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Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce

Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce with chunky cranberries, diced Granny Smith apple, and citrus brightness, simmered until the skins pop and thickened naturally. Refrigerate up to 1 week and serve chilled or at room temperature for an easy make-ahead side.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 310
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberry base
  • 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 Dutch oven

Method
 

Simmer the cranberries
  1. Bring fresh cranberries, sugar, and water to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 5 minutes until the skins pop.
  2. Add Granny Smith apple, orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns thick and saucy.
  3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in golden raisins and walnuts or pecans. Continue stirring just until evenly distributed.
Cool and chill
  1. Cool the cranberry sauce completely, uncovered, until no longer steaming. This prevents condensation in the container.
  2. Cover and refrigerate the cranberry sauce until ready to serve, up to 1 week. Stir once after chilling if you want a more even texture.
  3. Serve the cranberry sauce chilled or at room temperature. Spoon it into a serving bowl for a chunky, glossy finish.

Notes

Pro tip: let the sauce cool fully before refrigerating so it sets into a thick, spoonable texture instead of thinning from trapped steam. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week; freeze is not recommended because the fruit and citrus can soften when thawed. For a lower-sugar option, substitute part of the sugar with a 1:1 baking sugar replacement and taste after simmering.