How to Make Cranberry Sauce

• by Nicole
• Also try: Mahalo's Guide to Cranberry Sauce | How to Make Stuffing

Guide Note: If turkey is the star of a great Thanksgiving dinner, then cranberry sauce is the supporting player that ties the whole extravaganza together. This page will tell you how to make cranberry sauce.

Introduction

• Since Native Americans fed the Pilgrims cranberries in 1620, cranberry sauce has been an important part of every Thanksgiving dinner. So many people get it from a can, you'd think it would be hard to make - but it's actually incredibly easy! Just follow these instructions to impress your friends and family.

Basic Cranberry Sauce

• Cranberries have a lot of pectin, which means they will turn to a jelly-like consistency once they cool. You'll need to let them cool for at least two hours before you serve in order to get your sauce to the right consistency.

Ingredients

• Basic cranberry sauce has only three ingredients: cranberries, sugar and water. If you want a sweeter recipe, you'll want to add more sugar; if you like a more tart recipe, just cut back on the sugar.
• This recipe will serve 6-8 people. Want to serve more people? Just double the recipe.

1. 3 cups fresh cranberries
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 1 cup water

Equipment

1. One pot large enough to hold 8 cups
2. One bowl large enough to hold 6 cups
3. OPTIONAL: One strainer or sieve, if you like your cranberry sauce without any skins

Preparation

Photo by Keira Bishop

1. Pour the sugar and water into the pot.
2. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
3. Boil the mixture.
4. Pour in the cranberries.
5. Boil. The cranberries will pop. When they do, they release pectin, which will make the cranberry sauce gel.
6. If you like a jellylike sauce, boil the cranberries for five minutes. If you like sauce the same consistency as sauce from a can, boil them for ten.
7. Turn off the burner.
8. If you like your sauce with a smoother consistency, push the contents of the pot through a sieve or strainer.
9. Pour the sauce into a bowl.
10. If you want to serve the sauce at room temperature, leave the sauce on the counter for two hours to cool. If you want to serve it cold, put it in the refrigerator for two hours to cool.

• Want a cranberry sauce with more punch? See Mahalo's guide to Cranberry Sauce for recipes using cognac, figs, cinnamon, honey-mustard, and more!

Resources for How to Make Cranberry Sauce

• UMass Cranberry Station: Cranberry Recipes
• Betty Crocker: Cranberry Sauce
• Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association: Recipe: Whole Cranberry Sauce
• Martha Stewart: Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
• Wikipedia: Cranberry
• Howstuffworks: Cranberry Sauce Recipe
• Cook's Illustrated: Improving Cranberry Sauce (1999)

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