Posted: 11/15/24
This do-it-yourself cranberry sauce is all the time the very first thing I add to my menu for Thanksgiving dinner. In my view, it simply isn’t Thanksgiving with out the colourful sweet-bitter style of cranberry to enrich a completely cooked turkey.
I created this recipe as a result of I simply don’t assume canned cranberry sauce is as flavorful because the do-it-yourself stuff. And I additionally wished an possibility that was just a little bit citrusy and never loaded with added sugars. I by no means regarded again on the canned stuff or these sugar-loaded recipes once more. Candy and subtly spiced, that is by far the perfect cranberry sauce I’ve ever made and I hope it turns into a staple to your harvest dinners, too.
Recipe Highlights
Listed below are just a few the reason why this do-it-yourself cranberry sauce is all the time on the high of my checklist for Thanksgiving recipes to make:
- It takes me simply 5 minutes of prep time and a cooking time of simply quarter-hour. So inside a complete time of 20 minutes, I’ve my first Thanksgiving aspect dish knocked off the checklist.
- I really like that I can put together this make-ahead cranberry sauce just a few days earlier than the large meal. It shops properly within the fridge for as much as 5 days, and I can serve it chilled, at room temperature, and even barely heat in a medium saucepan on the stovetop.
- As a result of I take advantage of complete meals substances and fewer than 1 / 4 cup sugar, the pure flavors of the cranberries and spices shine by.
- Leftovers retailer properly and add the perfect taste to leftover turkey sandwiches the following day
Ingredient Spotlight: Cranberries
I really like to make use of complete cranberries, particularly in the course of the vacation season! They’re implausible in recipes like our cranberry orange olive cake, cranberry breakfast sausage patties, this aromatic simmer pot, and, in fact, recent cranberry sauce. Not solely do I really like the sweet-tart taste of cranberries, however in addition they present a fairly pop of coloration and many vitamins, too.
An especially hydrating food, cranberries supply many well being advantages and are a wonderful supply of nutritional vitamins and vitamins. As an example, cranberries are a wonderful supply of vitamin C, insoluble fiber from pectin, vitamin K1, manganese, copper, and quercetin.
Because of this, together with cranberries in a well-rounded eating regimen might help forestall urinary tract infections, enhance coronary heart well being, and forestall abdomen ulcers.
Don’t Overcook The Sauce
The primary time I ever tried my hand at making do-it-yourself cranberry sauce, I overcooked it, which resulted in a too-bitter aspect dish. Fortunately, through the years, I’ve developed just a few suggestions and tips to assist forestall that from taking place once more.
For starters, I not let all the cranberries open. As an alternative, I stir and simmer the combination simply till about half of the berries crack open. Then, I take away the sauce from the stovetop and let it thicken off the warmth.
As well as, I be certain that to simmer my sauce over medium warmth, being cautious that it by no means involves a rolling boil.
Third, I discover that including a contact of citrus within the type of orange juice and orange zest together with a little bit of sweetener actually helps to steadiness the pure bitterness in recent cranberries.
How To Serve
I do know many individuals consider cranberry sauce solely as a Thanksgiving aspect dish. Nonetheless, I see it as extra of a condiment. I like to serve it over roasted turkey or orange glazed ham. A few of my relations prefer to serve it over mashed potatoes and stuffing.
I additionally like to make use of this sauce as an appetizer or snack, together with it in Thanksgiving and Christmas-themed charcuterie boards with favourite cheeses, like brie, or utilizing it as a festive topping with whipped feta dip. I’ve even served it over vanilla ice cream. Yum!
How To Retailer
Let any leftover cranberry sauce cool utterly, then switch it to an hermetic container. It is going to retailer properly within the fridge for as much as 5 days. I’ve additionally efficiently frozen leftovers for as much as 3 months. To serve, I thaw the sauce within the fridge in a single day. It’s nice chilly however can simply be reheated within the microwave or in a pot over medium warmth on the range.
Need to save this recipe?
Enter your e mail under & we’ll ship it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get nice new recipes from us each week!
Recipe
Do-it-yourself Cranberry Sauce Recipe
This fast and simple do-it-yourself cranberry sauce recipe combines recent cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and just a little honey for a superbly candy, spiced condiment or aspect dish that’s tastier than any canned selection.
Prep: 5 minutesPrepare dinner: 15-17 minutesWhole: 20-22 minutes
Servings: 6–8 (2 cups) 1x
Directions
- In a saucepan over medium warmth, add all substances. Stir and let the combination come to a fast simmer, then scale back warmth to low and proceed at a delicate simmer for 15-17 minutes or till the cranberries are comfortable, a few of them have burst, and the sauce has thickened barely.
- Take away from warmth and take away the cinnamon sticks. The sauce will proceed to thicken because it cools barely.
- Serve or retailer in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 5 days.
Final Step! Please go away a evaluation and ranking letting us understand how you favored this recipe! This helps our enterprise thrive so we are able to proceed offering free recipes and high-quality content material for you.
Vitamin Data
- Serving Dimension: 1/4 cup
- Energy: 48
- Fats: 0 g
- (Sat Fats: 0 g)
- Sodium: 28 mg
- Carbohydrate: 12 g
- (Fiber: 2 g
- Sugar: 9 g)
- Protein: 0 g
- Ldl cholesterol: 0 g
Dietary
Continuously Requested Questions
I discover that it’s greatest to make use of recent cranberries. Dried cranberries usually include added sugar and will be tough to interrupt down or thicken right into a sauce. Then again, frozen cranberries can generally be a bit bitter and create a barely watery consistency. If all you could find is frozen cranberries, these will work.
Undoubtedly! I discover that including a citrus fruit, reminiscent of orange juice or lemon juice, helps brighten the flavors. Orange juice is nice as a result of it might probably even assist scale back the quantity of sugar wanted within the sauce, because it contributes some sweetness. I desire to make use of half water and half orange juice.
I really like the flavour and heat that orange juice, shredded orange peel, cinnamon, and nutmeg add to this do-it-yourself cranberry sauce. If you wish to add just a little additional oomph or extra sweetness, be happy to incorporate some lemon zest, 1-2 tablespoons extra white sugar or brown sugar, chopped pecans for texture, or perhaps a sprint of allspice.
For final success, we extremely suggest studying the guidelines within the full weblog submit above. All photographs and content material are copyright protected. Please don’t use our photographs with out prior written permission. Should you want to republish a recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your individual distinctive phrases. Hyperlink again to the supply recipe right here on The Actual Meals Dietitians. Thanks!
