Cranberry sauce is a condiment we tend to ignore for most of the year then scramble to make appealing for holiday meals. We've developed and tested recipes for cranberry sauces of every ilk, with flavors from licorice to mustard. Along the way, we've learned that cranberry sauce inspires strong opinions, even if it's sometimes an afterthought in the context of the full spread. Traditionalists turn up their noses at sauces enhanced with frippery like fresh ginger, blood orange zest, or habanero peppers, while hardcore foodies try to stay sane when they hear the slorping squelch of a ribbed cylinder of jellied sauce slide out of the can.
But canned cranberry sauce shouldn't be the culinary pariah of your holiday table. There is much to be gained by embracing the ease that canned cranberry sauce offers. It might be a last-minute salvage for a homemade batch that burnt on the stove. It can be the perfect way for a non-cook to fulfill their potluck assignment. Or maybe reaching for a can of cranberry sauce instead of turning on your stove can be considered an act of self-care, taking one task off your massive holiday to-do list. Sometimes, a can of cranberry sauce is a magical thing to have on hand.
11 Ways to Riff on Cranberry Sauce, From Chutney to Relish
The ability to enhance canned cranberry sauce with a few simple add-ins means you've beat back the pressure of holiday entertaining, hitting the sweet spot of delicious cranberry sauce with minimal fuss. Here are some of our favorite ways to take a can of cranberries from basic to boss with just a few easy additions.
Spike cranberry sauce with citrus
As it turns out, tart citrus and tart cranberries are best pals, and adding some citrus to your canned cranberry sauce is an easy way to upgrade it. Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor. If you are using the jellied style of sauce, slice or cube it, then layer or mix it with some sliced fresh kumquat or tangerine.
Add a hint of spice
Boosting your cranberry sauce can be as simple as bringing the heat. A freshly minced serrano pepper, a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce can do wonders for your sauce. Or add a sprinkle of mustard powder, garam masala, or vadouvan to wake up your palate. Try stirring in a generous spoonful of chile crisp, which will add heat, crunch, and salt for a result that will totally flip the script on canned sauce. If you have a tough time with spicy, think about using a pinch of a fruity and mildly spicy dried pepper like Aleppo or Espelette, or gentle warming spices like clove, allspice, mace, and nutmeg.
Give it some spirit
Spirits are a wonderful addition to cranberry sauce, but remember that a little goes a long way. Go with spirits and fortified wines used to make other sauces, and start with port, sherry, madeira, marsala, sweet vermouth, or even bourbon. Add it to your sauce a teaspoon at a time until you get the flavor you want. If you are concerned about serving alcohol, after adding the liquor you can warm the sauce over medium heat until it bubbles and burns off the alcohol.
Add some crunch
One of the things about holiday meals is that they are often lacking in texture. Adding some crunch to your cranberry sauce can bring an extra element to your plate that might be missing. From toasted pine nuts to chopped pecans, candied walnuts or roasted marcona almonds, stirring in a bit of crunch or adding as a garnish will bring some excitement to your sauce.
Incorporate botanicals
A drop or two of rosewater or orange blossom water, a pinch of dried lavender buds, a sprinkle of fresh minced mint, tarragon, or cilantro; some fresh ginger or galangal or lemongrass; use a judicious hand to bring these fresh flavors into your canned sauce.
Top with dried or fresh fruits
Dried fruit in your cranberry sauce adds a different fruity note and another texture that can be a welcome addition and adding other fresh fruit can bring in brightness. Sure, you can go all meta with some dried cranberries or sliced fresh raw cranberries, but I also like to think about complementary flavors — dried cherries, dried mulberries, golden raisins, chopped apricots. All work great with cranberry sauce. Fresh fruit like pomegranate arils, diced Asian pear, and tart apples would be a welcome addition.
FAQs
Spirits are a wonderful addition to cranberry sauce, but remember that a little goes a long way. Go with spirits and fortified wines used to make other sauces, and start with port, sherry, madeira, marsala, sweet vermouth, or even bourbon. Add it to your sauce a teaspoon at a time until you get the flavor you want.
How do you spice up store bought cranberry sauce? ›
Canned cranberry sauce is delicious on its own, but there are ways you can dress it up for any meal. Adding fruits like oranges or berries brings different flavors and acidity to the sauce. Folding in crushed nuts at the end adds texture variety.
Can you melt down jellied cranberry sauce? ›
A can of cranberry sauce typically contains cranberries, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and water, so when you plop it into a pot on low heat, it is going to melt down into an almost jam-like consistency, but that's not all that is going to change.
Should you chill canned cranberry sauce? ›
Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.
How do you sweeten cranberry sauce after cooking? ›
Taste and, if the mixture is too tart (keeping in mind that cranberry sauce is supposed to be a little tart!), add more orange juice, honey or maple syrup to taste. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
How do you jazz up cranberry sauce from a can? ›
Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.
How do you fix bland cranberry sauce? ›
Maple syrup, brown sugar and even honey can make your cranberry sauce more dynamic. And don't forget the spices! Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, citrus zest and star anise all work well with cranberries and can be added while the sauce cooks to infuse your sauce with flavor.
How to serve canned jellied cranberry sauce? ›
The traditional way of serving jellied cranberry sauce is sliced into rounds. With the column set on its side, slice into ¼-inch thick rounds and then arrange the slices on a serving platter. Serve the slices plain, garnished as desired, or read on for easy upgrades.
Does cranberry sauce in a can go bad? ›
As long as an unopened can of cranberry sauce is stored in a consistently cool pantry, it'll keep and taste good for at least a year beyond the date stamped on the can. (That date is the manufacturer's estimate of how long the cranberry sauce will remain at peak quality and is not a safety-related expiration date.)
Why do cranberry sauce cans open on the bottom? ›
But why? Ocean Spray says this is to get the cranberry sauce out in one intact piece. “The rounded part of the can that looks like the bottom has an air bubble in it,” Ocean Spray's representative explains. The bubble is there so you can “break the seal the sauce makes with the can.”
Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.
How to fix too sweet cranberry sauce? ›
Cranberry sauce is supposed to be a balance of sweet and tart. The sauce acts as a cleansing port in a tumultuous storm of fat and salt, but the effect is lost if the sauce is too sweet. Luckily, there is a very easy way to fix an over-sugared homemade sauce: You just need a little citric acid.
Is canned cranberry healthy? ›
Health Benefits
Cranberries are also rich in vitamin C and fiber, as well as the metabolism-boosting mineral manganese. And yes, you reap all these benefits whether the cranberry sauce on your holiday table is homemade or canned, jellied or whole-berry.
How do you cut the tartness out of cranberry sauce? ›
"Resist adding granulated sugar—you won't get the full effect unless you reheat the sauce and the sugar dissolves," writes Kelsey Kloss. "Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine. Add more to taste.
How do you firm up cranberry sauce? ›
One possibility is that you may not have used enough sugar: Sugar helps the sauce firm up, so be sure to use the full amount called for in a recipe. Another possibility is that the cranberries need to boil for longer, releasing their pectin and ensuring a jelly consistency.
What to eat cranberry sauce with? ›
Use it up with these delicious recipe ideas.
- 1Braised pork with cranberry and five-spice. ...
- 2Turkey and cranberry burgers. ...
- 3Turkey and roast vegetable patties with cranberry dressing. ...
- 4Turkey, brie and cranberry sandwiches. ...
- 5Pork, cranberry and pistachio rissoles with hot potato salad.
If you'd prefer, you could use simple syrup, coconut sugar, cane sugar, sugar-free sweetener, maple syrup, or raw honey. You could also omit the added sugar and make an unsweetened cranberry juice if you'd prefer. Fresh Citrus: oranges and lemons add sweet and acid to balance the cranberries tartness.
