This cranberry sauce gets ready in just 20 minutes and is the perfect accompaniment to any roast turkey, chicken, or pork. And, you can make it ahead of time with fresh or frozen cranberries. Serve it for dinner, or with leftover sandwiches later.
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I love all things tart or sour like cranberries and lemons. I can eat lemon curd or this sauce from the jar by the spoon. And, the best part about this is that you can make it ahead of time, and you can also freeze it for up to 3 months.
Everybody has their own favorite way of making cranberry sauce, this is mine. I love making mine with water and a few spices.
My mom preferred orange instead of water. And, she used a handful of dry cranberries in the sauce which added some texture to the finished sauce.
And, my friend's mom makes it with apple juice. She also adds chopped nuts like slivered almonds at the end. What is your favorite way to make cranberry sauce? Please let me know in the comments below.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Cranberries - You can use fresh or frozen. In fact, you can even use wild cranberries. But, take note that the wild cranberries are more sour than the regular ones.
- Sugar - I like the flavor of molasses that the brown sugar brings to the sauce. It also gives a deeper color to the finished sauce.
- Zest - I love the slight hint of orange from the zest. And, if you like the combination of orange and cranberries, then I highly recommend using orange juice and zest.
- Spices - I've used nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon along with vanilla. But you can also omit any of these.
Step by step ingredients
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
- The sugar will dissolve and it will look watery. Then, all the water will evaporate and start to thicken. The cranberries will swell and then break down again.
- Don't break the cranberries, you want some to get mashed up and some to stay whole. This adds a nice texture to the sauce.
- Once thick, add the vanilla and let it cool.
- Serve with roast turkey, chicken or pork.
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Printable Recipe
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
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Ingredients
- 4 cups (400 g) Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup (220 g) Brown sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml) Water ((or Orange juice))
- ½ teaspoon Orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 Cinnamon stick ((3 inches))
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
- The sugar will dissolve and it will look watery. Then, all the water will evaporate and start to thicken. The cranberries will swell and then break down again.
- Don't break the cranberries, you want some to get mashed up and some to stay whole. This adds a nice texture to the sauce.
- Once thick, add the vanilla and let it cool.
- Serve with roast turkey, chicken or pork.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Jacqueline Meldrum
This sounds well worth making instead of buying a jar.