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Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce

Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce with juicy cranberries simmered until the skins pop, then folded with apple, raisins, and toasted nuts. Chilled or served at room temperature, it keeps up to 1 week in the fridge for easy holiday sides.
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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 base
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
  • 1.75 cup sugar
  • 1 cup water
Fruit and citrus
  • 1 Granny Smith apple
  • 1 orange
  • 1 lemon
Mix-ins
  • 0.5 cup golden raisins
  • 0.5 cup walnuts or pecans toast and chop
Nuts
  • 0.5 cup walnuts or pecans toasted and chopped

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Simmer until skins pop
  1. In a saucepan, bring cranberries, sugar, and water to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the skins pop.
Cook with apple and citrus
  1. Add the diced apple, orange zest, orange juice, lemon zest, and lemon juice to the saucepan. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens slightly.
Fold in raisins and nuts
  1. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the golden raisins and toasted chopped walnuts or pecans. Mix until evenly distributed.
Cool and chill
  1. Cool the sauce completely, then cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Notes

Pro tip: Zest before juicing so you don’t miss the fragrant oils from the orange and lemon. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week; freeze not recommended for best chunky texture. For a lighter option, reduce sugar by 1/4 cup and simmer until slightly thickened to help it set.