Description
This Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe is a simple, flavorful homemade cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries, orange juice, brown sugar, and vanilla. Perfect for holiday meals or as a tangy accompaniment to various dishes, this sauce offers a balance of sweet and tart flavors and a delightful texture with some whole cranberries added at the end.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 12 ounce bag cranberries, rinsed
- 3/4 cup (150g) water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh orange juice (about 1/2 large orange)
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the orange: Zest one large orange first and set the zest aside. Then cut the orange in half and juice it to yield about 1/4 cup (60ml) of fresh orange juice. This sequence makes zesting easier.
- Rinse and reserve cranberries: Rinse the 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries in a colander under cold water. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cranberries for adding later to retain their texture.
- Cook cranberries: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining cranberries with 3/4 cup water, 1/4 cup fresh orange juice, and 3/4 cup packed brown sugar. Stir occasionally as the mixture comes to a simmer.
- Simmer and thicken: Once simmering, reduce the heat to low-medium and continue cooking the mixture, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes until the cranberries burst, the liquid reduces, and the sauce thickens.
- Finish sauce: Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in the reserved 1/2 cup cranberries, 1 teaspoon orange zest, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Serve and store: The sauce is excellent served warm or at room temperature. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days. Reheat gently before serving if desired.
Notes
- You can prepare this cranberry sauce up to 3 days ahead of time. Cool it completely, cover tightly, and refrigerate until ready to use. Warm gently on the stove or microwave before serving.
- For freezing, cool the sauce completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and warm before serving.
- Special tools to make preparation easier include a zester, citrus juicer, saucepan, and a wooden spoon.
- A 12-ounce bag of cranberries typically equals 3 to 4 cups. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries without thawing fully.
- Adjust sweetness by increasing brown sugar up to 1 cup for a sweeter cranberry sauce if preferred.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 23g
- Sodium: 2mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
