Just three ingredients and about fifteen minutes on the stove stand between you and a glossy, jewel-red cranberry sauce that puts the canned version to shame. Sweet, tart, and bursting with real berry flavour, it is the holiday side dish everyone reaches for — and it can be made well ahead.
Ingredients
12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries; 1 cup granulated sugar, or 3/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar, plus more to taste; 3/4 cup water, preferably filtered. Optional add-ins, added at the start of cooking: 2 wide strips of orange zest plus 1/4 cup orange juice; 2 wide strips of lemon zest plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice; 1/2 cinnamon stick; or 1/2 cup dried cherries.
Method
Tip the cranberries into a bowl of water and pick out and discard any that are shrivelled, squishy, or discoloured — the bad ones tend to float to the top — then drain the rest well. Put the sugar and water in a large saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved; if you are using a liquid sweetener such as honey or maple syrup, you can simply combine everything in the pan at once. Add the cranberries, along with any optional add-ins you are using, and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries have burst and the sauce has thickened. Taste and stir in a little more sweetener if you want it less tart, remembering that the sauce thickens further as it cools. Take the pan off the heat, discard any cinnamon stick or zest strips, and leave the sauce to cool to room temperature before serving it cold or at room temperature.
Tips
Start with just 1/2 cup of sweetener if you prefer a tarter, less sugary sauce and add more at the end to taste; frozen cranberries work perfectly — they just take a little longer to come to the boil; the sauce always looks looser in the pan than it will be once chilled, so do not overcook it chasing thickness; make it ahead with confidence — it keeps up to 1 week in an airtight container in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer; stock up on fresh cranberries in season and freeze them in their bag so you can make this year-round; serve it with roast turkey, baked ham, or pork, spread it on dinner rolls, or spoon it over cheesecake.
