Homemade Cranberry Sauce

spoon in a bowl of cranberry sauce on a table.

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This homemade cranberry sauce is simple to make in just 20 minutes but will give your holiday table a major glow up. Cranberries simmer with fresh orange juice and warm spices until jammy, sweet yet tart, and utterly irresistible. Make it ahead for stress-free holidays!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings:

Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

12 oz (340g) fresh cranberries, separated
2 to 3 navel oranges
1 medium (~ 8 oz / 227g) pear, peeled and cut into ¼” pieces (a fine dice) (see Note 1)
1 tablespoon (7g) freshly grated ginger (use 2 tsp for a milder flavor)
⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 cinnamon stick (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)
Scant ⅔ cup (135g) organic cane sugar (see Note 2)
Kosher salt (or fine sea salt)

Instructions

Measure out ⅓ cup (35g) of the cranberries and set aside for the end.
Zest an orange to yield 2 teaspoons; set aside for the end. Juice the oranges to yield ¾ cup (180 mL) juice.
In a medium (3-quart / 3L) saucepan, combine the remaining cranberries, orange juice (but not zest), the pear, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon stick, the sugar, 2 pinches of kosher salt (or 1 pinch sea salt), and 2 tablespoons (30 mL) filtered water.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and stir occasionally until the cranberries break down and are popping, 4 to 5 minutes.
Use the back of a wooden spoon to press the cranberries against the side of the pot and cook for another 3 minutes or until thickened (if it's bubbling very vigorously, reduce the heat a touch).
Add the orange zest and reserved cranberries and cook over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 more minutes, or until you have a jam-like consistency.
Remove from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick. Cool for 20 minutes or until room temp.
NOTE: the sauce will be quite thick, which is my preference, but if you want a looser consistency, return to the saucepan with a few splashes of water and simmer until well incorporated.

Notes

I love the sweetness and texture of a pear, but if you don't have pears, you could also use a medium-sized tart-sweet apple.
This cranberry sauce is designed to be sweet but not too sweet and perfectly tart. If it ends up too tart for your taste, you can always add a bit more sugar, a splash of water, and simmer again. I don't recommend reducing the sugar though—in my experience, the sauce turned out too sour and even a little bitter.

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