This Clean eating cranberry sauce is traditionally eaten with turkey during the Holidays and if you're like me, it used to come out of a jar straight off the supermarket shelf. And then I discovered how much tastier is was, and how easy it is to make it yourself at home. Make this ahead of the big day and have it ready to go when the turkey comes out of the oven!
Clean Eating Cranberry Sauce
Depending on where you are in the world, Cranberries are in season and are often harvested right over the Holiday season which makes them plentiful and cheap to buy. I like to buy fruit (and veg!) in season if I can. It's fresher, it's travelled less and I can find it locally from farmers markets and local stores rather than the huge supermarkets. So ideally, this is my preference.
However all that said and with the best intentions in the world, sometimes the things you want are not going to be in season or within your budget, and so frozen is my 'next best'.
Cranberry sauce is something I only make around Christmas, even though there's a whole load of other things it's delicious with too. I think it's such a traditional sauce that saving it for Christmas or Thanks Giving dinner adds to the festivities! That said, we're always very pleased to have some leftover in the fridge to have over the new year.
This recipe makes enough for 6-8 people. Not everyone loves cranberry sauce so make enough for those that do, plus enough for leftovers for a few days. I also use orange in this recipe, although feel free to leave this out if you prefer. I think the orange adds a lovely flavor hit to the sauce and gives it a bit of festiveness, clementines work the same so use them if you have a few hanging around!
Fresh Or Frozen Cranberries?
I keep pretty large quantities of frozen fruit and veg in my freezer all year round. I love the stuff! Not only is it used all the time for smoothies but I don't have to think about it going off and festering in the back of the fridge and then having to find something in double time to make as I hate throwing food away.
So if it's easier, stock up on the frozen stuff: It's cheaper and a lot more convenient. And that's very often the name of the game in this house :)
I've used fresh cranberries for this recipe as I had them, but use which ever you have. One thing I would say is that if you're using frozen cranberries they'll have more water in them, due to being frozen. You can either defrost them in the microwave and discard the excess water, or use them frozen and only use the juice from one orange.
Personally I defrost them, because I really like the flavor the orange juice adds and so I want to use the full amount of orange juice. If you use them frozen and add both oranges juice, the finished sauce will be a little runnier than usual.
How Long Does Cranberry Sauce Last?
I make this a few days before we're going to be wanting it. I think the flavors are better when they're allowed to develop, so don't worry about making this a few days before hand.
Once you've made this sauce, you can keep it covered in the fridge for up to a week. I like to use a mason jar like this if it's going into the fridge.
More Clean Eating Sauces
- Clean smoky BBQ sauce
- White bean cheesy sauce
- Mushroom sauce for anything!
- Silky creamy avocado sauce
- East Tzatziki dip
How To Make Clean Eating Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Fresh Cranberries Can you use frozen cranberries
- 2 Oranges Zest & juice
- ½ Cup Maple syrup
Instructions
- Put the cranberries in to a pan, add the maple syrup and the zest from both oranges
- Juice the Oranges (after you've zested them as they're easier to zest before you juice them) and add the juice from both oranges to the pan
- Bring the sauce to the boil and then turn the heat down so the sauce simmers gently
- The cranberries will 'pop' as they heat up. Stir the sauce frequently to stop it sticking. The sauce will thicken as it cooks
- Transfer the cranberry sauce to a clean jar if you're making this ahead of when you need it or into a pot if you're serving it immediately
Clean Eating Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Clean Eating Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Fresh Cranberries Can you use frozen Cranberries
- 2 Oranges Zest & juice
- ½ Cup Maple syrup
Instructions
- Put the cranberries in to a pan, add the maple syrup and the zest from both oranges
- Juice the Oranges (after you've zested them as they're easier to zest before you juice them) and add the juice from both oranges to the pan
- Bring the sauce to the boil and then turn the heat down so the sauce simmers gently
- The cranberries will 'pop' as they heat up. Stir the sauce frequently to stop it sticking. The sauce will thicken as it cooks
- Transfer the cranberry sauce to a clean jar if you're making this ahead of when you need it or into a pot if you're serving it immediately
