Homemade Cranberry Sauce is Simple to Make and So Much Better Than Canned
I never grew up eating homemade cranberry sauce. It was usually an afterthought and plopped out of a can onto a serving dish. We had some amazing traditional dishes that we served but really never gave this canned sauce on the table a second thought.
Once I realized how simple homemade cranberry sauce is to make, I haven’t gone a single year without making it. It is a staple on our holiday table which is so much more robust and full of flavor than its canned counterpart.
The Quickest Homemade Spiced Cranberry Sauce
One of my favorite things about this recipe is how simple it is. You can literally have this sauce finished in less than 20 minutes. I like to make it a few days ahead because it is one less thing I have to do on the day of the special occasion. However, it could certainly be made the day you have your big feast.
Cranberry Sauce is Not Limited to Thanksgiving
This can be served as an accompaniment to beef, poultry or pork any time of the year.
Each year, when organic cranberries are in season, I stock up on them and freeze them for later use. When I am not using them for cranberry sauce, I like to pop them in my smoothies for great urinary tract health.
Essential Oils in Cranberry Sauce?
Using essential oils in your cooking is a great way to boost the flavor and add a therapeutic health benefit. I LOVE cooking with my grade 1 essential oils.
You’ll notice that I use Our Favorite Essential Oils in this cranberry sauce recipe.
One of the essential oils I use is Cinnamon Bark and is great for supporting good metabolism, boosting energy and even getting rid of bad bacteria.
I also use Clove Bud Essential Oil which is one of the highest oils on the ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) scale. That means it has more antioxidants in it than blueberries!
Homemade Spiced Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- 24 oz. Organic Cranberries (frozen or thawed)
- Zest and Juice of 1 Large, Organic Navel Orange
- ¼ c. Raw Local Honey (or more to taste - you may like it sweeter than we do)
- 1 Drop doTERRA Cinnamon Essential Oil (can sub 1 tsp. ground cinnamon for EO)
- 1 Drop doTERRA Clove Bud Essential Oil (can sub ¼-1/2 tsp. ground cloves for EO)
- In a medium saucepan combine cranberries, orange juice, orange zest, and honey.
- Bring it to a boil and stir frequently so it does not burn on the bottom.
- Once it starts to boil and all ingredients are combined, turn the heat down to low-medium and continue to simmer for 10-15 minutes until almost all the cranberries have popped and are broken down.
- If you are using spices instead of essential oils then you will want to add them during the 10-15 minute simmer time. If you are using doTERRA Essential Oils you will add them at the end of the cook time once the sauce is removed from the heat and let to cool for about 5-10 minutes.
It is OK if you hear popping during the cook time since that is what cranberries do when they are heated up.
We like our cranberry sauce a bit more tart than sweet but feel free to add more honey if you like it sweeter.
You can double this recipe if you are serving a lot of people.
This Simple Homemade Spiced Cranberry Sauce Makes the Perfect Side Dish
This Thanksgiving, serve this Homemade Spiced Cranberry Sauce with your meal. It will be a hit!
I’m planning on trying this tomorrow. Can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome! I hope you enjoy it!