Cranberry sauce: are you Team Whole Berry Sauce or Team Jellied Sauce? Chances are, there's at least one member of your family who doesn't agree with the others! My solution to this has always been to serve both choices.
But when I started reading the nutrition labels I was dismayed at the high fructose corn syrup as a prominent ingredient. So I was so happy to find my mom's recipe to make delicious and simple jellied cranberry sauce with just 3 simple ingredients!
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The recipe really is simple, but it did require some testing. Mom's recipe started with - no kidding - 15 cups of cranberries!!! On the back of the recipe card were the alternative measurements: 20 cups of cranberries, with notes about how full the pail would be and how many pounds of sugar was needed. Clearly, I needed to do some math to reduce things down to just enough for a holiday meal LOL.
But I must say, it is a rousing success: this sauce is only 3 ingredients, counting water! 10 minutes of cooking time is all that's needed, then strain it ensure you have a silky smooth sauce. It won't take long in the fridge, and you'll have the perfect jellied texture all set for your holiday table.
Ingredients Needed for Homemade Jellied Cranberry Sauce
- Cranberries
- Sugar
- Water
- Optional for firmer texture: unflavored gelatin
How to Make This Jellied Cranberry Sauce
1. First, rinse the cranberries and pick out any that look soft. We want fresh and firm berries!
2. Place the cranberries in a saucepan with water and sugar. Start heating this on medium-high heat, stirring often.
Bring the mixture to a full boil. Reduce the heat slightly but continue boiling and stirring for 7 to 10 minutes. Right around the 7-minute mark you'll notice a slight thickening. This is due to the release of the pectin in the berries, which will cause the sauce to get that jellied texture we want. I always continue boiling for the full 10 minutes to make sure this is thoroughly cooked.
Turn off the heat and let the mixture cool for a couple minutes while you set up to strain the mixture. There are a few ways to achieve this, and all have worked for me.
- You can use an immersion blender to blitz all the skins etc and make the sauce smoother. For me, it works but I always seem to miss a few so I recommend straining anyway.
- Use a silicone spatula to push the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. This will give a nice smooth sauce without any skins or other pieces.
- I've also used my mom's old cone-shaped strainer, which I'm sure was super handy for the large batches of sauce she would make. It looks like a Medieval torture device but it is actually a very effective way to strain sauces. I remember her using this for applesauce!
Place your strained sauce into a bowl, then cover and refrigerate. As it cools it will form a firmer, jelly-like texture.
How to Make the Cranberry Sauce Look Like It Came from a Can
Do you insist that the jellied sauce must be in the shape of a can? Well, I've tried to achieve this multiple times and it does "sort of" work with the recipe as-is. But if you want to be absolutely certain to get the firm jellied texture with the can ridges and all, I recommend adding one more ingredient: an envelope of unflavored gelatin.
You can either dissolve the gelatin in ¼ cup of water first, or add it straight into the saucepan. Add this during the cooking step (about 5 minutes in) and stir well for a couple minutes to ensure the gelatin is fully dissolved. Then go ahead and blend and strain per usual, before pouring the sauce into an empty can.
Refrigerate the can of sauce for a couple hours to give it time to fully set. When it's time to serve, running a knife around the edge of the can will help loosen the jellied sauce so you can pour it out onto your serving plate. Cut into slices and everyone will wonder why the canned stuff tastes so much better this year. 😁
📖 Recipe
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Jellied Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries fresh
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- Optional: 1 envelope unflavored gelatin for firmer texture
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries and place them in a medium saucepan. Add the water and sugar.12 ounces cranberries, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water
- Heat on medium high heat, stirring often. Heat to boiling, then reduce the heat just enough to continue boiling.
- (Note: for the "firmer texture" option, dissolve an envelope of unflavored gelatin in ¼ cup of water and set aside. Add to the saucepan after the mixture has been boiling for 5 minutes, then continue stirring and boiling for 5 more minutes.)Optional: 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- Boil and stir for 10 minutes. You should notice the mixture starting to thicken at about the 7-minute mark. Continue boiling and stirring. When the 10 minutes is done, turn off the heat.
- Allow the sauce to cool for a few minutes while you organize for straining. Set up either a cone shaped strainer or a sieve and spatula. For a smoother sauce, use a stand up or immersion blender to blend the sauce. Strain the sauce in order to remove any remaining skins and you will end up with a smooth and delicious sauce.
- Place the sauce in a bowl, cover and refrigerate. The sauce will become firmer as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
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