Cranberry Sauce Tangy Sweet (Printable)
Bright and tangy cranberry sauce with orange and cinnamon, ideal as a flavorful holiday side.
# What You'll Need:
→ Fruit
01 - 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
→ Sweetener
02 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
→ Liquid
03 - 1/2 cup water
→ Citrus
04 - Zest and juice of 1 medium orange
→ Optional additions
05 - 1 small cinnamon stick
06 - Pinch of salt
# Directions:
01 - Rinse the cranberries thoroughly and remove any soft or damaged berries.
02 - In a medium saucepan, combine water, granulated sugar, orange juice, and orange zest. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
03 - Bring the liquid mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
04 - Add cranberries, cinnamon stick if using, and a pinch of salt to the boiling mixture.
05 - Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries burst and sauce thickens.
06 - Remove from heat and discard the cinnamon stick. Allow to cool to room temperature to thicken further before serving chilled or at room temperature.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It's impossibly simple—five minutes of prep and you've got something that tastes like you fussed all day.
- The tartness cuts through heavy turkey or ham in a way that makes people actually reach for seconds.
- It comes together so fast that you can make it fresh on the day, no stress about planning ahead.
02 -
- The sauce will thicken as it cools, so if it looks too thin when you take it off the heat, that's exactly right—patience is your friend here.
- Don't skip rinsing the cranberries or you might bite into a bit of stem or debris, which breaks the moment.
03 -
- Don't discard that orange zest too quickly—zesting it fresh right before you add it gives you brighter flavor than zest that's been sitting around.
- If your sauce breaks or separates as it cools, a quick stir often brings it back together; it's usually just the juice finding its way to the top, which is harmless and normal.