Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
This holiday season, try my easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce! It only takes 15 minutes and you can make it up to a week ahead of your holiday meal.
This recipe is easily customizable and I have some ideas for you below. You can leave it plain and it’s absolutely delicious, or you can fancy it up with different additions and flavourings.
Cranberry sauce pairs excellently with any rich meat, like roasted pork, roasted goose, or the classic roast turkey. It goes great with cheese, so include it with your cheese platter or charcuterie board.
Put homemade cranberry sauce in a jar, tied with a pretty ribbon — it makes a fantastic host gift!
How long does Homemade Cranberry Sauce take to make?
This sauce takes up to 15 minutes to make. If you’re using fresh cranberries, that time could be less. You can easily judge if the sauce is done if all or almost all of the cranberries have burst open. The sauce will need time to completely cool in your refrigerator, so include that time in your menu planning.
Let’s talk about the ingredients for Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Cranberries – You can use fresh or frozen whole cranberries. I would not use dried cranberries, like Craisins.
Simple syrup – For cooking and sweetening the sauce, making these tart little berries taste amazing.
Orange zest – Adds a floral note to the sauce.
Cinnamon – Cinnamon adds a warming roundness to the sauce, balancing the acidity of the cranberries and orange.
Grand Marnier liqueur – That tiny bit of bitterness from this bitter orange liqueur also balances the sweetness and acidity. Since it’s added with all of the ingredients, the alcohol burns off.
What are some Substitutions and Variations for this Cranberry Sauce?
Simple syrup – If you are concerned with the amount of sugar, you can reduce it down to ¼ cup, and then add your favourite alternative sugar to taste at the end.
Replace the water with orange juice – You can replace the water in the recipe with juice for a stronger orange flavour. Experiment with different juices!
Replace the sugar with brown sugar – This version would also be AMAZING with Bourbon substituting the Grand Marnier!
Use more holiday spices – I’ve only added a touch of cinnamon to this version, but you can also add a pinch of nutmeg, or cardamom, or allspice, or chopped candied ginger.
Liqueur – Instead of Grand Marnier, you could try Cointreau (another bitter orange liqueur), Aperol, Bourbon, or a flavoured vodka like Vanilla or Lemon.
How can I save Homemade Cranberry Sauce?
You can keep the freshly-made sauce in the refrigerator for up to a week.
If you have the equipment, you can preserve this sauce by canning it — here’s a link I trust for some good guidance: https://www.bernardin.ca/recipes/en/whole-cranberry-sauce.htm
The Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Method
Simply cook whole, fresh or frozen cranberries in simple syrup for 10-13 minutes, until all the cranberries have burst open. The sauce will need time to completely cool in your refrigerator, so include that time in your menu planning.
Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 12 oz whole cranberries or 340g, fresh or frozen
- Zest From ½ a navel orange
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons Grand Marnier liqueur Optional
Instructions
- See Notes below about cooking with fresh cranberries.
- Boil water In a large pot over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
- When the sugar is dissolved, add the cranberries, orange zest, cinnamon, and liqueur, and stir to combine.
- Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10-13 minutes, or until all the cranberries have popped.
- Remove from heat and set aside to cool for about an hour, then refrigerate until completely chilled – about 2-3 hours.
Notes
