Cranberry Sauce From Scratch
It doesn’t have to be a holiday for you to serve this healthy, delicious cranberry sauce from scratch. Your kitchen means it’s your rules, right? I love making this side dish throughout the year because it’s a delicious and sneaky way to add this superfood to my family’s diet.
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I don’t wait until November to make this lovely side dish. Cranberry sauce is a delicious, nutritious side dish that goes well with any roasted meat.
The next time you make roast chicken, roast beef, roast pork, or roast turkey, I encourage you to add this cranberry sauce to the menu! My family prefers the molded cranberry sauce because it’s more like a sweet and sour jello type of dessert. It’s also more versatile. (See “Ways to Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce” at the bottom of the post.)
Cranberries generally go on sale in the fall when they are harvested, and you can often find good deals on the 12-ounce packages in grocery stores. Stock your freezer when you get this opportunity!
I like to buy frozen cranberries in bulk from Azure Standard. It’s the best price overall.
When I get the box of frozen cranberries home, I weigh them out on my kitchen scale and make 12-ounce packages using freezer bags. I also can up a batch of unsweetened cranberry juice which is great for the pantry. Don’t forget about preserving drinks when you’re preserving foods!
What vitamins are in cranberries?
Cranberries are a superfood because of all the vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants they contain.
Specifically, they are very high in vitamin C which is essential for the maintenance of your skin, muscles, and even bone! They are also high in manganese, vitamin E, vitamin K, and copper.
Manganese helps regulate your metabolism, vitamin E is an essential antioxidant that scavenges free radicals and helps protect cells, vitamin K is essential for blood clotting, and the trace element copper helps keep your heart healthy.
Read more about the nutrition of cranberries from Healthline, along with scientific reviews of manganese, vitamin E, vitamin K, and copper as part of a healthy diet.
What are the health benefits of cranberries?
WebMD lists cranberries at the top of the 20 most common fruits because they contain the highest level of phenols, an antioxidant. They are also high in the antioxidant anthocyanin, which gives them their deep red color.
Some of the other antioxidants they contain are quercetin, myricetin, peonidin, ursolic acid, and a-type proanthocyanidins. You can discover more about the health benefits of cranberries from WebMD.
Studies have shown that cranberries may also:
- protect against cancer
- protect against inflammation
- protect against liver disease
- lower blood pressure
- improve eyesight
- improve cardiovascular health
I love reading my Nourishing Traditions cookbook because it’s so full of knowledge and wisdom.
There’s a section on cranberries that says as early as 1860 scientists recognized the benefits of cranberries and their juice for treating urinary tract infections and other kidney problems. Cranberries raise the level of acid in the urine and act as an antibiotic.
What if my kids are picky eaters?
Older children can understand the importance of eating nutrient-dense foods for the sake of being healthy but younger ones probably won’t get it.
I explained it this way to my older children. I told them they had the power today to determine how healthy their cells and bodies would be tomorrow.
If they put garbage into their bodies, the cells created in the next 24 hours using that fuel would be weak and prone to illness. However, if they put nutrient-dense foods into their bodies, their cells created using that fuel would be strong and they would feel better.
There is evidence that suggests kids need to be exposed to foods at least 12 times before they start to like it. If they can take a bite each time you present them with something healthy, you’ll be well on your way to making their little bodies healthier.
How to make cranberry sauce.
Here are the instructions for making your own cranberry sauce. The canned stuff at the grocery store doesn’t even compare in flavor or nutrition. Plus, commercial cranberry sauce often has added ingredients like high fructose corn syrup!
Ingredients
Water – I like to use filtered water from my Berkey water filter, but use what you have. We even take our Berkey with us on vacation…you simply CAN’T go back to other filtered water or tap water once you get used to the taste of pure, clean water. It even takes the sulfur out of Florida’s sulfur water!
Sugar – If you can afford to use organic sugar, it’s not as processed as refined sugar. But it also adds a delicious hint of molasses flavor!
Cranberries – You can use fresh, raw cranberries or frozen cranberries. In a pinch, you can also use dried cranberries but you will have to rehydrate them first.
Tools you may need
Medium saucepan
Measuring cups
Glass storage container with lid
Spatula
In a medium saucepan, bring 1 and 1/2 cups of water and 1 and 1/2 cups of sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Once the water and sugar start to boil, continue boiling for 5 minutes.
Then add 12 ounces of fresh or frozen cranberries.
For a liquid cranberry sauce, stir and boil the cranberries for about 4 minutes until all the skins pop. Then remove the pan from the heat and pour the sauce into a glass dish. You can use the sauce immediately as a hot sauce or refrigerate it until it’s chilled.
If you want molded cranberry sauce (our favorite), stir and boil the cranberries for a total of 13-16 minutes until it thickens and when a few drops gel onto a cold plate. Then remove the pan from the heat, pour the sauce into a glass dish, and refrigerate until it’s firm.
Variations for Cranberry Sauce
If you want to mix things up, you can add sliced, toasted almonds, orange marmalade, apricot preserves, or even peach preserves to the cranberries while it’s boiling. You can also substitute some of the sugar with honey. It’s a big hit at potlucks!
Different ways to use leftover cranberry sauce.
If you have any trouble using up your cranberry sauce, try using it in place of jelly on your next biscuit or toast. Here’s a blog post on how to make 3-ingredient biscuits from scratch.
You can also add it to smoothies for a healthy nutrition boost, over vanilla ice cream, or even make thumbprint cookies using cranberry sauce in the center. It’s also pretty good in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as long as you’re using the molded cranberry sauce.
If you only eat cranberry sauce once a year, I want to encourage you to serve it more often! If not for the health benefits, certainly serve it because of how delicious it is!!
Recipe for Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- medium sauce pan
- measuring cups
- spatula
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups water
- 1 & 1/2 cups sugar
- 12 oz washed cranberries
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a boil over medium-high heat while stirring to dissolve sugar.
- Boil rapidly for 5 minutes and then add cranberries.
- Stir cranberries and continue to boil until the skins pop (about 3-4 minutes). At this point you can remove the mixture, refrigerate, and it will be a liquid sauce. However, you can continue to cook until it becomes a molded sauce.
- If making a molded cranberry sauce, stir and boil the cranberries for a total of 13-16 minutes until it thickens. Stir frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan.
- Remove from heat, pour into a dish, and refrigerate.
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Great article. I never knew that using fresh cranberries was so easy. I’m gonna have to try this out. Thanks