Chicken Free Classic Cranberry Sauce
Tart, jewel-bright, and fragrant with orange zest, this cranberry sauce is the kind of condiment that makes everything on the plate taste more intentional. The combination of fresh citrus juice, a touch of zest, and optional cinnamon gives it a warmth and complexity that the canned stuff simply cannot match. It comes together in a single saucepan with just a handful of pantry-friendly ingredients — no animal proteins, no hidden broths, no anything that doesn't belong. The cranberries do most of the work themselves, bursting and thickening into a glossy, spoonable sauce as they cook down. Letting it rest off the heat is the key move here, since the sauce continues to set as it cools and reaches that perfect jammy consistency. It keeps beautifully in an airtight container, so you can make it ahead and pull it straight from the fridge when the table is ready.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 tbsp fresh orange juice
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the sugar, water, and orange juice in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes.
- 2
Add the cranberries and orange zest, then increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 10–12 minutes. Watch the heat — the sauce can bubble up quickly once the berries break down.
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