Description
A simple and classic cranberry sauce recipe made with fresh or frozen cranberries, sweetened with your choice of sugar, honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar. This bright and tangy sauce is perfect for holiday meals and can be customized with citrus zest or spices.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar, or 3/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar, plus more to taste
- 3/4 cup water, preferably filtered
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
Optional Add-ins
- 2 wide strips of lemon zest, plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 wide strips of orange zest, plus 1/4 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Rinse Cranberries: Place cranberries in a bowl of water. Remove and discard any that float to the top or appear shriveled, squishy, or discolored. Drain well.
- Melt Sugar: In a large saucepan, combine sugar (or your choice of liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup) and water. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Add Cranberries: Add the cranberries to the saucepan and bring the mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
- Sweeten to Taste: Adjust sweetness by adding more sugar, honey, or maple syrup if needed. Remove the saucepan from heat and allow the sauce to cool to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- If using liquid sweeteners like honey or maple syrup, you can combine all ingredients at once and bring to a boil.
- Optional add-ins such as citrus zest, juices, dried cherries, or cinnamon stick can be added at the start of cooking for extra flavor.
- Store cooled cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- For longer storage, freeze the cranberry sauce in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 70 kcal
- Sugar: 16 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
