Classic Cranberry Sauce
- Total Time
- 15 minutes, plus chilling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 4cups whole cranberries
- 6tablespoons sugar
- Pinch of salt
- ¼cup orange juice or Grand Marnier (optional)
- ⅔cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
251 calories; 13 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 39 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium saucepan, combine cranberries, 2 cups water, the sugar and salt. Let the sauce boil until it thickens; the water will evaporate and the pectin in the cranberries will be activated as it cooks. Let it boil for at least 10 minutes, and up to 25 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 2
Stir in juice or liqueur, if using, then cover sauce well and chill. Sauce can be made up to this point 1 week in advance and kept refrigerated. A few hours before serving, stir in the pecans, if using.
Private Notes
Comments
After reading several of your comments, we checked with Julia, and the sauce needs to be cooked WAY down (her words) until the water evaporates and the pectin in the cranberries is activated. We've edited the recipe to reflect that instruction. I hope that helps all of you!
The recipe's ratio of cranberries to water is wrong. I recommend 4 cups (1 bag) cranberries to 1 cup water, which is what you'll find on the back of any bag of cranberries. Sugar need be added to taste - 6TBSP is a good minimum for sweetness and orange zest is a great add. Fresh ground black pepper too gives it interest.
Happy Thanksgiving!
4 cups dry measure, not 32 ounces weight. But don't make this. It's just plain awful. Follow the recipe on the side of the Ocean Spray Cranberries package if you want a classic cranberry sauce.
This is definitely better with Grand Marnier. I also add 1-2 tsp of orange zest for flavor.
So much whining about a delightfully tart sauce that cooked down in about 15 minutes.
Using the proportions given, it took an hour to cook down to the desired consistency. Was a tiny too tart for my taste, and 1T more of sugar gave the right balance for me. Still not too sweet.