Table of Contents
- Notes From the MGC Kitchen
- Key Ingredients
- How to Make Cranberry Sauce from Scratch
- Tips for Buying and Storing Cranberries
- Recipe Variation: Spiced Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce
- Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- More Ways to Enjoy Fresh and Dried Cranberries
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce With Orange Recipe
If you’ve never made cranberry sauce from scratch before, try this easy recipe and you’ll never serve store-bought again! Fresh ingredients always yield more flavorful results, and our version includes a cinnamon stick and a couple of strips of fresh orange peel for added flavor. You can also control the level of sweetness and put your own unique stamp on this dish by incorporating other flavors (we have a few ideas for you to try below).
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
We know loads of people swear by the canned, jellied cranberry sauce of their youth, but for us, homemade cranberry sauce from scratch is the clear winner in that taste test. All of our holiday celebrations include either our fresh cranberry orange relish or this cranberry sauce recipe. Not only is it a cinch to prepare, but it can also be made ahead of time for easier entertaining.
Key Ingredients
This is an overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. Please see the printable recipe card below for the complete listing, including quantities.
- FRESH CRANBERRIES: Fresh cranberries are readily available from October through December. and you can store them in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. Before using, sort through the cranberries to remove any mushy, shriveled, or unripe (white) berries, then rinse in cool water.
- CINNAMON STICK: Adding a cinnamon stick to the sauce as it cooks lends a warming hint of spice to the tartness of the cranberries.
- FRESH ORANGE PEEL: Cranberries and oranges are a classic flavor pairing, and the addition of fresh orange peel adds a bright citrus note to the cranberry sauce. Whenever we cook with orange peel, we always try to buy organic.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce from Scratch
This is an overview of how this recipe is prepared. Please see the printable recipe card below for detailed step-by-step instructions.
COMBINE INGREDIENTS AND BOIL: Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan.
SIMMER: Add the cranberries, cinnamon, and orange peel and reduce the heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the cranberries have “popped” and the mixture has thickened.
COOL AND SERVE: Remove the saucepan from the heat, cover, and allow to cool to room temperature. Once cool, remove the cinnamon stick and orange peel. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Tips for Buying and Storing Cranberries
SHOPPING: Cranberries are available fresh in supermarkets from late September through late December. Look for deep red berries that are firm and smooth, not puckered, and check to be sure there aren’t red juices in the bag.
STORING: Store fresh cranberries in a plastic bag or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
PREPPING: Give cranberries a quick rinse in cool water before using them. If you’re making cranberry sauce, you can just drain off the excess water, but for baking, it’s best to lay them out on a kitchen towel and blot them dry before using.
FREEZING: Fresh cranberries can also be frozen for up to a year. Before freezing, rinse and dry them thoroughly and pack them in a tightly sealed freezer bag. You can use them straight from the freezer for most recipes (no defrosting necessary).
Recipe Variation: Spiced Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce
Here’s a flavor twist on this recipe made with pomegranate juice in place of water and a fragrant combination of vanilla, allspice, cinnamon, and orange zest. Follow the original recipe instructions and:
- Replace the water with pomegranate juice.
- Reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup (the pomegranate juice acts as a sweetener).
- Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice.
- Keep the 1 cinnamon stick and 4 strips of fresh orange peel.
Other flavor variations include cloves or a splash of liqueur like Grand Marnier.
Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead, and it will continue to develop even more flavor in this time. Allow the sauce to cool completely before refrigerating it in a tightly sealed container. It will last about a week in the fridge.
Yes, and you can use them without thawing them first. They’ll need an extra 5 to 10 minutes of cook time.
If your sauce won’t thicken, you either haven’t simmered long enough for the cranberries to release the pectin, or you’ve added too much liquid. Both are easily fixed, though! Continue to simmer the sauce until it reaches your desired consistency. If it’s still not thick enough with added cook time, you can add a cornstarch slurry. Just be sure to add the slurry in very small increments to reach your preferred thickness.
More Ways to Enjoy Fresh and Dried Cranberries
Homemade Cranberry Sauce With Orange
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh whole cranberries, (1 bag, about 3 cups)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 or 4 strips fresh orange peel
Instructions
- Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries, cinnamon stick, and orange peel.
- Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the cranberries have "popped" and the mixture has thickened.
- Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to cool to room temperature.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and orange peel. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Replace the water with pomegranate juice.
- Reduce the sugar to 1/2 cup (the pomegranate juice acts as a sweetener).
- Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice.
- Keep the 1 cinnamon stick and 4 strips of fresh orange peel.
- Follow the original recipe instructions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was really easy to make and I liked it alot. Do you think cardamom would be good with the cranberries? I have whole pods and was thinking of trying that next.
Hi Emily,
I definitely think cardamom would be a nice flavor to complement the cinnamon and orange. I would lightly crush 2 or 3 whole pods and add them to the mixture while it cooks. Let us know how it works out!