Q1: My cranberry sauce is too tart. How do I fix it?

It's very easy to adjust! Simply stir in a little more sugar, about a tablespoon at a time, until it reaches your desired sweetness. You can do this while the sauce is still warm.

Q2: My cranberry sauce is too sweet. How do I fix it?

To balance the sweetness, you can simply stir in an extra squeeze of fresh orange or lemon juice. This will add a beautiful, bright acidity.

Q3: Can I use a different kind of sweetener?

Yes! This recipe would also be fantastic with a more complex sweetener, like brown sugar, pure maple syrup, or honey.

Q4: Can I add other flavors to my cranberry sauce?

Of course! This recipe is a wonderful base for all sorts of delicious additions. A cinnamon stick, a few slices of fresh ginger, or a splash of brandy or Grand Marnier would all be fantastic and festive additions to the simmering pot.

Q5: Should I serve my cranberry sauce warm or cold?

This is purely a matter of personal preference! It is delicious served warm, at room temperature, or chilled straight from the refrigerator.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce (An Easy 15-Minute Recipe!)

A classic, simple recipe for a perfect homemade cranberry sauce. This one-pot side dish involves simmering fresh or frozen cranberries with sugar, water, and a strip of citrus zest until the berries burst and the sauce thickens. A key technique involves reserving a portion of the cranberries to be stirred in at the end, providing a wonderful textural contrast of whole and burst berries. The sauce is then cooled to room temperature before serving, making it a perfect make-ahead dish for a holiday meal.

Author: Grace

Ingredients

1 (12-ounce) bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar, plus more to taste
1 strip orange or lemon zest
2 tablespoons water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Empty a 12-ounce bag of cranberries into a saucepan, but first reserve and set aside 1/2 cup of the berries.
Add 1 cup of sugar, the strip of orange or lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of water to the pan with the main portion of cranberries.
Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries soften.
Increase the heat to medium and continue to cook for about 12 minutes, until most of the cranberries have burst.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the reserved 1/2 cup of cranberries.
Season with more sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.
Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool to room temperature before serving.

Notes

This is the quintessential homemade side dish for a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
The technique of reserving some of the cranberries and adding them at the end is key to creating a sauce with a great, varied texture.
The sauce will continue to thicken and gel as it cools due to the natural pectin in the cranberries.
This sauce can be made several days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

Find it online: https://www.eatswithsoul.com/homemade-cranberry-sauce/