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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!

How to make Cranberry Sauce | This homemade cranberry sauce tastes much better than the stuff in a can!

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.

How to make Cranberry Sauce | This homemade cranberry sauce tastes much better than the stuff in a can!

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.

How to make Cranberry Sauce | This homemade cranberry sauce tastes much better than the stuff in a can!

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.

How to make Cranberry Sauce | This homemade cranberry sauce tastes much better than the stuff in a can!

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 | This homemade cranberry sauce tastes much better than the stuff in a can!

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!

Ingredients

  • 1 (10 ounce) bag of Cranberries (either fresh or frozen)
  • ¼ cup Orange Juice
  • ¼ cup Cranberry Juice
  • ½ cup Water
  • 1 ½ cups Granulated Sugar
  • zest of one Orange
  • 1 tablespoon Lemon Zest
  • 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
  • ½ 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.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

How to make Cranberry Sauce | This homemade cranberry sauce tastes much better than the stuff in a can!

Sherry Thecharmofhome

Wednesday 7th of November 2018

I love the homemade sauce! It is the only way I will eat it! Thanks for sharing at Home Sweet Home!

Miz Helen

Tuesday 6th of November 2018

I love homemade cranberry sauce, this recipe looks very good! Hope you are having a great week and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday! Miz Helen

Judi Graber

Sunday 4th of November 2018

Cranberry sauce is always on our Thanksgiving table. I have two versions; one similar to yours and the other in a mold (I never have trouble with molds). Thanks for sharing with Fiesta Friday!

Chas' Crazy Creations

Wednesday 31st of October 2018

I have been wanting to try a homemade cranberry sauce recipe. Thanks for sharing on To Grandma's House We Go!

Roseann Hampton

Wednesday 31st of October 2018

Thanks for sharing your recipe with us at the Snickerdoodle Link Party! This will be one of my features this Saturday! Roseann from This Autoimmune Life

thekittchen

Wednesday 31st of October 2018

Oh thank you so much for featuring this!

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