How to Make Cranberry Sauce

What would Thanksgiving be without cranberry sauce? It would be just another meal! While many of us grew up on that canned concoction (complete with can rings embedded into the gel), real homemade cranberry sauce is the stuff of legends. It's super easy to make, and we'll show you a few different ways (with tasty variations in the Tips section, too!) Read on:

Edit Ingredients

Method 1: Basic Cranberry Sauce Ingredients

12 oz (340 g) fresh cranberries (one bag)

1-1/2 cups (375 ml) granulated sugar

1 cup (250 ml) water

Method 2: Tart Cranberry Sauce Ingredients

12 oz (340 g) fresh cranberries (one bag)

1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar

1 cup (250 ml) orange juice

Method 3: Spicy Cranberry Sauce Ingredients

12 oz (340g) fresh cranberries (one bag)

1-1/2 cups (375 ml) granulated sugar

2-1/2 cups (600 ml) dry red wine. For best results, use the same type of wine that will be served with dinner.

4 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced

3 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/4 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Edit Steps

Method 1: Basic Cranberry Sauce

Rinse and clean cranberries. Empty a bag of cranberries into a colander, and rinse thoroughly, removing any leaves, stems etc.

Bring water and sugar to boil. Stir continuously, working around the edges to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat and add the cranberries. Stir, and return to boil. If you are adding optional ingredients, now is the time. (see "Tips").

Reduce heat. Simmer sauce gently as the cranberries pop open. This will take around 5 to 12 minutes.

Let cool. If you want a completely chilled sauce, it will take about 2 and 1/2 hours in your refrigerator.

Serve. Cranberry sauce is usually presented in a small, dainty and beautifully designed dish. Add a small spoon for self-serving.

Method 2: Tart Cranberry Sauce

Rinse and clean cranberries. Empty a bag of cranberries into a colander, and rinse thoroughly, removing any leaves, stems etc.

Blend the sugar and orange juice. Heat the orange juice over medium heat in a medium-sized sauce pan, and stir in the sugar to blend. Stir continuously, working around the edges to make sure all the sugar is dissolved.

Add the cranberries. Stir and cook until the cranberries pop open. This will take around 5 to 12 minutes.

Let cool. Empty the cranberry sauce into a serving bowl, and allow to cool. If you want a completely chilled sauce, it will take about 2 and 1/2 hours in your refrigerator.

Serve and enjoy!

Method 3: Spicy Cranberry Sauce

Sauté cranberries. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer.
- Add the cranberries and stir to coat, then add the chopped fresh ginger. Sauté, stirring frequently, until the cranberries pop open—about 5 minutes.

Add the wine. Stir in the wine, and then stir in the sugar, working around the edges with your spoon to make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil.

Reduce the mixture. Let the mixture boil, uncovered, until has reduced by about 1/3 to 1/2—about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the spices. Add the chopped crystallized ginger, curry, and 5-spice, and blend well.

Remove from heat. Let the sauce cool to the desired serving temperature, or refrigerate to chill for about 2-1/2 hours.

Garnish. Add a sprig of fresh tarragon or thin strips of orange peel to garnish.

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Edit Tips

Cranberry sauce freezes well, up to a year. Make extra.

Simply Recipes suggests the potential for adding additional elements to spice up the normal cranberry sauce. The suggestions include adding chopped nuts (e.g. pecans), pieces of peel (e.g. orange or lemon), raisins or currants, fellow berries such as blueberries or crowberries and traditional spices such as ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cinnamon.^[1]

Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Sciences suggests a great combination of fresh ginger and orange in the traditional cranberry sauce - add freshly grated orange peel and 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger. They call it their "Killer Cranberry Sauce"!^[2]

Cloves are a surprisingly tasty addition to cranberry sauce. Add a small amount of groud cloves while it is boiling.

Another delicious variation calls for fresh blueberries and some sultanas (white raisins) along with diced, dried apricots that have been reconstituted in a little brandy, port or hot water; add these at the last minute of the cooking stage. Sweeten with honey instead of white sugar, and flavor with coarsely-chopped crystalized ginger, garam marsala, lemon zest and a little allspice. Some chopped walnuts are also recommended. This version is especially pretty made jelly-style, and served in an old-fashion clear cut-glass dish.

One cute garnish for cranberry sauce is cubes of mango. Use ripe (slightly soft) mangoes, sliced into two cheeks, and cut the cheeks into squares. The brightly colored squares will dress up the dark and lumpy sauce.