for your recipe.

Another flavorless alternative for thickening liquids in a dish is gelatin powder. Since gelatin is derived from animal collagen, pectin is the vegan choice for thickening your components. When the dried fruits have simmered in the water, you’ll have a delicious juice to mix with pectin or gelatin to make red currant jelly.

Honey

Honey is included on this list since it is one of the most often used pantry products. If you’re preparing jam, you may use honey instead of sugar, so the sweetness is quite comparable to most jellies.

While the taste profile is inherently sweet, honey lacks the acidity of red currant jelly. Add a dab of lemon juice to get this flavor. You may also add some of the dried fruit suggested before.

Red currant jelly often complements other components in recipes, which honey excels at. If the cuisine calls for other spices and herbs, the honey will be an excellent complement. Honey’s viscosity is likewise comparable to that of red currant jelly, thus the finished product will have a similar texture.

Since the sweetness of honey differs from that of red currant jelly, add it carefully, a spoonful at a time. If possible, taste the recipe as you proceed. For recipes that need a sour flavor, add a splash of lemon juice for each teaspoon of honey until the desired taste is achieved.

If your dish requires caramelization, like as on meat, honey is an excellent option. Honey breaks down the protein on the surface of the meat, tenderizing it as it cooks and infusing it with a somewhat sweet taste. The honey on the exterior of the meat crisps up creating a delicious texture. Pomegranate molasses is another choice for red currant jam glaze recipes.