If you grew up only eating jellied cranberry sauce out of a can, you’ve been missing out big time! Once you try this delicious homemade version which only takes 15 minutes, you’ll be converted for life!
Believe it or not, the cranberry sauce is one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving dinner. It wasn’t always that way, though. I was never a fan of the jellied goo that was slid out of a can and into a bowl. Gelatonous, not very tasty and certainly not appealing to look at.
Complete Your Thanksgiving Dinner
- One Pan Turkey Breast and Roast Veggies
- The Best Ever Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- No-Fail Flaky Pie Crust
- Delicious Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Easy Pumpkin Muffins
When I realized that it only took 15 minutes to make fresh cranberry sauce from scratch, I was in complete disbelief. If only everyone knew how simple homemade cranberry sauce is, they would be converted for life, surely?
Well, I’ll let you be the judge of that! I hope you’ll try this recipe and give me your feedback! The sugar content can be altered depending on how tart you like it. Start with 1 cup and work your way up to 2 cups depending on your taste. My sweet spot is 1.5 cups – not too tart, not too sweet!
15 Minute Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 large orange, juiced approximately ¼ cup
- zest of 1 large orange
- 1 – 2 cups sugar
- ¾ cup water
Instructions
- Bring sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Add cranberries and orange juice and zest. Return to a boil.
- Boil gently for about 5 minutes until most of the cranberries have popped.
- Don't mix the sauce, let it sit untouched until cool. It will thicken.
- Once cool, add any additional sugar and mix.
- If you like your sauce with less lumps, just grab a potato masher and mash it until you get your preferred texture.
- Store in an airtight sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
I made my first homemade cranberry sauce yesterday and was surprised by how easy & tasty it was. Because our son is a Type 1 diabetic I made it with Splenda instead of sugar. I make a holiday family favorite jello salad with raspberry jello, raspberries, sour cream and a can of cranberries but he never eats it due to the high sugar and corn starch in the canned cranberries. Now I can make it for the entire family. I didn’t know about not stirring it to thicken so I added about a Tbsp of flour. Next time I’ll add the orange zest too. Thanks.
Thanks Pamela! Glad you found the thickening tip helpful – it makes a big difference!