Cranberry Sauce With Orange and Golden Raisins

Updated Nov. 16, 2023

Cranberry Sauce With Orange and Golden Raisins
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
24½ hours
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes, plus 24 hours’ resting
Rating
4(242)
Comments
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This classic cranberry sauce, adapted from “Jambalaya,” a cookbook by the Junior League of New Orleans, is an ideal combination of tart, bitter and sweet flavors, with chewy bits of raisin and orange peel that provide much-needed textural contrast on the Thanksgiving table. A Saffitz family favorite, prepared every year by Claire Saffitz’s mother, Sauci, it keeps for weeks, so make it as far ahead as you like. (Watch Claire make Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish on YouTube.)

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Ingredients

Yield:About 4 cups
  • 12ounces fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries (3 cups)
  • 2⅓cups/466 grams granulated sugar
  • cups/6 ounces golden raisins
  • 1small navel orange, halved, seeds removed, roughly chopped
  • cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • ¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • Pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

318 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 75 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 22 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, raisins, chopped orange, vinegar, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar, until the mixture is simmering vigorously and the cranberries have burst, 25 to 30 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool until warm but not hot. Scrape into a lidded container and refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the flavors to meld. (The cranberry sauce can be made several weeks ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Ratings

4 out of 5
242 user ratings
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Comments

As someone that collects cranberry recipes and makes between 3 and 5 for each Thanksgiving, I think that this is good. My wife gave it a thumbs up - which is all that really matters. 1. I cut the sugar down from 2.3 cups to 1.3 cups (and could have cut it down a little more) 2. I added a bit of OJ so that there would be some liquid for cooking. No, I didn't measure - I just added enough to cover the berries in the pot. 3. I used a whole orange - peeled & cut into pretty small pieces.

Made this to change up the routine. No one loved it. Too sweet, and the orange peel chunks are too big. I recommend cutting way back on the sugar and dicing the orange more finely than the recipe called for.

Here's a "no-recipe" cranberry sauce I've been making for years. Pour some orange juice in a saucepan. Add some dried cranberries and pineapple tidbits. Bring to a boil then simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour until the berries and pineapple have softened significantly. Add more orange juice as needed to keep it from sticking. Remove from heat when it has reached the right consistency.

This recipe was exactly what my thanksgiving table needed and perfect on my leftover turkey sandwich (mixed with a little Mayo) the next day. This will become a standard feature henceforth!

Made this with half the sugar which gave it the right sweetness, but it came out kind of grainy from the orange rind. It tastes nice, but I think I’m going to re-make it per the suggestion to use large pieces of peel that get removed before serving.

I cut the sugar as many mentioned and maybe could have used a bit more than just 1 c, but overall -- delicious! My daughter had no clue about where I got the recipe and was worried because it had raisins in it, but she fell in love with it and took a bunch home with her. She said it 'tasted like fall'. I concur.

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Credits

Adapted from “Jambalaya”

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