Basic Cranberry Sauce is a traditional accompaniment to holiday meals in the United States. Making a basic homemade cranberry sauce from fresh seasonal cranberries is very easy. The bright red color is perfect for your holiday table.

Now I know that there area  lot of big fans of the canned cranberry sauce. It drops out of the can and you can slice it up. I have nothing against the canned stuff, I like it in fact. During the season of fresh cranberries however, I choose to make my own. This basic recipe only requires three ingredients.

I do keep a can of the jellied canned stuff on hand though because I have some guests from time to time who prefer it. I have another recipe available on the blog for cranberry relish, which requires a few more ingredients. If I’m honest, I like the basic version much better.

Cranberries are naturally high in pectin which help you get that “jellied” consistency once it sets up. Cranberries themselves taste bitter. A touch of sweetness will offset the bitter. A small amount of sweet with all of those savory holiday dishes just work so well together.

As a time saver, I make the cranberry sauce a few days ahead of the holiday meal. I tend to be in the kitchen for a couple of days ahead of any holiday meal to prep cook so that I’m not over-whelmed on meal day. You can store the homemade cranberry sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator and transfer it to your serving dish when needed.

Basic Cranberry Sauce

“The Indians and English use them much, boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicious sauce.” ~ John Josselyn, while visiting New England in 1663

Ingredients

• 12 oz Fresh Cranberries
• 1 c Water
• 1 c Granulated Sugar

Rinse cranberries and add to a sauce pot.

Add one cup of water and one cup of sugar to the cranberries.

Cook over medium low heat. The berries will pop and the mixture will thicken slightly. This only takes around 5-7 minutes.

Remove from heat and add to a storage container. The cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Printable Recipe Card for Homemade Cranberry Sauce

You might also enjoy this recipe for Candied Cranberry Walnut Oatmeal Cookies from Soulfully Made.

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