The Thanksgiving table is a flexible feast, but with a few notable exceptions. On most, there must be turkey, mashed potatoes, some type of stuffing, and cranberry sauce. What’s not clear, however is if the cranberry sauce should be homemade cranberry sauce or in jellied rings from a can.
Easy, homemade cranberry sauce for the Thanksgiving table. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Canned versus homemade cranberry sauce is a popular debate this time of year — right up there with lumpy versus smooth mashed potatoes. Last year I took a closer look at the history of canned Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce, so it only seemed right to make a homemade batch this year using fresh berries.
Fortunately, the Lakeville-Middleboro, MA-based Ocean Spray sells those, too, and like it says on the bag, we recommend you “Buy Two, Freeze One.” Once the holiday season is over, the berries will disappear from the produce section of the supermarket till next year.
Fresh, local cranberries from Ocean Spray. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Making homemade whole-berry cranberry sauce honestly could not be easier. All it takes is water, sugar, and fresh cranberries.
The very picture of holiday cheer. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
Fresh cranberries are extremely tart, so the minimum one cup of sugar to turn them into sauce is necessary to get them sweet enough to eat.
Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and heat until it boils. Then add the fresh berries, bring things back to a boil, and cook over low heat until the berries burst.
Adding the berries to the boiling sugar water. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
You can keep it as simple as that, or add some tasty additions like orange zest, chopped nuts, raisins, or cinnamon.
Once the berries have burst to your liking, transfer the cranberry sauce to a bowl and let it cool completely before covering and refrigerating. I let mine cook longer than the 10 minutes stated on the bag (I like my sauce more pulpy than whole-berry) and it tasted great.
Ready for cooling. Photo Credit : Aimee Seavey
The natural pectin in the fruit will firm up the sauce as it sits, so it will still spoon beautifully onto your plate alongside your turkey and mashed potatoes. Or on top of your “Day After Thanksgiving” sandwich on Friday.
Easy, Homemade Cranberry Sauce. Photo Credit : Aimee Tucker
With a homemade cranberry sauce this delicious and easy to make, can-lovers just might find themselves considering a new tradition this year.
Are you a fan of canned or homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments!
This post was first published in 2015 and has been updated.
Aimee Tucker
Aimee Tucker is Yankee Magazine’s Home Editor and the Senior Digital Editor of NewEngland.com. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.
