Homemade Cranberry sauce using fresh organic cranberries has been one of my favorite parts of a holiday dinner for years now. I love how the tangy sour cranberries inside the sweet sauce pairs so well with the rest of the holiday meal.
Growing up, for the holidays my parents always bought the jellied cranberry sauce in the can, which I did not like at all.
For years I thought I didn’t like cranberry sauce. I decided a few years ago to make my own, and it came out delicious! We never went back to the one in the can!
I love to eat it as a side dish for a holiday meal or straight from the bowl as a delicious dessert!
What is in Homemade Cranberry Sauce?
Fresh Cranberries
I only buy organic cranberries because they aren’t sprayed with harsh chemicals that are harmful to my health. And I just feel better when I use only organic/ non-GMO ingredients in my cooking.
Make sure to thoroughly pick through and rinse the cranberries before using them because there are always a few bad ones in the bag!
Lemon zest
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure here.
While orange zest is popular to use in Homemade Cranberry Sauce, I have always used lemon zest. I like the tanginess it adds to the sauce and how pretty it looks on top!
I love to use a micro plane so that the pieces of lemon zest are not too big and chunky.
Sugar
Cranberries are very sour, so I like to add a good amount of sugar to the sauce. The cranberry sauce is still tangy, even with the amount of sugar the recipe calls for.
Of course, I use organic cane sugar!
Water and a pinch of salt
The addition of the water helps the sauce to not be so thick and a pinch of salt is always welcome in any dessert!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce is the perfect addition to your holiday table. I love to serve it with homemade mac and cheese, roasted lamb, and mashed potatoes. Enjoy!
Looking For More Recipes?
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Mushrooms
PrintRecipe
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Dessert, Side Dish
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade Cranberry sauce using fresh organic cranberries has been one of my favorite parts of a holiday dinner for years now. I love how the tangy sour cranberries inside the sweet sauce pairs so well with the rest of the holiday meal.
Ingredients
- 8 oz fresh organic cranberries
- ½ cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ tsp lemon zest
- 4 tbsp water
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries, throwing away any bad ones.
- In a medium saucepot, combine the cranberries, sugar, lemon zest, water, and a pinch of salt.
- Cook on medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce has started to thicken. Stirring occasionally.
- Allow the sauce to cool down, then refrigerate it for a least 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Keywords: Cranberry sauce, holiday, Homemade, side dishes
Leave a Reply