Homemade Cranberry Sauce (with Orange Zest)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce (with Orange Zest)

A delicious homemade cranberry sauce that takes only 15 minutes to make and is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 134kcal

Author Jenna Shaughnessy

Ingredients

12 ounces fresh cranberries 1 bag
1 large orange, juiced approximately ¼ cup
zest of 1 large orange
1½ cups sugar You can do ½ more if you want it sweeter.
¾ cup water

US Customary - Metric

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.

Notes

Depending on how sweet or tart you like your cranberry sauce, you can vary the sugar content from 1 to 2 cups. I personally like 1 1/2 cups - not too tart, not too sweet.

It's important to leave the cranberry sauce alone and not mix it while it's cooking. The sugar will naturally thicken the sauce.

The sauce can be eaten directly from the fridge or allowed to come to room temperature before serving.

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week, or 6 months in the freezer.

Nutrition