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Best Ever Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce simmers fresh berries with orange juice and zest until most of the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens. It cools to room temperature and thickens further, making a bright, tart-sweet side dish.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 140
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 bag (12 oz) cranberries fresh; picked over and rinsed
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 0.5 cup orange juice
  • 1 tsp orange zest finely grated
  • 0.125 tsp kosher salt

Method
 

  1. Rinse the cranberries and pick out any soft or damaged berries.
  2. Stir together the sugar, water, orange juice, orange zest, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.
  3. Stir in the cranberries and return the mixture to a boil.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the berries have burst and the sauce has thickened.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat.
  6. Let the sauce cool to room temperature; it will thicken further as it cools.

Notes

For the thickest texture, let the sauce cool fully before serving. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 10 days; freezer-friendly for up to 3 months.