I grew up eating the Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce from the can as a side dish for many poultry-based meals. Nothing wrong with that product. But making your own from scratch tastes really incredible.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
I grew up eating the Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce from the can as a side dish for many poultry-based meals. Nothing wrong with that product. But making your own from scratch tastes really incredible.
Ingredients
- 1 12oz bag of fresh (or frozen) cranberries
- Zest of 1 orange
- Juice of 3 whole oranges (about ¾ cup of juice)
- ½ cup white granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 4 sprigs thyme
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 2 whole cloves
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Lemon juice, optional, to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst and released their juices into the liquid.
- Continue to cook until some of the liquid has evaporated and the mixture has created a thicker consistency.
- Remove thyme sprigs, dig out of the cloves, and remove the cinnamon stick.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt if needed.
- If you prefer a slightly more tart and acidic final product, use less sugar and add a splash of lemon juice at the end.
- Refrigerate covered until ready to use.
Notes
You can make this cranberry sauce a few days in advance of when you need it and store it covered in the fridge for up to a week.