Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Fresh Cranberry Sauce may be a holiday staple, but it’s delicious any time of year. Lightly spiced with warm cinnamon and aromatic cloves, and a hint of orange, this quick and easy recipe takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. This cranberry sauce is even better if made a few days ahead of time, which allows the flavors to fully develop. It’s the ultimate accompaniment to any holiday meal.
There is no need to buy store bought cranberry sauce when you can make this flavorful Fresh Cranberry Sauce so easily. To learn how to make this easy cranberry sauce recipe, see the printable recipe card below or take a look at the recipe video. For other recipe variations, visit the Pimp My Recipe section in my Blog Comments & Tips below.
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RECIPE
(Printable recipe card below.)
FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE
Ingredients
Instructions
- Add cranberries to a large mesh strainer, then rinse and drain.
- To a saucepan (3 quart), add cranberries, sugar, and water, and stir to combine. On medium heat, stir occasionally, and bring to a boil (once skins start to pop open - about 10 minutes). Add orange juice, orange zest, cloves, and cinnamon, and stir to combine. Turn down to low heat, stirring occasionally, simmer for 10-15 minutes until thickened (see Note #1).
- Remove from heat, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Then transfer to a heat proof glass airtight container, and allow to completely cool uncovered. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate (see Note #2) until ready to serve.
Notes
- This cranberry sauce will be more like a very runny jam or syrup when it’s done simmering. It will thicken as it cools, and become like a thick jam when refrigerated.
- This Fresh Cranberry Sauce is best when made up 2-3 days ahead of time. It allows the flavors to develop, and gets better over time. Can be kept refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7-10 days.
- Makes 6 servings (up to 8 smaller servings).
Nutrition Facts
Calories
169.56Fat (grams)
0.2 gSat. Fat (grams)
0 gCarbs (grams)
43.79 gFiber (grams)
1.67 gNet carbs
42.11 gSugar (grams)
40.11 gProtein (grams)
0.28 gSodium (milligrams)
1.94 mgCholesterol (grams)
0 mgNutritional information provided is strictly an estimate and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods.
SERVING
Serve cold and enjoy!
VIDEO
How to Make this Easy Fresh Cranberry Sauce!
Blog Comments & Tips
The perfect accompaniment to any holiday table!
This Fresh Cranberries Sauce is lightly spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and a hint of fresh squeezed orange juice and zest. This is my version of my grandmother’s cranberry sauce recipe. It doesn’t use quite as much sugar as many other recipes, but it’s still sweet, tart, and delicious! It’s so simple to make, and it is the perfect accompaniment for any Thanksgiving or holiday table, but it’s so tasty on sandwiches and paninis that it’s worth making a huge batch and freezing some for after the holidays. Better yet, make it any time of year you can find fresh cranberries in the grocery store!
When you are entertaining guests during the holidays, it’s important to reduce your stress as much as possible and make as many dishes ahead of time. This is the perfect make ahead recipe, and it gets better over time.
How do you ensure the best results from this recipe?
My 5 tips to making this easy Fresh Cranberry Sauce recipe:
Use organic cranberries when possible.
For this recipe, I prefer using ground cinnamon and ground cloves instead of whole spices. The reason is that whole cloves and cinnamon sticks can break up during the cooking process (especially since you have to stir this sauce), and you may not be able to find the small pieces to pull them out of the sauce. After all, no one wants to bite into a whole clove or pieces of a cinnamon stick in their cranberry sauce!
Use fresh orange juice and orange zest. Bottled will not do!
When stirring occasionally, be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan when it’s coming to a boil and simmering. This will keep the sugars from burning.
For best flavor, make it about 2-5 days prior to serving. It seems like a long time but trust me, the flavor really develops during that time. Just make sure it’s refrigerated in an airtight container.
It’s time to customize and Pimp My Recipe.
Pimp My Recipe:
Make it Boozy: Want to kick up the flavor with a little booze? Add 2 tablespoons of Grand Marnier during the last 10 minutes of simmering.
Make it Without Spices: If you prefer a mild flavored cranberry sauce, just omit the spices. I would suggest keeping the fresh squeezed orange juice and zest, otherwise, it may be too bland.
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below, rating my recipes, subscribing, following, and liking Prep My Recipe on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok! Don’t forget to subscribe to get updates on new recipes and tips & tricks.
Happy Cooking!
Mich
Footnote: Remember to stir the sauce occasionally when it’s coming to a boil and simmering. It’s important to scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan.
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