How to Make Cranberry Sauce from Scratch

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Today I am teaching you how to make Cranberry Sauce from scratch. It is easier than you think, and it tastes better than the canned version!

You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries to make cranberry sauce from scratch. Leading up to Thanksgiving you can usually find fresh cranberries at the grocery store, but if you can’t find any fresh cranberries, I have always had luck finding frozen cranberries at Whole Foods. I can’t really taste the difference between fresh and frozen in this recipe.

The trick to making cranberry sauce is to let it boil and reduce until it is very thick and deep purple in color. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes and the cranberry sauce will thicken and set up as it cools. From start to finish this cranberry sauce recipe takes just about 30 minutes to prepare, before going into the fridge to cool and set up.

My Mom puts her cranberry sauce in a festive Thanksgiving mold, but it doesn’t always perfectly slide out of the mold. For this reason, I think it is easier to skip the mold and to simply serve the cranberry sauce out of a bowl. I like to add a touch of orange zest on top to garnish.

There are two reasons why you should make this Cranberry Sauce. The first is that I don’t think a Thanksgiving dinner is complete without cranberry sauce. The second reason is that cranberry sauce tastes so wonderful on a post-Thanksgiving sandwich. Sometimes I even mix the cranberry sauce with mayonnaise to make a delicious and easy cranberry mayo to add to my turkey sandwiches.

I suggest making the cranberry sauce a day to two before Thanksgiving. It doesn’t take up much space in your fridge, and it is nice to get some of the meal prep done in advance.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce from Scratch:

How to Make Cranberry Sauce from Scratch

Yield: 6-8 servings

Active Time: 20 minutes

Additional Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 20 minutes

Learn how to make cranberry sauce from scratch with this easy recipe. This classic recipe is perfect for Thanksgiving!

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Ingredients

• 1 (10 ounce) bag of Cranberries (either fresh or frozen)
• 1/4 cup Orange Juice
• 1/4 cup Cranberry Juice
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
• zest of one Orange
• 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg

Instructions

Combine the orange juice, cranberry juice, water, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Let boil steadily for 10 minutes while the mixture reduces.

Next add the cranberries and let bubble and reduce for another 10 minutes - or until the mixture is very thick.

Stir in the orange and lemon zest, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Pour into a bowl and let chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

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