Cranberry Sauce
It seems like cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes are kind of the ugly stepsisters of the Thanksgiving table–they’re presence seems to be guilt-induced, there’s plenty left over, and those leftovers often find themselves cold and lonely in the refrigerator as the rolls, mashed potatoes, and turkey get eaten in the days after Thanksgiving. Well, no more.
Not only do we hope that this recipe will help you like cranberry sauce more, but also see that you can use it in lots of different ways, not just for an obligatory taste with your turkey.
Can we get one thing clear? Cranberries don’t belong in gel form. If you LOVE slices of jellied cranberry, then more power to you, but if that’s all you’ve ever had and you don’t like cranberry sauce, then this year is the year to expand your horizons! This sauce is thinner than any commercial cranberry sauce, which I think makes it perfect for dipping without feeling overwhelmed by the sometimes-bitter cranberry flavor. It’s also awesome on sandwiches year-round (if you can track fresh cranberries down year-round!)
One of the things I love is that you can pop it in the oven. You could certainly do it on the stovetop, but then you have to babysit it. I don’t know about y’all (see how well I’m adjusting to life in the South?), but paying attention to sticky substances bubbling on the stove on Thanksgiving is not something that generally works for me.
This way, you can pop the cranberries in the oven while your turkey, stuffing, or rolls are baking and you don’t even have to think about them again. Easy. Which is something we definitely all need.
Edit:
Okay, upon the suggestions of you, our lovely readers, I made our T-day cranberry sauce with a cinnamon stick and the tiniest pinch of cloves. Oh, holy heck, it’s so good! So I’m adding that to the ingredients list as optional but strongly encouraged! Thanks, girls!!
Cranberry Sauce
Recipe by Our Best Bites
1 bag cranberries
1 c. white sugar
1 c. orange juice
1 c. water
1 stick cinnamon (optional)
1 very small pinch ground cloves (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash cranberries and place in 9×13 baking dish. Add water, cloves, cinnamon stick, and orange juice and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 1 hour. Remove from oven, remove cinnamon stick, and allow to cool. If you like it with a little texture, mash berries; if you prefer it smooth, process in blender or food processor until desired consistency is reached. Serve with turkey, Swedish meatballs, on pulled turkey, pork, or chicken sandwiches, or on top of ice cream or cobbler.
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My family makes Cranberry Sauce like this except we freeze it, plus a few more steps, it is a big hit always and adds some cold to a hot meals, plus it can be made up to a week before hand.
Cranberry sauce is my favorite thing on the Thanksgiving table. I load up on bags of fresh cranberries during this time of year and freeze them to use all year long. I strain my cranberry sauce to get the smooth texture.
hmmmm. . . tempting. tempting.
I normally stay clear of the cranberry sauce. But this looks beautiful and easy. So I just MIGHT give it a try.
I to love Cranberry Sauce. Other versions I have tried, have been too complicated. This looks wonderfully easy. Can’t it be made ahead of time? How long does it keep?
My favorite addition to cranberry sauce is a pinch of cloves. A very small pinch. Too much and it’s overpowering, but a little hint of spice really jazzes it up.
I’m going to insist that we try this this year. I recently discovered that I really liked cranberries when I noticed that they sold fresh ones this time of year. Never knew that. I just made cranberry bread last night and it’s so good. I love the tartness. Thanks for the recipe! Hopefully the family gives it a try.
That looks great! I agree with you though that people don’t readily go after the cranberries because who wants to eat something that is still in the shape of the metal can it came in?
that looks like a nice sauce. i’m gonna show my mom this recipe. she’s in charge of the sauce every year and last year it was WAYYYY to sour (emphasis on the WAYYY). haha
every holiday, my favorite food is the sweet potato casserole. need i say more?
You mean you don’t like how it comes with its own lines in a can?
My family has many cranberry sauce recipes, so I’ve been spoiled by the good stuff!
I am one of the dorks who LOVES cranberry sauce! I’ll be trying this one!
YUM!!!
This looks Delicious!! I have a similiar recipe where I add pomegranites at the end…YUMMY!
I found a recipe last year somewhere online for a cranberry sauce that is very similar but you do it on the stove top instead of baking it. It is so yummy! And while you are cooking it, add a cinnamon stick to mixture and it gives it a great kick! Just remember to take out the stick when you are ready to serve it!
Hmmm, I’ve never done the cranberry sauce thing either. But ::husband:: LOVES it. So this year I’m trying it. I’m curious, too, as to whether it freezes well? Just wondering if I can make it this week and then pull it out before we head up north.
okay, i made it. a practice, if you will. (i'm a nervous cook). i used pineapple-orange juice because i didn't realize it. but it was delicious! we've eaten it hot & cold with harvest bread (pumpkin, walnuts, cranberries, and raisins), as a topping with granola, as a topping with ice cream, on cold cut sandwiches, and my favorite: vanilla bean ice cream, granola, AND cranberry sauce. Left it really lumpy. Loved the little punch from the (inadvertent) pineapple. Thanks for another keeper!
I was wondering, can these be made a head of time at all? Like, could I made them today (the day before Thanksgiving)? Just put them in the fridge after making them? Or will it totally not work as well?
Kara, if you're talking about the cranberry sauce, then yes. Were you referring to something else?
Sara, I was. Thanks. Sorry I didn't really read over what I typed, and I wrote it weird, lol.
mmmmmmmmm….made this today and my husband LOVED it. He has never been a fan of cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, but he couldn't get enough of this. For me it was the perfect touch our dinner needed. I loved the cinnamon in it.
This is an excellent recipe. I’m actually using it to make a Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake for a cranberry themed dinner!
Always hated the cranberries. Wondered why it was necessary to take up table space for it. However, I’m putting this on the table this year and I bet I’m going to love it.
I was wondering if you have a measurement of how many cups of cranberries in the “bag” of cranberries…i bought the huge bulk bag at costco and am pretty sure that’s not the size bag you’re referring to. i usually buy the cans of whole cranberries as a base and add crushed pineapple, mandarin oranges and sliced apple in cherry jello gelatin for thickness–my grandma’s recipe and it too is one of my thanksgiving fav’s. but all natural made that easy sounds a whole lot better than canned =) thanks
Tanya, it’s three cups. I buy the Costco cranberries, too. :)
I make my cranberry sauce just like this except I also add a few allspice berries and a couple of tablespoons of Cognac. Talking about over the top. Oh and I also use half brown sugar to white sugar. This is the only way my family wants them now. No more can stuff for us.
Can the cranberry sauce be made a couple of days before Thanksgiving and is it just as good? Thank you!
Stacy, I am cooking mine as I type this. If fresh cranberry sauce can be frozen, or you can use fresh or canned in a jello salad, then I would certainly think you could make it a day or two ahead of time.
If I doubled this would it be way too much? I bought a bag of cranberries for this but then we were at the farmer’s market and someone was selling them fresh and I couldn’t resist…
Alyssa, depending on how many guests are invited, I would think that it would be okay to double the recipe. The recipe as is, fills a medium size serving dish. After all, it is yummy enough to eat not only with turkey dinner but also on rolls, ice cream, or whatever.
Just a quick update…This is so easy and absolutely delicious! If you like cinnamon and cloves, be sure to add them. Yummy!!!
Cranberry sauce is my favorite accessory on the thanksgiving table! I add half a pear and apple into a very similar recipe and cook it down with the cranberries. Yum!
I never had cranberry sauce until I moved to the US. I cook fresh cranberries, same as your recipe, but I also grate an orange and add a little fresh grated ginger. Sometimes, I also add a little Port to the sauce. I make a lot of it and use it as jam on muffins for breakfast.
I doubled this recipe and it did not turn out well. Halfway through cooking the cranberries I realized the huge amount of liquid was never going to reduce and I poured out at least 3 cups. At that point I tasted the cranberries and while they were soft and not crunchy, they were still incredibly sour. I added more sugar on top and kept baking, hoping for the best. After cooking at least an hour and 20 minutes, I took them out (we were already sitting down to eat!) and had to add even more sugar to make the whole dish edible. :( Overall, the recipe is lackluster and I don’t recommend it.
Also, “1 bag cranberries” is not descriptive enough. They do come in bags of all sizes. I used 2 bags that were about 12 oz. each when I doubled the recipe. I’m sure the bags used in this recipe were probably much larger, which is why there was so much liquid I ended up pouring out.
Just made cranberry sauce this year. 2 bags of 12oz cranberries, 1 1/2 cans ginger ale, 1 1/2 c sugar, pinch of nutmeg, and and a shot of lemon juice. Turned out really well.
I also add diced apples, diced oranges and golden raisins (chopped up so raisin haters don’t know they’re there) to my sauce. It sweetens it up a lot. I also add a little bit of orange zest and then some vanilla extract at the end. I’ve also made it with fresh apple juice from the orchard instead of orange juice. YUMMY!