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cranberry sauce with orange zest
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5 from 1 vote

Quick Homemade Cranberry Sauce

My quick homemade cranberry sauce will make your holiday season stress-free and delicious!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Holidays
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 109kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise pods
  • cup maple sryup Grade A or B
  • 12 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen
  • 1 orange zest and juiced
  • ½ cup apple juice
  • 1 tablespoon ginger diced

Instructions

  • In a medim-size saucepan toast the star anise and cinnamon for 2 minutes on medium-low heat.
  • Pour in maple syrup and bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add in cranberries and ginger and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Pour in apple juice, orange juice, and zest.  Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat stirring to help the cranberries break down.
  • Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise.  Transfer to a serving dish or refrigerate. 

Notes

  • Use good quality maple syrup. When buying your syrup, either buy grade A or B. Grade A is the highest rating because it's the sweetest. Grade B has a darker color and is less sweet.
  • Make a big batch. You will be enjoying this quick homemade cranberry sauce from the beginning of fall through the new year. Block out one evening and make a large batch of cranberry sauce, and CAN it all! Not only will you have this delicious condiment all holiday season, but it's also the perfect stocking stuffer or gift basket addition.
  • Don't overcook the sauce. Too much pectin is released, making your sauce way too thick. The skin of the cranberries becomes hard to eat.
  • Spice it up! Sure all you need to make cranberry sauce is sugar, water, and cranberries, but that is boring. Orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and cardamon can make your Thanksgiving topper delicious!

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 64IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 0.2mg