Cranberry Sauce

Name: Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Total time: 10 min
Yield: About 2 cups
Cuisine: american
Ingredients: 1 12-ounce bag fresh or thawed frozen cranberries; 3/4 cup sugar; 3/4 cup orange juice, preferably fresh squeezed; Zest of 1 orange, or to taste

By Sam Sifton

Updated Dec. 16, 2024

Total Time: 10 minutes, plus chilling
Rating: 4(3,502)
Comments: Read comments

Cranberry sauce should be sweet but not cloying, and tart without causing pucker and anguish. It should have a jelly-like quality, but should owe more to the appearance of jam. The key element to making cranberry sauce is to understand that cranberries are high in pectin, a carbohydrate that exists in many fruits and which is released by the berries when they are heated and the cells of the fruit break down. In the presence of sugar, the pectin molecules bond to one another, forming a kind of gel. The longer you cook a cranberry sauce, the more pectin is released and liquid is evaporated, and the stiffer the result will be. Science! Sometimes it's helpful. So is spice. Some like a clove or two added to their cranberry sauce. (I am not one of them.) Others, a whisper of ginger and a small handful of nuts, for texture. Of this, I approve.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2 cups

112-ounce bag fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
¾cup sugar
¾cup orange juice, preferably fresh squeezed
Zest of 1 orange, or to taste

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Place cranberries in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and pour over these the sugar and orange juice. Stir to combine.
Step 2
Cook until sugar is entirely melted and cranberries begin to burst in the heat, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir again, add zest, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes longer, turn off heat, cover pan, and allow to cool.
Step 3
Put cranberry mixture in a serving bowl, cover, and place in refrigerator until cold, at least 2 hours, or until you need it.

FAQS

Any cranberry sauce made without gelatin can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving. Cranberry molds, or any other sauce that is set with gelatin, cannot be frozen.

Ratings

4 out of 5

3,502 user ratings

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Comments

India6 years ago

I like the recipe on the bag of cranberries, but I start with only 1/2 the sugar, and taste it as I go. I usually end up adding another 1/3 cup of sugar - it really depends on your cranberries. I find that adding the orange juice after it's really thick tastes better - cooked orange juice can be bitter. I add the fresh zest at the same time. Delicious!

Marguerite6 years ago

A tipple of Grand Marnier as it cools is a nice touch.

betteirene6 years ago

This sauce is so good on sandwiches made with leftover turkey: Sturdy white or wheat bread, mayo, swiss, turkey, sauce, lettuce (or not). I keep a bag or two of cranberries in the basement freezer just to make this sauce for sandwiches during non-holiday times of the year. I like it on ham sandwiches, too.

Eddie5 months ago

I added Canadian maple syrup; divine!

Dawn5 months ago

I add brandy once the cranberries cool a bit.

Greg6 months ago

The juice from one large orange plus one good lime equals the 3/4 cup juice that the recipe asks for. The lime adds just the right zing.

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