With the holidays coming up just around the corner, you might be thinking of spicing up your traditional Thanksgiving dinner with a little twist. An often overlooked side in need of a fresh taste may be your cranberry sauce. Maybe it gets lost in the midst of turkey, stuffing, and green bean casserole and hardly gets touched. Or perhaps you’ve never tried to make cranberry sauce before and are looking for a great first recipe to try.
Don’t put a can of sauce on your shopping list, buy fresh berries. Tart and astringent raw, these jewel-toned berries cook up into a wonderful addition to your holiday table. With the right combination of ingredients, this sauce may take center stage. As an added bonus, cranberries are in season and at the peak of freshness in the Fall. Perfect for trying something new!
Here are 17 of the best cranberry sauce recipes gathered from around the internet to tempt your taste buds and inspire you.
Cranberry Applesauce
This recipe is very straight-forward, with a no-frills writing style that can have you whipping up a batch in no time. Which can be a huge timesaver, especially with small children around. Besides, if you tell them it is applesauce, you may not have much for leftovers! Don’t worry about the wine, the alcohol content will cook out.
Jellied Cranberry Sauce with Fuji Apple
With only four ingredients to worry about, you’ll have time to focus on the steps to getting a perfect mold on this cranberry sauce. The best part of needing to chill it is that you can either make it first thing in the morning, or even up to two weeks ahead of time!
Bourbon Vanilla Cranberry Sauce
The alcohol cooks out of this recipe, but the combination of bourbon and vanilla add a luxurious flavor to this easy to make cranberry sauce. With the ingredients on hand, this recipe takes fifteen minutes. Like the author, you may be eating it by the spoonful so it won’t hurt to make a double batch.
Cranberry Pineapple Mango Preserves
Whether you are celebrating in the tropics or snow-bound in the North dreaming of warmer weather, this recipe will be a hit on your table! Warm cinnamon and ginger balance out the sweet mango and tart berries. You can have this ready in half an hour, or make ahead of time and either can or refrigerate it.
Cranberry Salsa
If your holiday table is already less than traditional in its array of dishes, this cranberry salsa might fit right in. With spicy lime and jalapeno, this south-of-the-border flavor profile will liven up your Turkey Day meal. And with the health benefits of cranberries, you don’t even need Thanksgiving as an excuse to enjoy this salsa.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
The easiest part of this recipe is that it is set and forget! Because it cooks on low, there’s not a chance of it burning and you don’t have to babysit a pot on the stove. Three hours is the perfect amount of time to make something warm to drink and enjoy a game or movie while your house fills up with the smell of cranberries, ginger, and orange.
Cranberry Pepper Jelly
For those of you that like a kick, this is the cranberry sauce for you! With red peppers, jalapenos, and red pepper flakes, this jelly turns the heat up. This would be amazing served on a cracker spread with cream cheese and a dollop of this jelly. Maybe your next Thanksgiving Day appetizer?
Cranberry Orange Relish with Mint
Mint, orange, and ginger are a powerful flavor grouping and add a holiday punch to this cranberry sauce. The best part about this relish? No cooking required. Simply mix together the ingredients according to the recipe and let sit so that these strong flavors can meld together and create a harmonious masterpiece.
Maple Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce
Guajillo Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry Sauce with Port and Cinnamon
Jellied Orange-Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry Grape Compote
Cranberry Sauce with Port and Dried Figs
Ten Minute Tart Cranberry Jam
Roasted Cranberry Sauce
