I don’t know about you, but I love this whole holiday season – basically Halloween until New Year’s Day. I love spending time with my family, doing fun things together, focusing on all we have to be thankful for, giving gifts, and, of course, the food! Holiday meals are great, because there’s usually so many options. You can choose the foods that fit your dietary needs, and leave out those that don’t. Keep reading for one of my FAVORITE holiday dishes (when it’s made this way anyways!) – the best homemade cranberry sauce!
My family does holiday meals potluck style. Every family brings one or two dishes to contribute to the meal. There will be gluten-filled bread and pies and mashed potatoes made from white potatoes. Those are nightshade vegetables, which flare up my eczema. So I make sure the dishes that I make are ones that fit my Paleo lifestyle. I choose dishes made with real foods that help me feel good. Ones that won’t make me feel super full and bloated afterwards, won’t flare up my eczema, won’t spike my blood sugar way up, and are ones that I love to eat!
One dish I’m making this year is the cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce was not a dish I liked as a kid, but I’ve grown to LOVE it…when it’s made the right way. Canned cranberry sauce that’s all jellied is not my cup of tea. I’m not a fan of the texture or the ingredients (high fructose corn syrup, no thank you!).
This one is the best homemade cranberry sauce recipe! It’s my favorite way to enjoy cranberry sauce. It’s saucy, because it is called cranberry sauce after all, not jelly. But it still has some of whole cranberries for a variety of texture. The flavors are so delicious too! I use orange juice and zest to brighten it up, as well as vanilla and cinnamon to give it more of a warm, fall flavor. And it‘s sweetened with one of nature’s best sweeteners, maple syrup, instead of inflammatory sugar or high fructose corn syrup. Not to mention, it’s super easy and quick to make, freeing up time to work on those more complex holiday dishes.
It’s delicious, and I think you’ll love it too!
The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce
What You’ll Need:
For the best homemade cranberry sauce, you’ll need:
- 3 Cups cranberries – I use frozen, since they’re picked and frozen at the peek of freshness and they’re easier to find, but you can use fresh as well.
- 1 orange – You’ll need the zest and the juice.
- 1/4 Cup organic maple syrup (or less if you’d prefer)
- 1/2 Cup filtered water
- 1/2 tsp organic cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp pink Himalayan or sea salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (not pictured here)
What To Do:
1. Zest
Use a zester or grater to zest the orang. We’ll use it later; so set it aside for now. One orange should get you about 1/2 – 1 tsp of zest.
2. Boil
Now it’s time to start cooking the sauce. Start by adding the water, maple syrup, and the juice from the orange to a medium-sized saucepan. Turn on medium-high heat, and bring it to a boil.
3. Add Cranberries
Once it’s boiling, add the cranberries, salt, and cinnamon to the pot. Allow it to return to a boil. Then turn the heat down to medium-low.
4. Simmer
Let the cranberries simmer for about 20 minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency. Stir occasionally while it’s cooking. The cranberries will pop open and form the sauce. Like I said, I don’t like to cook it so long that all the cranberries are “sauced.” I like to stop the cooking while some of the cranberries are still whole for that perfect variety.
5. Add Vanilla & Orange Zest
Then add to the sauce the vanilla extract and the orange zest. Stir it into the cranberry sauce and allow it to cook for another two minutes.
6. Enjoy!
Remove the sauce from the heat and transfer to a serving dish. I love that cranberry sauce can be served both warm or cool. I prefer it warm. How do you like it best?
If you’re not serving this sauce the same day you’re making it, you can always store it in a glass container, cover it with a lid, and freeze it. Just take it out of the freezer the day before you’ll be eating it so it can return to room temperature. If you want to serve it warm, just transfer it to a pot on the stove and cook for just a few minutes until it’s warm enough.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Let me know if you try this recipe for the best homemade cranberry sauce and what you think in the comments below!
The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup water
- 1 orange zested and juiced
- 1/4 Cup maple syrup
- 3 Cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Add the water, orange juice, and maple syrup to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.
- Add the cranberries, cinnamon, and salt to the pan. Let it return to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the cranberries simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Add the orange zest and vanilla. Cook for another 2 minutes.
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