Spiced Cranberry Sauce is one of those "must-have" side dishes on the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table.
It's not really a "sauce," per say, but more of a relish or cranberry compote.
Either way, this fresh Cranberry sauce is not tart or bitter and is much better than canned or jellied Ocean Spray™ cranberries- and it's ready in minutes!
You'll love this with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, ginger and a hint of orange!
Fresh cranberry sauce is one of those things folks love or hate. Those who don't like it claim it's "tart" or "bitter", but this recipe is neither!
It has just enough sugar, warm spices and citrus to offset any bitter flavor.
Serve with Southern Cornbread Dressing, smoked turkey, ham or beef - it adds a bit of texture and flavor to the usual holiday menu!
You'll love this recipe!
- All-natural - homemade cranberry relish recipe uses fresh cranberries and has hints warm spices and a dash of sugar and orange juice.
- Not tart - sugar, cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg and allspice combat the natural bitterness of the berry, and the orange adds a nice touch of citrus!
- Quick and easy - ready in about 15-minutes!
- Make ahead - this is one less dish to make on the holiday! Store up to 5 days in the fridge
This Thanksgiving or Christmas side dish is so much better than Ocean Spray ™canned or jellied cranberry sauce and it takes only a few minutes to prepare! It also tastes great on a leftover turkey sandwich!
Feel free to adjust the spice amounts in this recipe to your liking; however, I strongly urge you, do not omit the ground ginger. It really adds a nice spin to the dish and makes it even more scrumptious!
Here's what you'll need:
Fresh cranberry sauce takes only a few minutes and is easy to make!
Bag of fresh cranberries, sugar, orange juice, ground spices: allspice, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
How to make it:
- Rinse cranberries and place in large saucepan
- Add water, sugar; bring to boil
- After cranberries begin to pop and thicken, add remaining ingredients
- Cover and refrigerate
When you're cooking the cranberries, bring them to a boil, then lower the heat a bit and cook them until they're thick and all the water has been absorbed.
Make ahead
Luckily, this can be made in advance! Just one less thing to prepare on a busy holiday!
Simply place it in a covered container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Cranberries are naturally tart but the sugar and warm spices in this cranberry sauce recipe outweigh the tartness of the berry, resulting in a sweet and flavorful cranberry relish to go with your turkey dinner!
Related recipes:
- Homemade Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Southern Pecan Pie
- Apple Crisp
- Perfect Deviled Eggs
- Salted Caramel Cheesecake
- Turnip Green Cornbread Dressing
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! I love to hear from you!
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup orange juice fresh (about 1 ½ navel oranges)
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger dried, not fresh
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon dried
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves dried
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg dried
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice dried
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Mix spices in a small bowl and set aside¼ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- Pour cranberries into medium saucepan; add water and sugar; bring to boil; stirring occasionally (Allow cranberries to "pop"; cook until the mixture begins to thicken)-about 10 minutes12 ounces cranberries, 1 cup water, ½ cup sugar
- Add orange juice, spices and salt; combine well⅓ cup orange juice, pinch of salt
- Place in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes
- Garnish with orange zest or chopped pecans
Notes
- Make in advance and store in refrigerator for up to 5 days
- When cooking the cranberries, they'll start to pop; that's good! Continue to cook them until the syrup begins to thicken...about 10-minutes
Nutrition Estimate
Maggie says
An absolutely delicious side and a real treat served vanilla ice cream. I’ve tried other spiced cranberry recipes and found this less tart and simple to prepare. Thank you
Anecia says
Thank you, Maggie!
I LOVE your ice cream idea!!! I think I’ll have to try that on my next Spiced Cranberry Sauce!!!! Happy Holidays and thank you for taking time to share your comments!