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American · British

Cranberry sauce

Vegetarian

Fresh cranberries simmered with sugar, water and orange zest until they burst and set into a glossy, sweet-tart sauce. The classic partner for roast turkey.

Cranberry sauce is an American sauce from United States, ready in about 1 hour 17 minutes and made with cranberries (fresh) and sugar. It serves 10 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Close-up of a delicious cranberry sauce garnished with a lemon slice in an artistic ceramic bowl.
Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
5 min
Cook
12 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 17 min
Serves
10
Level
Beginner
Calories
74

Ingredients

10 servings (about 45 g)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Pick over the cranberries (opens in a new tab), discarding any soft or shrivelled ones, and rinse. Zest the orange.

    • 4 min

  2. Step 2

    Bring the sugar (opens in a new tab) and water to the boil in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

  3. Step 3

    Add the cranberries (opens in a new tab), orange zest (opens in a new tab) and salt and return to the boil, then simmer for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries have popped and the sauce looks thick and glossy. For a chunkier sauce, stop when about two-thirds have burst.

    Food safety: Bursting berries spit hot syrup; partly cover the pan.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour. The natural pectin sets it to a soft, spoonable jelly. Transfer to a jar.

About this dish

Origin
United States · Well documentedCranberries are native to North America; sweetened cranberry sauce with turkey is recorded from the 18th century and became a Thanksgiving fixture. It is also a British Christmas staple.Also popular in Canada, United KingdomMore food from United States
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Sauces · Condiments, chutneys & relishes
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
sweet & sour, fruity, citrusy
Diet
Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsVegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat · Low-sodium · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Sugar · Orange zest
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

74 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 45 g · recipe makes 10

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 1%
  • Carbohydrate 99%
  • Fat 0%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy74 kcal164 kcal
Protein0.2 g0.4 g
Carbohydrate19.1 g42.5 g
Net carbohydrate17.9 g39.7 g
Sugars16.4 g36.5 g
Added sugars15 g33.3 g
Fibre1.2 g2.8 g
Fat0 g0.1 g
Saturated fat0 g0 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
Sodium20 mg45 mg
Salt equivalent0.1 g0.1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
28 mg
Calcium
4 mg
Iron
0.1 mg
Magnesium
2 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
1 µg
Vitamin C
5 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
0 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Make it up to a week ahead; it improves as it rests.

Common mistakes

  • Cooking until all the berries break down, which makes a stiff jelly once cold.

Serve with

  • Roast turkey, chicken and ham.
  • Turkey sandwiches and baked Camembert or Brie.
  • Stir into yoghurt or swirl through cheesecake.

Food safety

  • Use scrupulously clean jars (wash in hot soapy water, then dry in a 120 °C oven for 15 minutes or boil for 10 minutes) and always serve with a clean, dry spoon.

Storage

  • Refrigerate in a covered jar for up to 2 weeks; freeze for up to 6 months.

Variations

  • Port and orange cranberry sauce (United Kingdom): Replace half the water with port and add orange juice; a British Christmas favourite.
  • Raw cranberry-orange relish (United States): Raw cranberries pulsed with a whole orange and sugar, uncooked; a New England classic.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 3

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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