Homemade whole cranberry sauce takes three ingredients and one saucepan: a 12-ounce bag of cranberries, a cup of granulated sugar and a cup of water. It follows the classic back-of-the-bag formula from the cranberry package, and either fresh or frozen whole berries can be used.
The sugar and water are boiled first, then the rinsed cranberries are added and simmered for 10 minutes. The sauce looks loose off the heat and sets as it cools, about an hour on the counter in a covered bowl. Refrigerated, it keeps for up to 10 days, so it can be made well ahead of a holiday meal. The batch makes 2 1/4 cups.
Homemade Whole Cranberry Sauce
Whole-berry cranberry sauce made by simmering fresh or frozen cranberries in a sugar syrup for 10 minutes, then cooling and chilling. Makes 2 1/4 cups.
Ingredients
Method
- Give the cranberries a cold-water rinse, pick out any soft or shriveled ones, and let them drain thoroughly.
- Put the sugar and water in a 2-quart saucepan and heat until boiling, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
- Tip in the cranberries and wait for the liquid to boil again.
- Turn the heat down and let the berries simmer for 10 minutes, giving them a stir now and then. Most of them will burst, and the liquid will still look thin; it thickens as it cools.
- Off the heat, transfer the sauce to a bowl and cover it. Leave it at room temperature until it has cooled, about 1 hour and no longer than 2 hours.
- Keep it in the refrigerator until serving time. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
Makes about 2 1/4 cups, or 9 servings of 1/4 cup.
Fresh and frozen whole cranberries both work. Frozen berries can go into the syrup straight from the bag without thawing.
Orange juice can replace some or all of the water for an orange-flavored sauce.
Storage: refrigerate in a covered container for 7 to 10 days. Freezing is not recommended, because the sauce can turn watery once thawed.
Adapted from the recipe printed on the back of a bag of cranberries.
