Your Thanksgiving feast isn't complete without the cranberry sauce! This super easy cranberry sauce recipe comes together in just minutes, so you won’t have to spend too much time in the kitchen this holiday season. Homemade with hints of ginger and orange, fresh cranberry relish is so much better than canned! It’s vegan and gluten-free.
Cranberry Sauce
Growing up, cranberry “sauce” came from a can. There was really nothing saucy about it. It slid out of the can like a giant gelatinous cylinder, and I did not want that goo on my plate.
As I grew older, fresh cranberry sauce started to make an appearance on the holiday table, but the cans of red glop from my childhood had tainted me, and I didn’t want to try it.
But one year, was planning my annual holiday Friendsgiving, and I came across tubs of fresh orange and cranberry relish at Trader Joe’s and I actually looked tasty. I like cranberry muffins, so why not give it a try? I picked it up, and to my surprise, I liked it! Who knew?
Dennis doesn’t really like cranberry sauce (it’s too sweet for dinner), so I don’t always make it for Thanksgiving. A few years ago, I made a Thanksgiving Vegetable Crescent Roll Ring, and I put a bowl of homemade cranberry sauce in the center of it, mainly for color. People asked me for the recipe, but it was so simple that I hadn’t written it down. But now I realize that simple is good, and good things need to be written down. So, I finally did so.
How to Make Easy Cranberry Sauce
It’s so easy to make homemade cranberry relish that once you try it, you’ll never use the store-bought stuff again.
The only tricky bit, which honestly isn't that tricky at all, is zesting oranges. I use a microplane zester, but if you don't have one, you can use any type of grater. You'll need the zest from one orange from this recipe.
- You just place all of the ingredients in pot and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once it boils, you reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes.
- It is ready once it has thickened and most of the berries have popped.
Cranberry sauce can be served warm or cold. In addition to be being a must-have for Thanksgiving, it’s great for Christmas dinner, too. Serve leftovers as a topping on cake or ice cream. It’s great as jam on toast, too!
Super Easy Orange Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and low the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens and most the cranberries have popped.
Other Thanksgiving Recipes Include:
- Mushroom Gravy with White Wine
- Maple Miso Glazed Squash
- Thanksgiving Rice
- Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Cream
- Harvest Pie
Leave a Reply