Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Jellied cranberry sauce is a classic Thanksgiving recipe. Although jellied cranberry sauce is more common on Northern Thanksgiving tables than Southern, it is loved by many as a holiday tradition. If you are looking for a jellied cranberry sauce recipe without high fructose corn syrup, look no further: the optional addition of orange juice makes this cranberry sauce unforgettable.
Jellied Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
Although cranberry sauce with whole cranberries has a very different texture, learning how to make jellied cranberry sauce is the same because they have very similar ingredients: cranberries, some sort of liquid, and sugar. Although 1 cup of liquid per 12 oz of cranberries is needed, it does not have to be all water; instead, using orange juice in cranberry sauce adds a bit of extra flavor. The cranberries are then boiled with the liquid wile stirring. The cranberries will pop during the cooking process, causing hot juice to spit out from the pot. Even though this is normal, it is a good idea to keep the heat on medium and to be ready to clean the stovetop after making the sauce; also, be sure to not wear a white shirt, lol.
After cooking the cranberries with water, the jellied version requires straining the popped cranberries through a wire mesh strainer. After straining, sugar is added to help the cranberry sauce jell: if you want to be able to slice your cranberry sauce like the kind that comes from a can, you will need at least 1 cup of sugar.
You can give your cranberry sauce more flavor by adding orange zest after it is strained, or perhaps be adding a spice bundle of whole spices to the berries as they boil. You could even use a different sweetener such as honey or maple syrup; however, in my opinion, sometimes combining too many flavors just confuses the palate and does not make the dish more interesting, so just adding a bit of orange juice is what I would recommend.
Although you can pour the sauce into an heat-proof container to harden, I suggest using mason jars so that you get the same cylindrical shape as with the sauce from a can. I use 1/2 pint mason jars, and it made a bit more than 2 jars; thus, one recipe makes a little more than 1 pint of cranberry sauce.
Jellied cranberry sauce is the perfect side dish for any Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, or other special dinner. If you roast a turkey or make an oven roasted chicken and the breast meat is a bit dry, cranberry sauce is the perfect addition.
Jellied Cranberry Sauce Recipe:
Ingredients
- 1 12-oz bag of fresh cranberries (340g)
- 1 cup of liquid (I recommend 1/2 cup water (120g) and 1/2 cup orange juice (120g)
- 1 cup of white sugar (210g)
Instructions
- Cook cranberries and liquid on high heat for 5 minutes while stirring. (Berries will start to boil and pop)
- After the first 5 minutes, cook for an addition 15 minutes. First, reduce the heat to medium, and continue cooking and stirring for another 5-7 minutes. Then, finish out the 15 minutes by turning the heat down to low and continue cooking and stirring.
- Remove cranberries from heat and strain using a wire mesh strainer. Strain the cranberries in small batches so that you can smash and push them against the side of the strainer.
- Add sugar to remaining liquid.
- Pour into a mold and let sit to harden (4-5 hours)
- YIELD: A little more than 1 pint of jellied cranberry sauce (photo has 1/2 pint mason jars)
Jellied Cranberry Sauce Video Recipe:
Be sure to watch my YouTube video recipe:
Also, be sure to watch my updated 2020 YouTube video:
Happy Thanksgiving!
