Cranberry Sauce With Orange and Golden Raisins Recipe (2024)

By Claire Saffitz

Updated Nov. 16, 2023

Cranberry Sauce With Orange and Golden Raisins Recipe (1)

Total Time
24½ hours
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes, plus 24 hours’ resting
Rating
4(178)
Notes
Read community notes

This classic cranberry sauce, adapted from “Jambalaya,” a cookbook by the Junior League of New Orleans, is an ideal combination of tart, bitter and sweet flavors, with chewy bits of raisin and orange peel that provide much-needed textural contrast on the Thanksgiving table. A Saffitz family favorite, prepared every year by Claire Saffitz’s mother, Sauci, it keeps for weeks, so make it as far ahead as you like. (Watch Claire make Thanksgiving dinner from start to finish on YouTube.)

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Ingredients

Yield:About 4 cups

  • 12ounces fresh or frozen and thawed cranberries (3 cups)
  • 2⅓cups/466 grams granulated sugar
  • cups/6 ounces golden raisins
  • 1small navel orange, halved, seeds removed, roughly chopped
  • cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
  • ¾teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • teaspoon ground cloves
  • Pinch of kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

318 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 75 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 22 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Cranberry Sauce With Orange and Golden Raisins Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, raisins, chopped orange, vinegar, lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently to dissolve the sugar, until the mixture is simmering vigorously and the cranberries have burst, 25 to 30 minutes.

  2. Step

    2

    Remove the saucepan from the heat and let cool until warm but not hot. Scrape into a lidded container and refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the flavors to meld. (The cranberry sauce can be made several weeks ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Ratings

4

out of 5

178

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

SJack

As someone that collects cranberry recipes and makes between 3 and 5 for each Thanksgiving, I think that this is good. My wife gave it a thumbs up - which is all that really matters. 1. I cut the sugar down from 2.3 cups to 1.3 cups (and could have cut it down a little more)2. I added a bit of OJ so that there would be some liquid for cooking. No, I didn't measure - I just added enough to cover the berries in the pot.3. I used a whole orange - peeled & cut into pretty small pieces.

seattle cook

Made this to change up the routine. No one loved it. Too sweet, and the orange peel chunks are too big. I recommend cutting way back on the sugar and dicing the orange more finely than the recipe called for.

Diane F.

Here's a "no-recipe" cranberry sauce I've been making for years. Pour some orange juice in a saucepan. Add some dried cranberries and pineapple tidbits. Bring to a boil then simmer, stirring occasionally, for about an hour until the berries and pineapple have softened significantly. Add more orange juice as needed to keep it from sticking. Remove from heat when it has reached the right consistency.

Kim Frohlinger

The best cranberry relish courtesy of my mother: 1 bag of cranberries rinsed and dried, 1 naval orange skin included cut into a few pieces, 1 cup of sugar. Put all ingredients raw into a food processor, puree until there are no chunks left. Refrigerate and enjoy!

Maggie

A tablespoon or two of Grand Marnier is a wonderful addition to any cranberry sauce recipe.

PghMD

Way too much sugar. Cut the sugar to one cup. Peel the orange, cut slices to small pieces. Cook over the stove top on low heat, with the rest of the ingredients as written. It’s really delicious!

jeff S

Only 1 cup sugar. Zest the orange, peel it and add back 1/2 the orange peel small diced, add small diced apple, thin with orange juice as needed

Andrew

I made this per the recipe and diced the orange to cranberry-size pieces. The orange is the make-or-break of this recipe so use one that is nice, juicy and fresh.I served it with roast duck, roast lamb and mixed it into my morning oatmeal. It worked as a filling for small Christmas pies when I ended up with more pastry than mincemeat. Perfect for a small bite. Probably too much for a large pie slice.I will try it next in oatmeal cookies.

New England Baker

I made this for Thanksgiving and loved the bright flavor, but it is more like a preserve than traditional cranberry sauce. As written, think of this as a festive condiment to be used in small amounts versus a side. It was wonderful added to oatmeal on chilly mornings. In a revised format, this recipe made the Christmas day line up as well, but as a topping for our morning French toast. This time I doubled the cranberries and kept everything else the same and it was delicious.

Bikelady

Made this, but forgot to bring it to the potluck Thanksgiving. I liked it. After nibbling at it for days, I decided to try to convert it to a dessert. This recipe, https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017817-cranberry-curd-tartHas almost the same ingredients. Worked great.

GGD

I agree about dicing the orange into smaller chunks...but definitely will put it on the repeat menu for Thanksgiving!

Gale

Delicious as written. Our new favorite!

Heather

I made this recipe as written and it was a huge hit with my family. Even my dad, who is not a cranberry sauce lover had two helpings. Today he asked me if it could be used as a pie filling.

Bunny

New Orleans native here and I have been making my version of this sauce for decades. My version uses only a half to 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar. I also use one LARGE navel orange. 2/3rds of the skin provides peels that go into the mix, no pith anywhere. My facilitating liquid is the juice from this big orange, usually a navel. No further raisins or spices. It is well chilled, well chopped, but never pureed, pure cranberry and orange joy with the brown sugar really enhancing it all.

Laurie Zucker-Conde

Too sweet. I make mine with two bags of cranberries, two juiced oranges, one juiced pomegranate, one cup of water, a quarter cup of sugar. Pour the boiled cranberries onto most of the zest of one lemon and the oranges. Decorate with more zest and mint leaves. It's delicious!

cindnel

This recipe is super delicious and so easy to make. I stuck to the recipe but did half golden raisins & half dried cranberries, I think that kept it from being too sweet.

SK19118

This was THE dish of Thanksgiving! My family would not stop raving about it. The spices were perfection. My only fear is I will not be able to recreate it next year! Modifications:used 20 oz cranberries (and still ran out of leftovers too soon)1 cup sugar

jake

do not change anything about the recipe when you make it. this was the #1 favorite dish at my family's thanksgiving this year. none of us like cranberry sauce before this year, but we are converts after making this.

Judy

I used this recipe for the first time after watching a 2-day NYT shoot of Claire applying her superpowers to Thanksgiving dinner, being inspired by the Saffitz Thanksgiving tradition along the way (community cookbooks FTW). It was excellent. The only variations I made were to finely chop the orange (I confess some of the skin ended up in the compost bin) and to bring my electric burner to medium-high to bring this to a vigorous simmer. Can't get enough Claire Saffitz!

M.

Excellent! I made the following changes after reading reviews- 1. Used 1 c of sugar2. a splash of CointreauWe truly threw all the ingredients in a pot and simmered them.

Marie

I really liked this but I agree with other commenters - way too much sugar! I cut to one cup and still tasted plenty sweet to me. Aside from sugar, great combo of flavours!

Les

Whipped this up at the last minute, cooled to warm and served. Cut sugar down based on other reviews. Otherwise followed exactly. This was delicious and my husband who doesn’t really like cranberries asked for me to save the recipe and make again!

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Cranberry Sauce With Orange and Golden Raisins Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to canned cranberry sauce to make it better? ›

Top with dried or fresh fruits

Sure, you can go all meta with some dried cranberries or sliced fresh raw cranberries, but I also like to think about complementary flavors — dried cherries, dried mulberries, golden raisins, chopped apricots. All work great with cranberry sauce.

How to jazz up cranberry sauce? ›

Stir-in one (or more) of the following add-ins to one can of whole or jellied cranberry sauce:
  1. 2 Tbsp. of orange juice plus 1 tsp. of finely grated orange peel.
  2. ½ can of mandarin oranges.
  3. ½ cup pineapple.
  4. ½ tsp. cinnamon.
  5. ½ cup chopped dried apricots.
  6. ½ cup toasted pecans.
  7. 2 Tbsp. Zinfandel Wine.
Aug 11, 2022

How long will homemade cranberry sauce keep in the fridge? ›

Homemade cranberry sauce will last in the fridge for 10 to 14 days. Canned cranberry sauce that has been opened will last up to a week in the fridge.

How can I thicken my homemade cranberry sauce? ›

Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.

What can I add to canned sauce to make it taste better? ›

8 Ways to Elevate Canned Spaghetti Sauce
  1. 1 - Extra virgin olive oil. Adding a good amount of a flavorful olive oil will go a long way in infusing flavor into your sauce. ...
  2. 2 - Fresh garlic. ...
  3. 3 - Meat. ...
  4. 4 - Hot pepper flakes. ...
  5. 5 - Red wine. ...
  6. 6 - Fresh or dried herbs. ...
  7. 7 - Cheese. ...
  8. 8 - Cream and/or butter.
Feb 26, 2018

What takes the bitterness out of cranberry sauce? ›

"Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine. Add more to taste. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (in small amounts, it intensifies sweetness)."

How do you fix bland cranberry sauce? ›

Maple syrup, brown sugar and even honey can make your cranberry sauce more dynamic. And don't forget the spices! Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, citrus zest and star anise all work well with cranberries and can be added while the sauce cooks to infuse your sauce with flavor.

How do you doctor up canned jellied cranberry sauce? ›

Canned cranberry sauce is delicious on its own, but there are ways you can dress it up for any meal. Adding fruits like oranges or berries brings different flavors and acidity to the sauce. Folding in crushed nuts at the end adds texture variety.

What thickens cranberry sauce? ›

The sauce will thicken as it cools. If you want a cranberry mold that holds its shape, continue to boil the mixture so that more pectin is released from the fruit, additional water evaporates, and the sauce becomes thick enough to set into a firm gel.

Can I freeze my homemade cranberry sauce? ›

Yes, you can freeze homemade cranberry sauce—and it works well. It's best to store it in the freezer for up to 3 months; the taste may be affected due to its water content if frozen longer. Keep this in mind when putting away your leftover sauce and use it during this optimal period as part of an easy weeknight dinner.

How do you know if cranberry sauce has gone bad? ›

Signs of spoilage include cans that are leaking, rusting, bulging, or severely dented. If the top of the can is rounded instead of flat, the cranberry sauce has most likely gone bad. If you open the can and anything is brown or black, throw the cranberry sauce away without a second thought.

Should you make cranberry sauce the day before? ›

Make It Ahead

Cover it well and store it in the fridge. Don't be tempted to freeze cranberry sauce; the structure will break down, and you could lose the gelling. A raw sauce has a shorter shelf life than a more stable cooked one. You can make it a day or two ahead.

What if I put too much water in my cranberry sauce? ›

If you inadvertently added too much water, simply bring the cranberry sauce back to the stove top and bring it to a low boil, cooking it down just a bit to help thicken it up.

Why is my homemade cranberry sauce runny? ›

Though they won't tolerate runny sauce, so it's time to fix that. The simplest reason that your cranberry sauce is too runny is that it has too much liquid in it. Usually, this is just water, but some people use orange juice or other flavored fluids. No matter what you're using, the answer is to cook it longer.

Does homemade cranberry sauce thicken when it cools? ›

Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

How do you remold canned cranberry sauce? ›

The technique is simple: Take warm cranberry sauce, ladle it into greased mini Bundt molds, and put it in the fridge. (You want to do this in advance; you'll need 7 to 9 hours, total.) To unmold, dip the Bundt pan carefully into a 9 x 11-inch cake or roasting pan full of warm water for just 30 seconds.

What can I mix with cranberry juice to make it taste better? ›

I sweetened my juice with honey which adds a sweet floral touch to the beverage. I also use a couple of freshly squeezed oranges which gives the juice a nice hint of citrus flavor. I'm sure apple juice or apple cider would work well too. I think moving forward I'm going to call this drink cranade (like lemonade…).

How do you serve jarred cranberry sauce? ›

You open the can, slide the contents onto a plate, and either slice it into neat rounds, or break it into chunks to serve it. I have known people to eat it with a spoon straught out of the jar. Some people arrange round slices of cranberry sauce on lettuce leaves and top them with mandarin oranges from a can.

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