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Homemade cranberry sauce in a rustic bowl with orange zest and whole cranberries

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Silky, glossy homemade cranberry sauce with fresh orange. The one trick: pull it off the heat before it looks done, so it sets up spoonable instead of turning to cement.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 10
Course: Condiment, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries one 12-oz bag, about 3 cups; no need to thaw if frozen
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar start here, add more at the end to taste
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice from about 2 oranges
  • 1 tbsp orange zest zest the oranges before you juice them
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
Optional (pick one or two)
  • 1 cinnamon stick simmer it in, then fish it out
  • 1 tbsp pure maple syrup for a deeper, rounder sweetness

Method
 

  1. Rinse the cranberries and pick out any that are soft, bruised, or shriveled. If they are frozen, skip the thawing step and use them straight from the bag.
  2. In a medium saucepan, stir together the water, orange juice, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves.
  3. Add the cranberries (and the cinnamon stick, if using). Bring back to a gentle simmer.
  4. Cook 8 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then. You will hear and see the berries start to pop open. The one trick: pull the pan off the heat when about three-quarters of the berries have burst and the sauce still looks a little loose and soupy. It is NOT supposed to look thick in the pot.
  5. Stir in the orange zest (and the maple syrup, if using). Taste it and add a tablespoon more sugar if it is too tart for your crowd.
  6. Let it cool in the pan about 10 minutes, then move it to a serving bowl. It keeps thickening as it cools and sets up glossy and spoonable in the fridge. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Notes

Make-ahead friendly: this is actually BETTER a day or two ahead. Keeps in the fridge up to 5 days, or freeze up to a month. Leftovers are gold on a turkey sandwich, swirled into yogurt, or spooned over a block of cream cheese with crackers.