Set the can of cranberry sauce down and back away carefully! Instead, create this 5-ingredient fresh homemade cranberry sauce recipe using whole cranberries and freshly squeezed orange juice and zest from scratch. The ideal complement to the roasted delicata squash and brussels sprouts, cornbread and bacon stuffing, and buttery cornbread on your holiday table.

For me, every holiday in my family revolved around cranberry sauce. All I needed was a can of jellied fruit, sugar, and a spoon to make me happy. You could have removed the rest of the food off the table and I wouldn’t have minded as long as I had my cranberry sauce.

I realized as I got older that I could probably afford to go homemade and try something new. That’s not to say I don’t sometimes pick up a can for nostalgic reasons; I do.

But the point is that when a family meets to feast, they could use a little home-cooked affection instead than fruit in a can that comes out with ridges and makes a slurping sound when served.

You understand precisely what I mean.

Ingredients for homemade cranberry sauce

• 1cupwater
• Freshly squeezed cuporange juice with no pulp is the finest.
• One orange’s zest
• 1 cup sugar (or honey) (can use less based on taste preferences)
• 1-12 ounce package fresh cranberries, keep aside a few for garnish, optional
• Optional rosemary sprigs

How to make homemade cranberry sauce

• One orange should be zested. After washing and drying your orange, use a microplane zester (aff link) or grater to remove just the orange exterior colored section of the peel. More zesting will expose the white pith, which has a harsh flavor.
• When you’ve finished zesting, cut the orange in half.
• Squeeze one of the orange halves by hand, or use an orange juicer (aff link) to get all of the juice.
• 4 quarts orange juice Depending on the size of your orange, you may also need to utilize the other half. You want one.

• Add water, orange juice, orange zest, and sugar to a medium pot.
• Stir regularly over medium heat for a minute or two, or until the sugar has dissolved.
• Cranberries should be added gently.
• Bring the water to a boil.

• Simmer on low heat.
• Stir constantly for for 15 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. If you like a smoother sauce with fewer whole cranberry bits, use a potato masher halfway through the cooking time to crush them more.
• It will still include cranberry chunks, which is exactly what you want!
• Remove from the heat and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

Prepare for cranberry splatter!

or clothing that you don’t mind having cranberry spatter on since cranberry juice splatters and may stain if you’re not cautious! Oh, and I suggest wrapping your spoon rest with paper towels while wearing an apron.

Can I use frozen cranberries?

Absolutely! I usually keep at least one bag of fresh cranberries in the freezer for later use, and this is a great way to utilize them. You don’t need to defrost them; just dump them into the pot frozen.

Can you freeze cranberry sauce?

Indeed, surprisingly (at least to me)! That really does freeze well.

After a few hours in the fridge, transfer to a freezer-safe airtight container or bag and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to eat, defrost in the fridge overnight.

Homemade, but make it can-shaped

If you truly want to feel nostalgic, pour the newly produced, still warm cranberry sauce into an aluminum container to refrigerate. Then transfer it to a platter and slice it apart. You have an option.

Make a double batch of cranberry sauce

I’d make two batches of this, one for the dinner table and the other for my cranberry fluff.

Kids adore it, and to be honest, so do I.

I’m certain that after you’ve tried making your own cranberry sauce from scratch, you’ll never go back to canned.

This piece was initially published in December 2013 and was modified in October 2019 for clarification and additional photographs.