Make ahead cranberry sauce is effortless and will WOW your guests! You’ll never buy canned sauce again! This colorful traditional holiday side dish is quick to make (15 minutes) with only a few simple ingredients.

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Serves: about 3 cups

Ingredients:

4 C. whole fresh or frozen cranberries

2 C. water

1 C. sugar or mix 1/2 C. white sugar and 1/2 C. brown sugar, more or less sugar depending on how sweet you like it.

1 cinnamon sick or 1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. more or less depending on desired taste.

1 tsp. orange zest

Pinch of salt

1/4 C. orange juice or Grand Marnier (orange flavored liquor)

What to do:

In a medium size saucepan, mix together 4 cups whole fresh or frozen cranberries, 2 cups water, sugar, cinnamon sick or cinnamon powder, orange zest and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, once at a boil lower heat to medium low and cook the mixture at least 5-10 minutes or more until the cranberries start to burst (that’s when they release pectin, which causes the sauce to gel). Make sure to stir occasionally so the cranberries don’t burn. Pull the sauce off the stove once you hear or see more than half of the cranberries burst or until it thickens up. You want some of them to burst but others to remain whole for the best texture. Remove pan from heat and carefully stir in your orange juice or Grand Marnier.

Cover sauce and chill, once the sauce is thoroughly chilled take out the cinnamon sick. If your sauce doesn’t set after you’ve chilled it, put it back on the stove and simmer it for another 5 minutes or so, then let it cool and chill. That should do the trick.

Christina’s Notes:

Homemade cranberry sauce keeps for about a week. Cover it well and store it in the fridge. To make the consistency smoother place in a blender once cooled or you can use an immersion blender.