Mom's Cranberry Sauce Recipe

By Steven Biggs

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

Mom and Dad loved entertaining for Thanksgiving.

They’d cook a turkey on the BBQ, and Mom always had homemade cranberry sauce ready.

Find out how to cook a turkey on a charcoal BBQ.

Secret Ingredient for Cranberry Sauce

Mom’s cranberry sauce always included orange:

  • orange juice

  • and orange zest

She’d explain to our Thanksgiving guests how well orange pairs with cranberry—and how easy is is to make your own cranberry sauce.

I recommend that you make your cranberry sauce in the morning (or a day ahead) so that there is time for it to set.

Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 cups of cranberries (the bags of cranberries available at supermarkets here contain 4 cups)

  • 1 1/2 cups of sugar (or less, if, like me, you prefer a tangy sauce)

  • Juice and zest of an orange

  • Water

Directions

  • Zest the orange

  • Juice the orange

  • Add enough water to the orange juice so that you have 1 1/2 cups of liquid

  • Put cranberries, liquid, zest, and sugar into a pot

  • Bring to a boil (the berries should start to pop after about 5 minutes)

  • Once the berries have popped, keep simmering for a few minutes until the sauce thickens

  • Allow to cool, pour into whatever dish you’ll be serving it in, and then refrigerate

  • As the sauce cools, it will set

Cranberry Sauce Recipe Variations

Because I grow my own citrus plants, I sometimes change the recipe to use whatever citrus I have on hand.

  • Ponderosa lemon zest, which has a unique flavour, is a nice addition to cranberry sauce

  • Yuzu zest and juice make a wonderful cranberry sauce (I like it sweetened with honey)

Find out how to grow your own lemon tree in a pot!

Add the floral taste of yuzu fruit to your cranberry sauce! I like to make a cranberry sauce using yuzu and honey.

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Steven Biggs

Recognized by Garden Making Magazine as one of the "green gang" of Canadians making a difference in horticulture, Steven Biggs is a horticulturist, former college instructor, and award-winning broadcaster and author. His passion is helping home gardeners grow food in creative and attractive ways.


He’s the author of eight gardening books, including the Canadian bestseller No Guff Vegetable Gardening. His articles have appeared in Canada’s Local Gardener, Mother Earth News, Fine Gardening, Garden Making, Country Guide, Edible Toronto, and other magazines.


Along with over 30 years working in the horticultural sector and a horticultural-science major at the University of Guelph, Steven’s experience includes hands-on projects in his own garden including wicking beds, driveway strawbale gardens, and a rooftop tomato plantation—to the ongoing amusement of neighbours.


When not in the garden, you might catch him recording his award-winning Food Garden Life podcast or canoeing in Algonquin Park.

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