If you’ve never made homemade cranberry sauce because you thought it was too complicated, I’m going to show you just how easy it is to make. This simple cranberry sauce recipe is perfect! All you do is add fresh cranberries, orange juice, and sugar (both brown and white) to a pan and cook the berries until the break down into a beautiful vibrant red cranberry sauce.
Served alongside roasted turkey an gravy, cranberry sauce is a favorite Thanksgiving recipe that is so easy to prepare and happens to be amazing! Only 15 minutes to cook, I love this sauce because it is not overly sweet and the combination of cranberry and orange give it a subtle citrus, sweet tang that makes a regular turkey dinner go from ordinary to extraordinary.
The vibrant deep red color and texture of the cranberry sauce is in stark contrast to the Ocean Spray canned cranberry sauce so many of us remember in its jellied molded form. One cannot even put them in the same category on many levels of comparison. From color, taste, texture, and overall pleasantness, homemade cranberry sauce wins by a landslide.
Trust me after you try this sauce, you will never buy canned cranberry sauce again. Be prepared when friends and family “Ooooh and Awwww” over the mere fact you made fresh cranberry sauce from scratch. They will call you “Martha” and hate you for it. But that’s okay.. your secret is safe with me.
I won’t tell how you didn’t spend hours over a hot stove making this. In all honesty, if the world only knew how easy this was cranberry sauce was to make, no one would ever buy canned again! Do yourself a favor and leave that good-for-nothing sauce in the can on the grocery store shelf and for this Thanksgiving make your homemade cranberry sauce.
For those of you wondering if you can make this in advance – YES!!! Up to two weeks sealed in a container and stored in the refrigerator!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cranberry sauce?
Cranberry sauce is a popular condiment made with fresh cranberries, sugar, and water. It is most commonly served alongside turkey on Thanksgiving at room temperature but can also be served slightly warmed up.
Because cranberries are naturally low in sugar and tart in flavor, most cranberry sauce recipes include sugar to make the sauce both sweet and tart.
How long will the cranberry sauce keep?
Cranberry sauce will last two weeks in the refrigerator or up to two years if properly preserved and canned.
What can I do with leftover cranberry sauce?
Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on sandwich bread followed by a layer of cranberry sauce when making turkey sandwiches like this Turkey Cranberry Sandwich recipe. The combination of cream cheese and cranberry sauce makes regular turkey sandwiches taste dull in comparison.
Mix in a tablespoon or two into plain Greek yogurt along with granola, like my favorite Perfect Granola recipe, for a nice breakfast parfait.
Add a spoonful to your favorite co*cktail using vodka.
Add a dollop of sauce to cottage cheese or oatmeal for breakfast or a snack.
Replace cranberry sauce for any recipe calling for jam.
Cranberry sauce over oven baked brie makes a great appetizer when served alongside crackers for your holiday gathering.
Top off your favorite cheesecake recipe (like my Black Tie Cheesecake recipe) with cranberry sauce instead of the more common varieties of blueberry, cherry, raspberry, or strawberries. The sweet and tart flavor of the cranberry sauce compliments the richness of the cheesecake for a winning combination.
Make your own homemade cranberry sauce this year for Thanksgiving using fresh cranberries.This easy recipe is so simple yet yields amazing
Ingredients
12 oz bag fresh cranberries
¾ cup orange juice
⅔ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup white sugar
Optional: 2 oz gold rum
Instructions
Add the cranberries, juice, sugars, and optional rum to a sauce pan.
Cook the sauce on medium-high for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced – stirring occasionally. You’ll hear the cranberries bursting open – don’t worry, that’s what you want them to do.
Remove from the heat and serve. Cranberry sauce can be made days ahead and brought to room temperature or slightly heated before serving.
"Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine. Add more to taste. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (in small amounts, it intensifies sweetness)."
Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.
Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.
Cranberry sauce can be served either as a gooey liquid or as a solid jelly. The jellied version is solid enough to retain the shape of the container in which it's placed whereas the sauce version is much more fluid. The difference between the fluid sauce and the jelly versions comes down to pectin.
Their sharp tang counteracts bitter flavors without having to add extra sugar. While citrus is a natural pairing for cranberry sauce, bright, savory vinegars like sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar play well with the bitter-tart berries.
Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness.
Maple syrup, brown sugar and even honey can make your cranberry sauce more dynamic. And don't forget the spices! Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, citrus zest and star anise all work well with cranberries and can be added while the sauce cooks to infuse your sauce with flavor.
You must cook the sauce for at least 10 minutes at a full boil for the pectin to react with the sugar and create the proper gelled texture. It is also important to let the cranberry sauce cool at room temperature. Moving it to the refrigerator too soon may also affect the gel.
I sweetened my juice with honey which adds a sweet floral touch to the beverage. I also use a couple of freshly squeezed oranges which gives the juice a nice hint of citrus flavor. I'm sure apple juice or apple cider would work well too. I think moving forward I'm going to call this drink cranade (like lemonade…).
What to do if the cranberry sauce is too thin or loose. If you inadvertently added too much water, simply bring the cranberry sauce back to the stove top and bring it to a low boil, cooking it down just a bit to help thicken it up.
Is It Possible To Overcook Cranberry Sauce? Cranberries should never be overcooked since the sugar would caramelize, crystalize and burn. Instead, simmer the cranberries once they have nearly completely popped. Once you take the pot from the flame and stir, a few still intact others may burst.
To fix, cook the sauce a little longer (cranberries release a natural thickener when cooked down). If that still doesn't work, whisk some cornstarch with water and whisk it in for a few minutes. Also, remember that cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools down.
The major variation you're likely to come across is "whole berry" versus "jellied." The only difference between them is that the jellied sauce is cooked until the berries have completely broken down. They both slide out of the can as a wobbly red cylinder.
But that's not the case for prepared cranberry sauces, where prices are up. Lochner pointed out that processors set those prices, not growers, and that there are higher input costs unrelated to berries — like “processing the fruit and getting it to market.” Ocean Spray isn't immune either.
We can see there is a significant difference in the nutrition facts between the two sauces. The homemade cranberry sauce has nearly half the calories, carbohydrates, and sugars compared to the store brand. It also has more fiber as well as potassium!
If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.
Cranberries are generally considered safe whether they are cooked or raw. However, because of their notoriously bitter, sharp taste, most people prefer not to eat them raw or unsweetened. This bitterness is due to the high tannin content of cranberries.
A few things can cause tomato sauces to become bitter: Overcooked spices. Both basil and oregano can become bitter with long simmers. Add them near the end of the process.
Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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