There’s nothing inherently wrong with canned cranberry sauce, but I figure that if I’m going to go to all the trouble of making a sprawling turkey dinner with all the fixings, I might as well put in the effort to make a cranberry sauce worthy of the rest of the meal. Especially since homemade cranberry sauce is so quick and easy to make!
Related: 8 Instant Pot Recipes That Will Make Thanksgiving Dinner So Easy
When you’re out shopping for your Thanksgiving dinner, skip the canned stuff and pick up a bag of fresh cranberries instead. Then follow the recipe below to turn those fresh berries into a flavorful homemade cranberry sauce that will take your meal to a whole new level!
How To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
- Fresh cranberries
- Water
- Sugar
Directions:
Pour the contents of a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries into a saucepan. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to the cranberries and stir to combine.
Turn the heat up to High to bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, then allow it to continue simmering for 10 minutes.
Remove the finished sauce from heat and allow it to cool before transferring it to an airtight container for storage. Store it in your fridge where it will keep for 1-2 weeks. That’s all there is to it!
BONUS: 5 Cranberry Sauce Tips And Tricks
Although the basic recipe for homemade cranberry sauce above is fantastic as written, there are plenty of ways you can jazz it up or make things easier for yourself. Here are some extra tips you might find useful!
Related: “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” – Thanksgiving Edition
1. Add Some Citrus
Sweet and tangy citrus can bring an additional dimension to the flavor of your cranberry sauce. Try swapping half of the water for orange juice, or adding a teaspoon or so of fresh lemon or orange zest to the cranberries, water, and sugar before simmering.
2. Make It Ahead
The flavor of cranberry sauce, like many other foods, evolves over time, so making it ahead of time will make your life easier and give your sauce a better flavor. Make your cranberry sauce 2 or 3 days ahead of time, then refrigerate it in an airtight container until needed.
3. Try A Different Sweetener
Cranberry sauce is traditionally made with white sugar, but you can use a different sweetener to switch things up if you like. You could use brown sugar, honey, or even maple syrup as the sweet element in your sauce.
4. Add Some Spice
Make your cranberry sauce more flavorful by adding a couple cloves, a cinnamon stick, or a small chunk of fresh ginger to the simmering mixture of cranberries, water, and sugar. Fish them back out of the finished sauce before storing it in your fridge.
5. Give It Texture
Some cranberry sauce recipes call for chopped pecans, walnuts, or even raisins. If you like a bit of crunch or chew, stir a handful of any of these options into your finished cranberry sauce for taste and texture.
Do you serve cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving dinner?
Homemade Cranberry Sauce (Recipe)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Pour cranberries into saucepan.
- Add the water and sugar and stir.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm or chilled.
This was really good. No more canned cranberry sauce for us. Actually, for me, since I’m the only one that would ever eat the canned stuff.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The only thing that I am going to do next time, is cut back on the sugar, I’m thinking 3/4 cup instead of 1, because it seemed just a little too sweet. And, I like sweet. Funny thing is, my wife, who has never liked cranberry sauce or things that are too sweet, liked it. I’m going to try it anyway and see what she thinks.
Thanks for this.
I have a recipe that I have made for over 25 years – much better too!! You make it two weeks before so that the flavors can blend. From scratch is always the best! I am not a big cranberry fan, but this sauce, it is the BEST! This year my brother was shopping & looked at the canned stuff & said, “I’m calling Deb to see if she has made hers yet & will share some with us”. So they got a cottage cheese container of it & are thrilled! I got an Orange Jamba Juice in exchange! Best Brother ever!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This cranberry sauce is the very best! I have been making it for over 60 years, my mother and grandmother both made it for years too. I pour the hot sauce into a tupperware mold (the old one that has a lid on the top and the bottom) and put it in the refrigerator. At dinner time I unmold it onto a plate with sides and serve it. It’s definitely our family favorite!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I always toss a couple of cinnamon sticks in my sauce as it is cooking.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My mom always puts some frozen strawberries in while it is cooking up.. It gives the perfect sweetness to the tart of cranberries. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love how whole cranberries “pop” when you cook them. I added sugar, pineapple chunks and Malibu rum to mine. Delish!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I made this to go with the delicious Thanksgiving dinner that my parents were preparing. My mom spent all weekend geeking out over it and had me make more the night before I came back down to school.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So. Yeah. Good idea. ;)
Oh, my. I still have my mother’s cranberry tray in the same box! Still. what memories. thanks
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I bought another brand (cheaper) of cranberries this year. Big mistake! They were full of seeds and the peeling was tough. Who would have thought that a brand of cranberries makes any difference! From now on I’m sticking to ocean spray! Thanks for the tip about purreeing the cranberry sauce. We actually love the jelly in the can but after I tried the homemade version (plain, using water and sugar only because we aren’t fans of the kind with orange, etc.), I now am SOLD on this homemade cranberry sauce. What is it that makes the cranberry sauce jell so well? Is there more natural pectin in cranberries? Wouldn’t it be great if all berries made jelly this easily! Thanks for posting this. Now, I’ll be purreeing my jelly as well, at least some of it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I did this and added cinnamon and everyone loved it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I remember being so surprised when I realized that cranberry sauce did not have to come out of a can…there is nothing simpler…my favorite is, to freeze cranberries, but them in a food processor with lots of horseradish and some orange and blend, yum!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.this is how i make mine too, although I am a nutmeg freak and always a 1/8 to 1/4 tsp nutmeg to the pan too.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Dearest Jilliee, once again you have changed my life! I have LOVED jelled cranberry and have eaten it by the spoonful my whole life. By I trust you so much that I threw a bag of cranberries in my cart and tried this yesterday. I loved it, will never eat the jelled again, and it was the hit of the dinner!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for all the amazing ideas you give us daily! You are literally changing my life and the lives of those around me! I am thankful for you!
Made this for yesterday and it was heavenly! No more canned in our house! Thank you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I TOTALY AGREE with you! I started making FRESH Cranberries a couple of years ago @ 37yrs old and I LOVEEEE THEM…..Now my husband on the other hand likes the can BUTT who’s a cookin…..Mommas cookin so I get what I want lol
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My grandma would use a similar recipe for making homemade cranberry sauce, except she would also add whole oranges, peels and all. It added a whole new level of flavor that can’t be beat!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve been making cranberry sauce from scratch for 10+ years and my family likes it to be ‘jellied’ so I take the extra time to mash the cranberry sauce through a sieve. A bit more effort but the results are so worth it.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just read the comments regarding using a blender instead of the sieve process. Going to try that method today. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t know if I missed it and it was said before but just in case:
You can substitute darn near any sweetener for the white sugar. Brown is good (though it’s just white sugar and molasses, and pure molasses is not so great IMO), honey is GREAT, splenda, stevia, you name it. If it’s a no-calorie sweetener, add it at the end when you turn it off. I like to add about a teaspoon of honey to the splenda version to cut the bitterness that you can get from both the cranberries and using too much splenda. My mom also uses orange juice and/or orange zest, and cuts the sugar in half (or makes it with splenda these days).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Maple syrup! The real thing…mmmmmmm
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love it! So many great recipes shared. Thank you! And I love that so many of you actually have that serving set! lol That is so cool! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love cranberry sauce in any form but my family hates the store bought version . I have to have cranberry sauce over my cornbread dressing! My grandma made her own version of the jelled cranberries that has been a mandatory item on our Thanksgiving menu. This recipe is so delicious my husband and sons who have never liked any form of cranberries love this recipe. I have to double it or I will not have the required element on my dressing lol.
1- 9 oz can of crushed pineapple
1- pkg cherry jello
1- can of mandarin oranges (or 1 orange) chopped lightly
3/4 cup sugar
1 TBS. lemon juice
1 cup ground fresh cranberries
orange rind of 1 orange (omit if using the mandarin oranges)
1/2 cup chopped walnut (optional)
1 cup of hot water
Drain pineapple and reserve juice. Add enough water to the pineapple juice to equal exactly 1/2 cup and set to the side. Dissolve cherry jello and sugar into 1 cup hot water then add the pineapple juice mixture and add the lemon juice. Chill until partially set then add the orange, orange rind, and nuts. Chill in a 5 cup ring or bowl overnight or until set.
I highly suggest to let it chill overnight. You have to be exact with the liquid measurements or the mixture will not gel. Drain excess juice off of chopped oranges. I mix it and chill it in the same bowl. Even if it is loose it is wonderful.
I love this blog so much Jillee it is like you live in my mind. We must be kindred spirits.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.^^^^^^^^^^^*grated orange rind* sorry
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Cindy, this sounds great, but
Please log in or create a free account to comment.at what point do you add the cranberries?
I have this set. It used to be my Mom’s. We LOVE the jellied cranberry sauce in a can!!!!!!!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sorry. I am going to cook some cranberries this year in some orange juice until they pop and then add some honey if I need to. Happy Thanksgiving Jillee! and thank you for all of your ideas and inspiration
I do the straight up version from the back of the Ocean Spray bag and those who love it love it! I guess I am extremely flattered because my new Daughter In Law who is self-admittedly the PICKIEST EATER EVER LOVES this and asked me for the recipe last week.
And then she told me that she was passing the recipe on to MY SON who is the only person in the house who COOKS!!!! LOL!
I will make sure to pass on the variations for their Turkey Day–my son has cooked his new brides family Thanksgiving for the past 5 years!
I have wondered—has anyone ever thought to save a CAN (well washed of course!) and just pour the hot cranberry sauce–strained or not (I don’t strain or blend!) and then chill it and slide it out of the can and onto a nice serving plate and set it on the table and NOT SAY A WORD? Wonder if anyone would notice or say anything? Of course you could always have a hidden back up can. Just in case.
I have noticed that if you cook it much past the “Popping Berries” stage it has a tendency to not gel as well. Also–I use a beautiful crystal bowl to chill and serve this in–it looks so pretty on the table with the light on it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have been making homemade sauce for a few years now and will never go back… I make two versions, my dad likes the traditional sauce just like the recipe. But I like mine to have a little something so I add a few teaspoons of Grand Marnier. It adds an orange taste but adds a little something extra too. Sometimes I will also add orange zest. Yummy. I am making mine tomorrow night so it has time to set up.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love me some homemade cranberries! When I was a girl, we had the “jelled” stuff in the can.
Here’s a twist on the cranberry that I discovered a year or so ago. Chocolate -dipped cranberries! O man! They are so good. Just wash, dry them, and dip them in melted chocolate chips or any good chocolate. Crazy good — sweet ‘n’ sour and crisp. Try it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.LOL–My mom actually has that serving set! Yes, I was raised on the can version but after trying the homemade cranberry sauce, I was hooked. This year I tried it with kumquats and honey-Yum!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve always made my own cranberry sauce, but we’ve given up cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving in favor of cranberry apple salad. I was looking for a copycat recipe for Bill Knapp’s cranberry apple salad when I found this. It’s pretty close to the original.
I cook make the cranberry sauce as usual and let it chill. Then, I take 1 can of apple pie filling, and about 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts. Put the apple pie filing in a bowl and use a fork to chop the apples into small pieces. (I actually use a pastry blender for this). Next add the cranberry sauce and nuts, stir until blended and your done!!
We have no more cranberry hater at our house since I’ve been serving this instead of plain cranberry sauce!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Maybe I can enlighten you as to why some of us eat canned cranberries. Growing up in the rural south, everything on our Thanksgiving dinner table was grown at home: fowl, pecans picked up for pies, all the vegetables. Even mincemeat pies were made of homemade mincemeat with REAL meat in it and homegrown currants. Mama grew her own sage to season dressing — we didn’t stuff; we had dressing in a pan, rich with chicken broth and eggs. The only things on the table not homegrown were salt, black pepper and the ubiquitous canned cranberry sauce. We considered cranberry sauce in a can a delicacy — BOUGHT AT THE STORE! Imported from ‘up north’ where cranberries grew in bogs and were magically transformed into cranberry jelly before traveling south. We are eating tradition. We have, however, given up making piecrust with real lard cooked out in a washpot.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the history lesson Nell! Very interesting stuff! Makes complete sense! :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Homemade “jelled” cranberry sauce is just the recipe cooked and then strained, like cranberry jello. It’s the natural fruit pectin that causes it to jell, not un-natural at all.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.So funny! We have to have both! I have that silverplated set. It was a wedding gift one month shy of 40 years ago! LOL!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I grew up with the canned jellied version but discovered the whole berry homemade variety when I lived in Britain. I soon discovered I preferred this variety over the canned junk! I discovered Cranberry -orange sauce recipe many years ago and it’s been a firm favourite for at least 30 years with the family.
I use:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.zest and juice of one orange
1/2 cup of water
1/2 cup of sugar
pinch of salt
1 – 12oz. bag of fresh cranberries
Combine all but the cranberries in a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat. Stir till sugar is desolved (2-3 minutes approx)
Add cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer till cranberries burst and sauce thickens slightly (about 7 minutes). You can sweeten with more sugar if you want. You can let cool to room temperature for serving or pop into 8 oz, canning jars (I get 3 jars out of this mixture). Seal and keep refridgerated. I made mine yesterday. They last for quite a while. I use little sugar because I don’t like sweet sauces with meats and poultry.
You’re using the recipe I use, only I add a can of crushed pineapples and a cinnamon stick.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I think I would like it even better with pineapple! But I fear if I messed with it one tiny bit there would be a revolt come Thanksgiving dinner! My family is very picky that way. ;-)
I love all the suggestions to use Orange Juice too! Why didn’t I think of that??
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Hi, BTW your web site is my newest and current obsession. Thank you! I do not cook my cranberry sauce. I grate the cranberries . A food processing grating blade (what I used this time) or a kitchen aide grinding attachment work well. I’ve even used our blender to pulse small batches. Once they are grated I add fresh orange zest and juice and sugar (lots). Then I add ground allspice, nutmegs, cloves, ginger and cinnamon. mix well and let it “cook” in the fridge for a day or two before a holiday. I get rave reviews from everyone who eats it or tries it for the first time. I never measure, so just wing it and adjust as you go. (That’s the fun and tasty part of cooking.) There is lots of sugar which we try not to avoid in our house, but the rest of the ingredients are so good for you, it is an indulgence we agree allow ourselves. Again, thanks for your website!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s it?! Are you kidding me?!! I will forever make cranberry sauce from scratch and make all my friends jealous. Thank you!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.haha! That’s what I thought when I first heard how to make it Inga. :-) You are most welcome! Enjoy!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Cranberry sauce was one of the first things I learned how to make by myself. I found out last year that my dad doesn’t even like cranberry sauce, but year after year he ate it because I made it. That is the sign of a great dad and a great sauce.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also, I will change it up by using juice instead of water. Most years it’s orange juice, but I have used pomegranate and blueberry juice.
I dislike cranberries but thought maybe it was because my mom always made me eat the stuff out of a can. One year I made a fresh cranberry sauce like this recipe– I still don’t like them but everyone else loved it. Now I am in charge of making cranberry sauce every year, even though I don’t like it. Oh well :-) !
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Just tried a new recipe this year that is extra fancy…
Please log in or create a free account to comment.already had cranberries, sugar…then mango orange juice instead of water
and crushed CASHEWS mixed in after cooking.
It was Heavenly!!!
Thanks Jillee–going to our son’s of dinner, I never made my own (didn’t grow up with it). The canned is one of the six items on my son’s menu (his year long menu)– but my D in-law has only ever had homemade; don’t remember seeing the canned on the table last year. I’ll have to watch to see if he eats it now.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I also hate that canned goop. I have only bought it a couple of times to please those that like/expect it. I have not tried making it myself because I have thought that I would not like it either. BUT I do like dried cranberries in salads and sweet potato casserole so I may try it this year.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love to add te zest from one orange. I also make mine on Monday, the week of Thanksgiving, to give it a few days for the flavors to meld together. It really tastes better this way!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.TOO funny! My mom has one of those servers and I hate to admit this, but I LOVE the canned cranberry sauce!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This fresh recipe with a kick was a hit last year. Definitely making it again this year.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Fresh Cranberry Relish
1 – 12oz. bag fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
1 medium fresh jalapeno, seeded and chopped
juice of 1 lime and 1/2 half orange
1 – 1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Process until cranberries are coarsely chopped.
Add :
2 chopped green onions, white only
1/2 cup chopped cilantro, leaves only
Process until desired texture.
I make a Cranberry Relish….. one bag of whole fresh cranberries, one orange (peel and all), one cup sugar (more if you think so). Run through a food processor, Viola! Cranberry Orange Relish. I make it every year and it’s the only kind I’ll eat.
Yum, now my mouth is watering!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.My favorite homemade is:
12 oz. bag of cranberries
1 cup sugar (I often use brown)
Zest of oranges needed to make 1 cup of orange juice – add juice to cranberries
1-2 cinnamon sticks
Bring all to a boil until cranberries; turn heat down to simmer until cranberries pop.
Take off heat and add 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Cool. Refrigerate. (Sauce thickens when cool.)
I was asked to bring my sauce to several family gatherings this year. Of course I said yes, because it’s so easy!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Mmmmmm….in England we add a touch of orange juice and a splash of Port to the cooled sauce :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Freakin’ EASY! I bought my Costco size bag yesterday!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Cant his be frozen? My daughter and I are the only ones who eat cranberries. I’d like to save the rest for Christmas.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I meant “Can this be frozen?”
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Yes! it can totally be frozen!! I do it every year :) And it thaws perfectly, comes out looking like it’s been freshly made :)
there is a recipe I have used that calls for balsamic vinegar that you coook out but the sugars stay and also calls for O.J. Maybe that will be more diabetic saavy. Look it up on Google?? My mom has my grandmas silver cranberry ladle thingy. Cute but ew.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Joy, try this recipe: I make this sugar free all the time now! Get yourself some XYLITOL, the granular kind, I get mine at the health food store in a big bag, not the little packages. Use 3/4 cup Xylitol and 3 packages Splenda and VOILA! Yummy sugar free cranberry sauce! :) I use a little less of the water, just under 1 cup instead of the full cup, seems to thicken a bit better. Good luck! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Add some orange juice concentrate, and a bit of rum… Yum.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you SO MUCH for this! When I was a kid we ALWAYS had fresh cranberry sauce because that was the ONLY thing that my mom allowed me to do by myself. That’s right…a 10 year old kid made this for Thanksgiving…you can too! Just remember to do it early on in the day because you want it to set up nicely in the fridge. We always stored ours in a mason jar and put a little bit in a pretty bowl to serve on the table.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Good point Christine…I usually make it a day or two ahead of time for that very reason. Thanks for sharing!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I laughed out loud when I saw that you, Jillee, have the exact same cranberry sauce server as I have! We must be the same vintage…although mine is tarnished from non-use.. .I have been making homemade cranberry sauce for a long time. I add a bit of fresh orange juice & a little orange zest- there you have it! Thanks for posting!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That’s pretty close to my Mom’s cranberry sauce recipe, only she does it in the microwave since the stove is full w/ other things.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.1 bag of cranberries
1 cup of sugar
In a 2 QT glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap & microwave on HI for 8 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap – be careful of the steam! – and stir in a 1/4 cup of sugar & 1/4 cup of brandy.
YUM!
I have made the jellied sauce for years and actually made 2 recipes of it last night. For the first time, I normally press mine through a strainer. I am just wondering if the blender pulverized the skin well enough that it is completly jelled? Would appreciate some feedback on this. I used a potato ricer last night and it worked great and was easier to clean than a strainer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.BEWARE: Once you ever make the homemade, your family will never let you go back to the canned stuff. So, if you don’t want to make this every year for all the holidays, etc.; don’t ever start. LOL
We add orange juice, orange zest and some chopped walnuts. It’s a treat all by itself, anytime! Tis year, I’m trying stevia instead of sugar. For my diabetic dad.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do any of you like Cranberry Relish? I know that’s the favorite for me! It is SOOO good! I cannot STAND the sauce or the jelly, but my mom like the other stuff :) I will let her know about this recipe! But here is my grandmother’s old fashioned recipe for Cranberry Relish! All you need is:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.2 apples (any variety)
2 oranges (any variety)
1 bag of cranberries (the regular size that you usually see)
1 1/3 cup of sugar
INSRUCTIONS-
Blend up all ingredients in a blender until the texture of relish. Pour all contents in a bowl, and stir. YUM YUM!
HA!! My mom has that ‘vintage’ cranberry dish. And she INSISTS that at least 1 family member cannot survive without the canned crap. So, every year out comes the special serving dish and a can. I’m a homemade cranberry sauce girl but I’m not gonna argue with her. =)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Gotta admit it. We LOVE the canned jellied sauce. Love it so much we have it all year, LOL. Not gonna fix what isn’t broken, I guess. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When my son was around 10, his best friend (who was Iranian) had Thanksgiving dinner with us. Arash had never had cranberry sauce before (or apparently a Tgiving dinner). He inhaled the food and when we were finished & having coffee, he came over and politely asked if he could have the rest of the cranberry jelly (canned, ribs and all). We said yes, and he got a spoon and the bowl over and ate the rest of the can. That funny little face hovering over the cranberry jelly in America….made the entire day for me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That has to be one of hte best thanksgiving stories I’ve read this year, oh so perfect!
I ditched the sauce for Cranberry Butter a few years ago, and now Cranberry Butter is a holiday favorite,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve made it with frozen cranberries at other times of the year…just make sure the butter is very soft
3/4 cup fresh cranberries
6 Tbl. powdered sugar
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 cup (2 sticks) butter- no substitutions
Spread it on homemade rolls and you will be hooked, too!
Susie – I’m assuming you boil this all together?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m not certain, but it sounds like Susie is talking about making a compound butter – butter with other flavors simply mixed in. So all you’d have to do is soften the butter enough to mix in the other ingredients. Yum! Really wanting to try this recipe — it sounds like it would be fantastic on scones or muffins, or even plain toast!
Yum, that sounds so good…and yes, is it all boiled together?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How funny, I just made some last night and canned it! I haven’t used the bought canned version in years!
I used two recipes, one from the Joy of Cooking that uses half water and half orange juice, plus 2 tsp grated rind, and the other from Splenda’s site:
http://recipes.splenda.com/recipes/1397122-Cranberry-Orange-Sauce
My experience was that I had to just about double the Splenda, and even then, I couldn’t get rid of the bitterness of the cranberries until I finally caved and added about half a cup of sugar. Not too much sugar considering, but I was trying for a completely sugar-free version. That helped, though I still wasn’t completely satisfied. When I went to taste it this morning, however, it was perfect. So, something to keep in mind when making it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Perfect timing!! I make a home made cranberry sauce but it called for the can stuff. Everything else this thanksgiving will be from scratch and now the cranberry sauce will be too!!! Thanks so much!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.LOOOVE making my own, and part of the fun is the ‘pop’ when the berries build up the steam inside, and it smells heavenly! I sometimes put just a hint of cinnamon and a little orange zest ~ thank you Jillee! LOOOOVE your site, much love and many blessings to you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Too Funny Jillee!!! I actually received one of those sets as a wedding gift back in 1987!!! And as much as I hate the can variety….I have a son that just loves it!! Go figure – he’s my picky eater though and you know how they are! LOL!! I make my own for the rest of us but I make it with orange juice also. I prefer the real stuff too, but will keep the college age son happy with the jellied can variety served in its own special dish! Happy Thanksgiving!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you have a stick blender, just blend your cranberries up in the pan until they are smooth, then they’ll gel in the jar as they cool. I did 4 bags of cranberries last night, and made some whole berry sauce, and some gelled sauce. I water bath canned them and now I have enough cranberries for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Canning your own–now that’s an idea I can get behind! From the other comments it sounds like there is no need for pectin–did you use any? Did you add orange zest? I made orange marmalade for the first time this year and added a couple of dried cranberries to each jar to add a little burst of color. Looked and tasted awesome. Maybe I’ll add some strips of orange rind to the cranberry. Couldn’t hoight (hurt, I’m from NJ originally).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I attempted these earlier this week as a test run, and I have one note to add…don’t overcook. If you cook too long they release too much acid and you will have a very bitter aftertaste to your sauce and trust me no amount of sugar will fix it, I tried. Going to give it another try tomorrow.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I know it’s bit late now…but try adding like a teaspoon of baking soda. Should take the bitter right out.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wonder how it would work sub. splenda for the sugar. Always looking for diabetic recipes that taste REAL! Have a wonderful holiday and thank you for all the fabulous ideas. Blessings.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I TOTALLY make this sugar free all the time now! Get yourself some XYLITOL, the granular kind, I get mine at the health food store in a big bag, not the little packages! Use 3/4 cup Xylitol and 3 packages Splenda and VOILA! Yummy sugar free cranberry sauce! :) I use a little less of the water, just under 1 cup instead of the full cup, seems to thicken a bit better. Good luck! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Whoa! I got a serving utensil from one of my husband’s grandparents when they died. It looks exactly like the spoon/slicer thing in the picture! I never knew that was it’s original function. I don’t have the matching dish, though. I’m so tickled to find out what it was originally used for.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Use 1 cup orange juice instead of water and they are even better!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just got home from school and was dreading the thought of looking up a new receipe for cranberries…Thank You for reminding me there is no better way to prepare cranberries….and I use the leftovers for scones the next morning…new receipe…what was I thinking? Thanks again!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Homemade is definitely better. For those who like the jellied variety, you can easily make it yourself! Just make the sauce as noted above, and puree the mixture in the food processor or blender. Once it is chilled, it’ll have the jelly consistency.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you. I always read that you had to push the pulp thru a fine mesh strainer. Never thought of the blender…I will next time though. Wish I knew this Sunday though…first time making my own jellied cranberry sauce didn’t turn out as planned (possibly because my 10 year old did most of the work while I was prepping something else for the early ‘friends’ thanksgiving we had last night.) next time though :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Muy, Muy, I LOVE you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I LOVE the jelly, can’t stand the chunks in it. Don’t know why I didn’t think about pureeing it myself. So, cranberries are now on the very short list of things still to be picked up.
Thanks, Connie for that tip…it’s a texture thing with me–I love the smooth jelly type & I’m sure the homemade version is much tastier. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Add a little orange zest and fresh juice for an even more amazing taste!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make it with orange juice and honey. So good!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do any of you like Cranberry Relish? I know that’s the favorite for me! It is SOOO good! I cannot STAND the sauce or the jelly, but my mom like the other stuff :) I will let her know about this recipe! But here is my grandmother’s old fashioned recipe for Cranberry Relish! All you need is:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.2 apples (any variety)
2 oranges (any variety)
1 bag of cranberries (the regular size that you usually see)
1 1/3 cup of sugar
INSRUCTIONS-
Blend up all ingredients in a blender until the texture of relish. Pour all contents in a bowl, and stir. YUM YUM!
This is a delicious recipe and one which I had misplaced. Thanks so much for posting this. Happy Thanksgiving!
we made this at home when I was a youngster but back then there were no food processors. Some of you may remember the old fashioned food grinder that fastened to the edge of a table or something. We used the pull out bread board. The grinding was the fun part, didn’t know it was ‘work’ then. LOL I didn’t like the relish tho or any kind of cranberries.
Wanda, your recipe reminds me of mine – I don’t use apples, but I DO use the WHOLE orange, zest, pith, and all (get rid of the seeds if there happen to be any). Just chunk the whole thing up before blending it. Oh, and I find a food processor works better than a blender because the relish is so thick it won’t stay in the blades and you keep having to shut the thing off and push it back down in there.
One more thing – wash and sort through the cranberries before any of these processes – I like to look through the berries and get rid of any that are mushy or bad looking before preparing them!