Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce. Homemade or canned? Jellied or whole? There are some people that swear by canned cranberry sauce and I admit, growing up that was something I ate all the time. Definitely not anything I ever remember us making homemade. No judgement here if prefer to purchase. But as I’ve gotten older and started doing this “everything homemade experiment” it only seemed natural for me to take it homemade. Once you taste homemade cranberry sauce, you may never go back. Cranberries around this time of year are super cheap which make it a great time to experiment and try!

The other question I always like to ask around this time of year, “Is cranberry sauce a tradition and something you have to have on your Thanksgiving plate?” Or could you pass? For me, I’ve always had it year after year growing up. It provides that pop of color to the plate as well as that extra flavor to your turkey and/or stuffing. My Thanksgiving plate is complete with homemade cranberry sauce.

I’ve made a lot of homemade cranberry sauce over the years and the question is this: How can you get by with adding the least amount of added sugar possible? Cranberries are super tart, therefore this is a valid question. In this day and age we’re talking about added sugar and reducing consumption, so for me the goal is to get by with adding some sugar but not too much. Keep in mind added sugar in all it’s forms: honey, maple syrup, agave, etc. Ultimately, sugar is sugar regardless of the form.

There’s a lot of ways you can jazz up the cranberry sauce: orange zest, cinnamon, vanilla, all provide flavor without the sugar. For the liquid you can use water, but using a fruit juice adds a little extra depth. Juice is considered a form of added sugar even though it’s technically natural, however, I still use it. Apple cider is my go-to and/or pomegranate juice. For the added sugar, I used sugar. Feel free to use maple syrup or agave. Regular sugar in my opinion gives the best flavor, but you do you. The key is to start with less and always add a tad more, and find that level that you can get by with the least added sugar possible. That’s the goal. Without further ado, Homemade Cranberry Sauce. I hope I convinced you to make yours homemade this year.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

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Homemade Cranberry Sauce is just too simple not to make at home.  Even if you grew up loving canned jellied cranberry sauce, try making it homemade!

• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1–12 oz package fresh cranberries
• 2/3 cup sugar (this is 1/3 less than the normal 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup apple cider (or other fruit juice. Today I used pomegranate and it was delish!
• 1 vanilla bean, split (and if you don’t have vanilla beans, use at least 3 tsp vanilla extract)

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Instructions

1. Combine the cranberries, sugar, juice, and split vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium-low heat.  Stir the ingredients together.
2. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it bubble and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the cranberries begin to break down and the mixture thickens.
3. Remove it from the heat and let it cool to thicken even more.
4. Re-heat this to serve it or keep it in the fridge to cool until you’re ready to eat!

• Author: Amy’s Nutrition Kitchen
• Prep Time: 5
• Cook Time: 5
• Category: Condiments