This super easy homemade savory cranberry sauce recipe will make a great side for your Thanksgiving table. Fresh cranberries with the savory aromatics, the tartness of the citrus, and the sweetness of the honey is the perfect balance of flavors and textures that your whole family will love!
I love the wiggly cranberry sauce that you plunge out of a can. The kind with the ridges around the outside that make the perfect guide so that even slices can be cut. Unfortunately, I’m the only person in the family who appreciates the beauty of jellied cranberry sauce.
Homemade cranberry sauce is so easy to make and it has so many flavors and textures everyone will love it!
How to make homemade savory cranberry sauce
In a saucepan, over medium heat melt 2 tbsp butter. In the butter, sautee 1/2 a diced onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 2 chopped sage leaves, 1 sprig chopped rosemary, and 1 tbsp minced ginger until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup white wine, the zest and juice of two oranges, the zest and juice of a lemon, two 12 ounce packages fresh cranberries. Simmer 15-20 minutes. Be sure to zest your oranges and lemons before juicing them. It’s kind of difficult to zest a juiced orange or lemon.
Season with salt to taste and stir in 1/2 cup honey to balance the tartness of the cranberries. Cook a few more minutes and stir to break down the cranberries.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, by adding more salt or honey if needed. Keep in mind, cranberry sauce is supposed to be tart. As the cranberry sauce cools, the pectin in the cranberries will cause the sauce to gel.
Serve warm as a Thanksgiving side, or chill and use as a chutney to add a little tang to your leftover turkey sandwich.
If you like this Thanksgiving side dish, you might also like Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Turkey Gravy.
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Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 yellow or white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sage leaves chopped
- 1 sprig rosemary chopped
- 1 Tbsp ginger minced
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 2 oranges zested and juiced
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 24 ounces fresh cranberries (two 12 ounce packages)
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup honey
Instructions
- In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter
- Sauté the onions, garlic, sage, rosemary, and ginger until tender, about 5 minutes
- Add wine, juice and zest of oranges, juice and zest of the lemon, and cranberries
- Simmer 15-20 minutes
- Season with salt
- Stir in honey
- Stir another minute to break down cranberries
- Taste and add more salt or honey if desired
Nutrition
This homemade cranberry sauce looks so delectable. Nicole, my daughter has made it over the past several years and I don’t think I’ve ever actually made it from scratch. So thanks so much for sharing the recipe.
You are so welcome! I hope your daughter likes it!