Bready or Not: Easy Cranberry Sauce

It’s the first week of October, but we’re anticipating the holiday season with this Easy Cranberry Sauce recipe.

Last Thanksgiving was my first in almost 20 years when I didn’t get to go home to California. My mom is all about using the canned jellied cranberry sauce. I’ve hinted for years now that I could try making a fresh sauce, but tradition is tradition.

I was sad I couldn’t be with my folks at Thanksgiving, but hey, at least I could try a homemade sauce at long last. Being that I’m in Minnesota now, that also meant using local cranberries.

I used a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, but frozen is fine, too. Since there were only two of us partaking in the feast, we had a lot of leftover sauce, but that was fine–I used most of the remainder in a Cranberry Swirled Blondies recipe that I’ll share next week!

PrintBready or Not: Easy Cranberry SauceThis sauce takes all of 15 minutes to make and can be stashed in the fridge for up to 5 days. That means it can be made ahead of a holiday meal. Modified from Bon Appetit November 2023.Course Side DishCuisine AmericanKeyword cranberriesAuthor Beth CatoIngredients12 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen3/4 cup white sugar1 Tablespoon Grand Marnierzest of one orangepinch kosher salt1 cup waterInstructionsPlace all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Stir frequently as the contents warm through so that nothing sticks and burns. After 10-15 minutes, the cranberries will start to burst and the mixture will turn jammy. Cook another couple minutes as more berries break down. Remove from heat and cool before serving.Sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Serve with meats such as turkey and ham, or with ice cream or within a baked dessert.OM NOM NOM!