Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
If you’re looking for a fairly easy way to elevate your holiday spread, or perhaps a random Tuesday night dinner (and dare I say impress your guests?) this simple Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce is the way to go.
A quick note on cranberry sauce from a can: Cranberry sauce from a can is just… fine. Listen, it takes on the shape of its container, which is kind of cool, and it couldn’t be easier to plop on the table. PLOP.
However, with just a few ingredients and thirty minutes, you can have something significantly more than just “fine.”
The Story Behind My Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
In 2009 I had my first and only Thanksgiving with friends on the actual holiday. It had snowed on the mountain pass and reaching my family wasn’t an option. Much like the chicken wing saga years later, early winter had different plans for me.
I got ambitious and nostalgic for home and made my way to Ballard with a bag of fresh cranberries, a navel orange, a single star of anise, and a cinnamon stick, hoping our lovely host would have some sugar to spare.
I stirred the berries in an old pot until they burst and bubbled and jammed. Simmered them with the juice of the orange, some zest, the aromatics, and sugar until it resembled a stovetop jam – which is exactly what it is. I didn’t know it at the time, but my subtle courage to attempt something scratch-made for Thanksgiving with new friends became a foundational story of our friendship.
Here we are nearly twenty years later and I’m still making and sharing this same simple cranberry sauce. I hope you love it.
Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- Colander
- Medium sauce pan
- Wooden spoon or Spatula
- Potato Masher (optional, you can use the spoon to mash)
- Microplane / zester
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 16 oz Mason Jar with Lid
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Cranberries Fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup Orange juice Fresh
- 1 teaspoon Orange zest
- 1 stick Cinnamon
- 1 star Star anise
- 1/2 cup White sugar or real maple syrup
- 1/2 cup Water + more as needed
Instructions
- Rinse and pick through the cranberries. Discard any questionable or sad berries.
- Over medium-low heat, add 1/2 cup water and the cranberries to the sauce pan. Allow the berries to cook until they start to pop and release their juice, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the berries don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the aromatics to the pan: cinnamon stick and star anise. Give it a stir, and stir frequently to avoid scorching the jammy sauce.
- Pour the fresh orange and lemon juice into the pan along with the zest.
- Allow to simmer on low heat until most of the berries have burst. Use your spoon or a masher to break any remaining berries by pushing them against the side of the pan. Be careful – the hot juice can spray up and out of the pan!
- Add the sugar OR maple syrup to sweeten. Start with 1/2 a cup and add a bit more if you prefer a sweeter outcome. If needed, add more water one Tablespoon at a time to keep the sauce from becoming too sticky.
- Remove from the heat and discard the cinnamon stick and star anise. Allow to cool before scooping into a jar. Refrigerate for up to five days or freeze for up to three months.
This Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce makes a lovely hostess gift. It also freezes really well, right in the jar! Just be sure to leave about an inch of space between the jam and the lid to allow for expansion.
