Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce

With just five ingredients this recipe is simple and comes together in just 20 minutes. Make extra and freeze for using throughout the holiday season. The addition of fresh orange juice and orange zest to this easy homemade cranberry sauce makes this a delicious, festive sauce for your Thanksgiving and holiday dinners.

Cranberries can be very bitter because of the tannins they contain. Using a sweetener balances out the bitterness. You can use sugar, honey, maple syrup or even agave syrup. For this recipe I use regular sugar but you can absolutely substitute whatever sugar alternative you would like. Also adding fresh orange juice and orange zest helps to cut the bitterness. It also adds another layer of flavor to the sauce.

Sugar alternative conversions:

• Honey – use 3/4 cup per 1 cup of sugar
• Maple Syrup – use 3/4 cup per 1 cup of sugar
• Agave Syrup – use 1/2 cup per 1 cup of sugar

Ingredients you will need for easy homemade cranberry sauce: Makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce

• 12oz fresh cranberries
• 1 cup sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 navel orange
• 1/4 cup water
• pinch of salt

Directions:

• 1.) Put the cranberries into a medium sauce pan.

• 2.) With the burner on low add the sugar, orange zest, water and salt.
• 3.) Stirring occasionally bring to a low simmer. After about 5 minutes the cranberries will start to “pop”. With the back of a wooden spoon or spatula gently press the cranberries against the side of the pot to help them keep popping.

• 4.) Continue to let the sauce simmer very gently for another 15 minutes, continuing to press the berries on the side of the pot occasionally. After 15 minutes the sauce should be nice and thick and leave a trail on the back of a spoon when you drag your finger through it. Be careful doing this because the sauce is HOT!
• 5.) Turn off the heat and add the juice of the orange, stir to combine.

• 6.) Using whatever size jars you would prefer, carefully spoon the sauce into the jars, let sit to cool down to room temp, put on the lids and store in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Notes:

• You can easily double this recipe if you need more than 1 1/2 cups.
• You can freeze any extra in a ziploc bag for using later on.
• Make sure you are simmering on very low heat and don’t forget to stir often otherwise it may scald on the bottom of the pan.
• You can “pop” as little or as many cranberries as you like. I like keep some whole as they look really pretty in the sauce.
• Make sure to wait to add the fresh orange juice until the sauce is done cooking. I’ve added it with the water before and found it didn’t help cut the bitterness as much.
• This also makes a very lovely homemade hostess or holiday gift.

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