The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce has always been my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. If I could eat just that, I would be happy. Well, I would also need some pie. Definitely much better than the kind in the can, though I’ll eat that, too.
When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to eat the cranberry relish! And that was when we just had the kind that came from the can. I loved it’s tart and sweet, jiggly goodness. I could eat just that and be happy. Now that my taste has evolved quite a bit, the can leaves a lot to be desired. In steps this homemade cranberry relish recipe. Fresh cranberries, apple, a bit of lime juice, sprinkled with the warm flavors of cinnamon and cloves. A definite step up from the good ol’ can.
As the self-professed ‘cranberry sauce maker’ of my family, if I didn’t make this for holidays, it wouldn’t get made. I don’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to make this sauce. It’s super simple to make and so delicious. It amazing on turkey during Thanksgiving, and wonderful on a turkey sandwich as leftovers. (Use my Cuban bread recipe to make a sandwich out of your Thanksgiving leftovers.) Do yourself a favor and bring this to your next holiday party. You won’t regret it!
Ingredients
- Cranberries Fresh cranberries are the best. I buy a bunch and then freeze them to use later. They are everywhere during the holiday season, and usually pretty cheap.
- Apple Any apple will be good in this recipe.
- Sugar White or brown sugar would work well.
- Spices I like to ‘spice’ things up a bit by adding cinnamon and cloves.
- Vanilla A bit of vanilla flavor to add depth.
- Lime Juice and Zest A squeeze of lime juice helps to brighten the flavors, and lime zest added at the end gives a nice ‘pop’ to bring the flavors together.
- Cornstarch To help thicken the mixture.
- Water I add a bit of water to the fruit when I first start cooking it, and to make the cornstarch slurry.
How to Make Cranberry Relish
Step One Peel and shred the apple. Rinse the cranberries. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the sugar and water. Stir until the sugar and water is mixed together. Add the cranberries. Stir intermittently. The sugar should be dissolved in the water after a few minutes.
Step Two Add the shredded apple, spices, lime juice and vanilla. Stir to fully incorporate everything. As the mixture continues to cook, the cranberries will pop and release their juice. This is what you want. Continue stirring so the mixture does not burn.
Step Three Make the cornstarch slurry of equal parts cornstarch and water. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the cranberry mixture. Keep stirring so the cornstarch is evenly distributed into the sauce. The sauce will start to thicken up as it continues to cook. Cranberries will thicken up on their own without the cornstarch slurry, however, I like the extra thickness that the cornstarch gives to the sauce.
Step Four The sauce is ready once it has thickened up a bit and most of the cranberries have popped. It’s ok if a few of them are still whole. Remove the pot from the heat, add the lime zest and continue to stir for about a minute. You should see that it is quite a bit thicker. It will continue to thicken up as it cools. It won’t be as thick as jam, but it won’t be runny either. I like to pour it into a glass bowl to continue cooling down before I put it in the fridge.
If you love cranberries as much as I do, check out my Easy White Chocolate Cranberry Blondies or my Sugared Cranberries as a delicious topper for Pumpkin Pie or Tres Leches Cake.
Why I Love This Recipe
Taste? I LOVE the taste of cranberry relish. It’s one of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving. The sweetness mixed with the tart flavor of the cranberries, there’s just something to it. The subtle warm spices of cinnamon and cloves, with just a hint of vanilla. It’s good by itself or as a condiment for your Thanksgiving feast. Or just as a snack with a bit of whipped cream on top.
Smell? The fruity smell of the cranberries and apples cooking, mixed with the cinnamon and cloves. So good! This really sets the mood for Thanksgiving dinner.
Is it easy to make? Cranberry relish is very easy to make. As long as you keep stirring it so it doesn’t burn, your relish should turn out fine.
Would I make this again? Yes, definitely. I have made this many times over. As the self-proclaimed ‘cranberry sauce maker’ of my family, I make this every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Cranberry sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to five days in an airtight container.
Yes, cranberry sauce freezes very well. Make sure it has fully cooled down before you freeze it. Store in airtight freezer safe containers and freeze for up to three months. You can use a small mason jar for this purpose, just be sure to leave about an inch of room at the top. Small mason jars work well for this purpose because you won’t need to thaw out the entire sauce, just whatever is in the jar.
Cranberry sauce is cooked, while cranberry relish is raw. The ingredients are chopped up in a food processor. Both are great as a Thanksgiving side dish.
Other Thanksgiving Recipes to Try
- Easy Classic Green Bean Casserole
- The Best Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Perfect Homemade Apple Pie Recipe
- Easy One Bowl Apple Spice Cupcakes
Easy Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 apple
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
Instructions
- Peel and shred the apple and set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the 1/2 cup of water and 3/4 cup of sugar. Stir to incorporate the sugar into the water. Add the 12 ounces of cranberries and continue stirring.
- Add the shredded apple, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and a squeeze of lime juice. Stir to combine everything. It won't take long before the mixture starts to boil and the cranberries start to pop.
- In a small measuring cup, mix the 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water until they are completely combined. Slowly stir the cornstarch slurry into the cranberry sauce.
- Let the sauce boil a 2 more minutes as you stir intermittently, preventing the sauce from burning. The sauce will start to thicken as it boils.
- After 2 minutes, remove the pot from the heat, add the 1 tablespoon of lime zest, and continue to stir for 1 more minute before putting in a glass dish to further cool down. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. I let the sauce sit out until the dish is just a bit warm to the touch, then I cover it and set it in the fridge.
Notes
- Store cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freeze cranberry sauce in airtight freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months.
- Make this cranberry sauce a few days ahead of time so you have one less thing to do on Thanksgiving.
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