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Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce

Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce with chunky fruit, toasted nuts, and bright citrus from orange and lemon. Simmered until the cranberry skins pop, then chilled for clean, scoopable texture.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberry sauce
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
  • 1.75 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and diced
  • 1 orange, zested and juiced
  • 1 lemon, zested and juiced
  • 0.5 cup golden raisins
  • 0.5 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and chopped

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Simmer the cranberry base
  1. Bring cranberries, sugar, and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes over medium heat until the skins pop and the mixture looks glossy.
Cook until thick and jammy
  1. Add diced apple, orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the saucepan. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens slightly around the fruit.
Finish with raisins and nuts
  1. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in golden raisins and toasted chopped walnuts or pecans. Mix until evenly distributed.
Chill and serve
  1. Cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 week. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Notes

Pro tip: To get the signature chunky texture, simmer just until the cranberry skins pop rather than cooking so long that everything turns uniform. Refrigerate in a covered container up to 1 week; freezing is not recommended for best texture. For a lower-sugar option, replace part of the sugar with a 1:1 baking sweetener and simmer as written.