Carrageenan Free Maple Cranberry Sauce with Orange & Ginger
Cranberry sauce from a can seems convenient until you start reading the label — many commercial versions rely on gelling or stabilizing additives that people avoiding carrageenan and similar thickeners need to skip entirely. This homemade version gets its gorgeous, jammy consistency the old-fashioned way: fresh or frozen cranberries naturally release pectin as they burst and break down in the pan, no additives required. A splash of fresh orange juice, a hit of grated ginger, and warm Ceylon cinnamon give the sauce a brightness and depth that the canned stuff simply cannot match. Pure maple syrup and honey do double duty as sweeteners and natural thickeners, so every ingredient on the list is doing real, honest work. The orange zest stirred in at the end lifts the whole thing with a fragrant citrus note that makes it taste almost fancy. It looks a little loose when it first comes off the stove, but patience pays off — it sets into a beautifully spoonable sauce as it cools. Whether you're spooning it over a holiday roast or spreading it on leftover turkey the next day, this is the kind of sauce that makes people ask for the recipe.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup fresh orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
- ¼ cup water
- 3 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- ½ tsp ground ceylon cinnamon
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- 1
Combine the cranberries, orange juice, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to burst and release their liquid, about 5 minutes.
- 2
Stir in the maple syrup, honey, ginger, Ceylon cinnamon, and sea salt. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens and most of the cranberries have broken down, about 8–10 minutes. Watch the heat — the sugars can scorch quickly once the liquid reduces; lower the flame if the sauce begins to spit or stick.
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