Delicious, nutritious homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce with a hint of orange is just what your cranberry sauce lovers want at your Thanksgiving meal this holiday season! Tangy, sweet, and a holiday classic, your own cranberry sauce is the perfect complement to any roast you serve!
Serve this delightful homemade cranberry sauce right after it has been made and chilled, or you can can it to make it shelf-stable for longer storage. And it’s easy to make to boot!
My eldest son has -year after year- requested a giant Thanksgiving style feast on his birthday that falls about a week and a half before Thanksgiving. It’s his favourite meal of the year and he sees no reason to be confined to having it only once.
He also sees no problem with having the gigantic meal twice in one month. …And he knows what he likes.
Since he was able to serve himself at the table, the thing he has grabbed for first from the table is the bowl of cranberry sauce. According to him, it has to be smooth.
He and I both feel strongly about this. Even though Martha and legions of foodies present the beautiful relishes and whole berry sauces with the recognizable berries peeking out of it, I continue to hew the middle-America, smooth, quivering, ruby-red, can-shaped tube of sauce like the one I grew up eating.
My son loves this version the very best, too. Is my love for it nostalgia?
Perhaps, but it’s what I like. …And I know what I like.
(I do like some of the whole berry stuff, but it HAS to be like this homemade sweet and spicy one or all bets are off!)
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
But what I like very best of all is this homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce. It has all the punch of fresh cranberries, less sugar, and a hint of orange juice all in a smooth, jelled package.
Wonder of wonders, you can whip this jellied cranberry sauce up with minimal prep time, easy to find ingredients, and very little hands-on time. This easy homemade cranberry sauce is a staple of the holiday table.
And I feel like I’m standing on pretty firm ground when I assert that Thanksgiving leftovers are one of the best parts of the season. Leftover turkey sandwiches made from rolls topped with roast turkey breast, leftover cranberry sauce, and a thin layer of pan fried stuffing with a ladle of gravy over the top is one of the best holiday meals in existence.
If you’re a fan of canned cranberry sauce and it’s classic slices, take heart! Homemade cranberry sauce can be umolded like it’s cousin-in-a-can by gently running a little hot water over the outside of the jar, running a flexible, thin spatula around the inside of the jar, and plopping it onto a plate or into a bowl. If you follow the instructions, it’ll be as firm as the commercially available canned stuff.
If you do not bring the sauce to 215ºF after adding the sugar, it may end up softer set. It is still marvelous either way.
Can I Can Homemade Cranberry Sauce?
We have fresh cranberry sauce at our Thanksgiving table without fail, but that’s not the only time we eat it. If you’re like us, you may be wondering if you can can homemade jellied cranberry sauce.
The short answer here is yes. I can homemade cranberry sauce every year.
EVERY YEAR. The great advantage to canning it is that you can store it on pantry shelves for up to a year!
Given that cranberries are usually on wicked sale this time of year, and that we eat it year ’round, it makes sense to make it in massive quantities and can it up. That way we have homemade classic cranberry sauce available year-round.
Do I have to can it?
The short answer is no. If you’re can-phobic, you can certainly pour it into jars or another airtight container, put the lids in place, and refrigerate it up to 10 days before serving.
While I’ve not tried freezing it, I imagine the taste would hold up beautifully in the freezer. Would the gel hold up? I couldn’t say.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Why make your own jellied cranberry sauce when the cans are so inexpensive at the store? Because it just plain tastes better!
Homemade jellied cranberry sauce has a better texture, more vibrant, fresher flavour than the stuff that you purchase and you control what goes into it. You can even add a little minced jalapeño if you like a kick to your homemade cranberry sauce or simmer a stick of cinnamon in it if you’d like to spice up your life or Thanksgiving dinner.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- Fresh Whole Cranberries
- Juice and Zest of an Orange
- White Sugar
- Optional: Minced Jalapeño Pepper or a Whole Cinnamon Stick
Equipment Needed to Make Cranberry Sauce
- Liquid Measuring Cup
- Microplane or Zester
- Heavy Bottomed Saucepan or Stockpot
- Long Handled Wooden Spoon
- Fine Mesh Sieve
- Immersion Blender or Potato Masher or Blender/Food Processor
- Instant Read Thermometer or Cold Spoon (store a handful of spoons in the freezer.)
Are you looking for more cranberry goodies? Try out this jiggly and delicious Cranberry Ginger Finger Gelatin,Cranberry Eggnog Doughnut Bread Pudding, Cranberry Brussels Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette, andSimple Candied Cranberries + Cranberry Syrup.
You can also break up homemade jellied cranberry sauce with a fork until it is spreadable and use it between layers of cake or to stuff French toast.
Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Combine the cranberries, orange juice, water, and orange zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. If you’re using a cinnamon stick or minced jalapeño peppers, add it here. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes while the cranberries pop open.
Use an immersion blender, potato masher, or a blender to carefully blend the mixture until it is mostly smooth. It does not need to be perfect, but the smoother the puree, the faster it’ll move through the sieve.
Pour into a fine-mesh sieve over a heat-proof bowl and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to press it through the sieve until all that remains is a paste of little twiggy bits and seeds from the cranberries and orange zest. Return the cranberry sauce to the pan.
Return the pan to medium high heat, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil until your cranberry mixture reaches between 215ºF and 217ºF.
Pour into sterile canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims, place new lids on the jars, and screw the rings into place until finger-tip tight.
Store in the refrigerator OR place the jars filled with hot cranberry sauce in a canner and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars remain in the water for five minutes. Transfer the jars to a wire rack or towel to cool overnight, undisturbed. Wipe the jars down, label them, and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
If you do not have an instant read thermometer, you can test the doneness of the sauce by dipping a cold spoon into the simmering sauce and lifting it up. The cranberry sauce should gel against the spoon and hold a clean line when you draw your finger through it.
Jellied Cranberry Sauce {canned or refrigerated}
Rate Recipe
Rebecca Lindamood
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Delicious, nutritious homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce with a hint of orange is just what cranberry sauce lovers want at the Thanksgiving table.
This delightfully simple recipe can be refrigerated or canned for shelf-stability and long term storage!
Equipment
1 liquid measuring cup
1 microplane or zester
1 heavy-bottomed stockpot
1 long handled wooden spoon
1 fine mesh sieve
1 instant read thermometer
Ingredients
- 9 cups fresh cranberries
- 4 cups sugar
- The juice of one orange plus enough water to equal 3 1/2 cups
- The zest of 1 orange
Instructions
Combine the cranberries, orange juice, water, and orange zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes while the cranberries pop open.
Use an immersion blender, potato masher, or a blender to carefully blend the mixture until it is mostly smooth. It does not need to be perfect, but the smoother the puree, the faster it’ll move through the sieve.
Pour into a fine-mesh sieve over a heat-proof bowl and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to press it through the sieve until all that remains is a paste of little twiggy bits and seeds from the cranberries and orange zest. Return the cranberry sauce to the pan.
Return the pan to medium high heat, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently, and boil until your cranberry mixture reaches between 215ºF and 217ºF.
Pour into sterile canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe the rims, place new lids on the jars, and screw the rings into place until finger-tip tight.
Store in the refrigerator OR place the jars filled with hot cranberry sauce in a canner and cover with hot water. Bring to a boil and process for 15 minutes, whether in a pint, pint and a half, or quart sized jar. Turn off the heat, remove the lid from the canner and let the jars remain in the water for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack or towel to cool overnight, undisturbed. Wipe the jars down, label them, and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
Nutrition
Calories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 50gFat: 0.2gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 1mgSugar: 50gCalcium: 1mgIron: 0.03mg
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
did you make this recipe?
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Originally published November 2013, updated November 2020 with additional notes, and November 2022 with improved instructions.
