Boozy Spiced Cranberry Sauce

My Boozy Spiced Cranberry Sauce is making skeptics into believers. I don’t settle for less with any of my recipes, but I outdid myself on this one. This cranberry sauce tastes of caramel notes from brown sugar, vanilla, orange, and warm spices. Oh! And booze. Bourbon is my spirit of choice here. This recipe is best made in advance, so it’s very holiday meal prep-friendly. 

*This is an updated post. The original recipe was published in November 2017. I’ve updated the images and article.*

Where does Cranberry Sauce come from?

As with many modern-day recipes we enjoy here in the States, cranberries were introduced to the colonists by the Indigenous Peoples whose land we’re on. Northern tribes, like the Algonquins and Cree, used cranberries for sustenance, textile dyes, and medicine. They introduced the fruit, which they called “sour berries,” to the pilgrims. The pilgrims, in turn, used it as the Indigenous Peoples did but, later, began to combine it with sugar to make the bitter fruit more palatable.

Because the English settlers were accustomed to serving tart sauces and condiments alongside their fowl, they gravitated towards using cranberry sauce in the same way. Now, it’s a staple for holiday meals.

Thanks, again, to the Native People of North America.

Okay. So why is Cranberry Sauce gross?

Well, okay then. Tell me how you really feel. 

Most people think that cranberry sauce is gross because all they’ve ever known of it was schlopped out of a can. I would agree with them if that were my only standard. Canned cranberry sauce is gross because it’s cranberries cooked with high fructose corn syrup. So, it’s sweet cranberry goo. It sounds gross because it is gross. 

But, when it comes to this cranberry sauce, it’s the farthest thing from gross. You can’t get gross from fresh herbs and fruits. Gross doesn’t apply with brown sugar or bourbon. This isn’t gross. I promise.

What’s the difference between Cranberry Sauce and Cranberry Relish?

The difference between cranberry sauce and cranberry relish is that one is a cooked condiment, and the other is a cold one. The relish is more like a salsa than this sauce. Both have sweet and tart elements, and both are made from fresh cranberries. The relish is a smidge more tart than this recipe is, as well. 

What do I need to make Boozy Spiced Cranberry Sauce?

For this recipe, you’ll need a couple of bags of fresh cranberries, oranges and their juice, a good quality bourbon, fresh rosemary, brown sugar, fresh ginger, cinnamon (sticks and ground), and vanilla.

This is one of the simplest recipes to make. In fact, I’m willing to bet it’s the easiest recipe you have to make for the holidays. Everything gets chucked into a pot and left to simmer. So, you’ll also need a pot and a spoon. 

Can I use dried cranberries for this?

Dried cranberries shouldn’t be substituted for the fresh cranberries in this recipe. Unlike the fresh fruit, dried cranberries are pumped with a sugar solution before being dried and tossed in oil to keep them from sticking together in the bag. Not only will they not have the texture you want here, but they will also make this recipe overly sweet.

Just as an aside, fresh and dried cranberries are rarely interchangeable in recipes.

Add the rinsed cranberries to a 4-quart saucepan. 

What kind of bourbon do I use in Cranberry Sauce?

As with all of my recipes that incorporate spirits, I want you to use a bourbon that you can sip from an old-fashioned glass. Well, not me. I don’t like bourbon, so I use a bourbon that Héctor can drink from an old-fashioned glass. Bourbons like Knob Creek, Maker’s Mark, or Basil Hayden are those I recommend. 

Add the brown sugar, bourbon, orange juice and peel, ginger, ground cinnamon and sticks, rosemary, vanilla bean, and kosher salt to the pot with the cranberries.  

Can I omit the bourbon from this recipe?

If you are abstaining from alcohol, you can absolutely omit the bourbon from this recipe. Replace it with more orange juice, apple cider, or plain water. 

If you drink but aren’t a fan of bourbon, you can use whiskey, dark rum, or even an añejo or reposado tequila. Same amounts.  

What about swapping the herbs and spices?

If you’re not a fan of rosemary, replace it with sage or thyme. Don’t like ginger? Leave it out. I’m using cinnamon two ways because I don’t want to muddy up the color of the cranberry sauce by dumping a ton of ground cinnamon in it. If you hate cinnamon, you can replace it with a 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. 

Before adding the vanilla bean, split the bean down the middle, lengthwise. You don’t need to cut it in half completely. You just need to get through the top layer of the pod. Once you have split it open, turn your paring knife to the back (blunt side) and, holding one end of the bean firmly under your index finger, draw the knife down the length of the bean to extract the paste of seeds. Put the seeds you scraped out of the pod and the pod itself into the pot. Hell, if we gotta take out another mortgage to buy the vanilla beans, we’re going to extract every bit of its essence to feel good about it.

I know vanilla beans are expensive, so if you don’t have any vanilla beans on hand or don’t have a kidney you’re willing to sell to get one, just use vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.

Stir these ingredients together as best you can as the pot is pretty full at this point. Bring the mixture up to a simmer over medium heat. 

Can I reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe?

I, personally, think there’s just enough sugar in this recipe. It’s not so much that it’s cloyingly sweet. But it’s also not too little that your face will twist up with tartness. 

Yours might be tart if you decrease the sugar in this recipe. Reduce it to 1 cup. You can also replace the brown sugar with your preferred sugar substitute, though I think the brown sugar adds the right caramel/molasses-y notes to the recipe. 

How do I make keto Cranberry Sauce?

To convert this recipe to a keto-friendly cranberry sauce, omit the brown sugar and use 1 1/2 cups of erythritol and 2 1/2 teaspoons of molasses. You also need to omit the orange juice. Replace it with water. You can still use the orange peel, though. 

How long do I simmer the Cranberry Sauce?

Once the mixture comes to a simmer, wait 5 minutes. You’ll start hearing the cranberries burst in the pot. Once you hear 10 little “pops,” use the back of your wooden spoon to start pressing the cranberries. You want to smush just half of them (and this doesn’t need to be an exact number) to jumpstart the release of the berries pectin.

Pectin is a natural thickening agent that many fruits (like apples and pears, and cranberries) contain. When it’s heated and released, it helps thicken the liquids created in the pot upon cooling. Pressing the cranberries helps move this along. 

Why isn’t my Cranberry Sauce thickening?

Once you’ve smushed a good amount of the cranberries in the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the sauce to simmer for 10 minutes. Give the sauce a stir every 3 minutes or so to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If you find that your mixture is bubbling violently, reduce the temperature even further to low. 

When finished, the sauce will be the consistency of slightly runny oatmeal. Remember, the pectin will thicken the sauce further as it cools. 

If your cranberry sauce isn’t thickening as described above, it may be that you haven’t smooshed enough of the berries. Go back in there with your spoon and handle your business. If you smooshed sufficiently, you just need to cook the sauce for another 5-10 minutes to activate that pectin. 

How do I store it?

Transfer the thickened cranberry sauce to clean glass jars. I transfer the cranberry sauce while it’s still hot so the jar can seal naturally. 

Spoon the piping hot cranberry sauce into your jars, leaving 1-inch of headspace. Place the lid on the jar and close it tightly. Allow the heat to suck up the oxygen in the jar and seal the lid. Once cool, you can transfer the jars of cranberry sauce to the fridge.

Store the sauce with the whole peels, ginger coins, rosemary, spices, and vanilla. Just before serving, remove and discard all of those large pieces and serve. 

What do you eat Cranberry Sauce with?

My family eats this cranberry sauce with this Citrus Brined Turkey. Last year we went with a Brown Sugar Pineapple Spiced Ham, though, and I think we all preferred it with cranberry sauce more than the turkey. 

Truth be told, I’ve eaten this cranberry sauce straight from the jar with a spoon. I don’t recommend that, by the way. That’s a good way to contaminate your sauce. In my defense, it was the last two spoonfuls in that jar. I’m not a total delinquent. 

How long does Cranberry Sauce last?

This cranberry sauce can be stored in the fridge for 2 weeks. Just make sure you keep it refrigerated when you’re not serving it anymore. 

I prefer to make my cranberry sauce at least a week ahead of serving it. That way, the orange, ginger, vanilla, and cinnamon all have a chance to leave their mark on the sauce. You can serve cranberry sauce hot or cold, but I recommend allowing it to hang out for a bit to give those flavors a chance to meld. 

Can I freeze leftover Cranberry Sauce?

You can freeze cranberry sauce for 3 months. To do so:

1. Allow the sauce to cool completely.
2. Transfer the sauce to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. 
3. Thaw the cranberry sauce in the fridge.
4. Just before serving, stir the sauce well. 

What do I do with leftover Cranberry Sauce?

If you want a serving option that isn’t as an accompaniment for dinner, try serving your leftover cranberry sauce with one of these recipes:

• Holiday Leftovers Breakfast Casserole

• Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

• Classic Cheesecake with Graham Cracker Crust

No matter your stance on canned vs. homemade cranberry sauce, after tasting this one, I’m sure you’ll admit that it’s pretty amazing. Let me know in the comments below if you’re team canned or team homemade. Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later.

Boozy Spiced Cranberry Sauce

Marta Rivera at Sense & Edibility

5 from 81 votes

Use fresh or frozen cranberries in this quick accompaniment for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Servings: 12

Print Pin Recipe SaveSaved!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Equipment

• 4-quart pot
• wooden spoon

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 12-ounce bags (680 grams) cranberries (or frozen, thawed cranberries), rinsed and picked through
• 1 1/2 cup, packed (300 grams) dark brown sugar plus more to taste
• 1 1/2 cups (375 milliliters) orange juice (3 large navel oranges)
• 4" piece orange peel from 1 medium orange
• 3/4 cup (188 milliliters) bourbon
• 3 cinnamon sticks or 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground cinnamon (omit if you're not using cinnamon sticks)
• 1" piece ginger sliced into 1/4" (7mm) thick coins
• 1 3-inch sprig rosemary
• 1 vanilla bean split and scraped (or 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions 

• To a 4-quart saucepan, add the cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice and peel, bourbon, cinnamon sticks, ground cinnamon, sliced ginger, rosemary sprig, scraped vanilla bean and its seeds, and the salt.

  Stir and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat.
• After 5-6 minutes, you will start to hear the berries burst.

  After you hear about 10 cranberries pop, use the back of a large wooden spoon to gently smash some of the berry mixture. Don't smash all of the berries, leave about 1/2 of them whole.
• Continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberry sauce is moderately thick. It should have the consistency of loose oatmeal. 

  Remove the sauce from the heat and spoon it into a glass or plastic storage container. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Just before serving, remove the whole spices and spoon into a serving bowl.

Notes

Swaps and Substitutions:

• Maple syrup, granulated sugar, or honey may be substituted for the brown sugar. 
• You can reduce the amount of brown sugar in this recipe to 1 cup, or replace the brown sugar with your preferred sugar substitute. Any decrease in the amount of sugar may make your cranberry sauce taste tart. 
• Bourbons like Knob Creek, Maker's Mark, or Basil Hayden are those I recommend. 
• You can omit the bourbon from this recipe. Replace it with more orange juice, apple cider, or plain water.
• If you drink but aren't a fan of bourbon, you can use whiskey, dark rum, or even an añejo or reposado tequila. Same amounts.
• If you're not a fan of rosemary, replace it with sage or thyme.
• You can omit the ginger.
• Replace the cinnamon with a 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. 

Tips and Tricks:

• To use frozen cranberries add them to the pot while still frozen. Add 5 minutes of simmering on low at the end of cooking time. 
• If your cranberry sauce isn't thickening, it may be that you haven't smashed enough of the berries to release the pectin. Press more berries to correct this.
• If you smashed a good amount of cranberries, you just need to cook the sauce for another 5-10 minutes to activate that pectin. 
• Store the sauce with the whole peels, ginger coins, rosemary, spices, and vanilla. Just before serving, remove and discard all of those large pieces and serve. 

Keto Cranberry Sauce:

To convert this recipe to a keto-friendly cranberry sauce, omit the brown sugar and use 1 1/2 cups of erythritol and 2 1/2 teaspoons of molasses. You also need to omit the orange juice. Replace it with water. You can still use the orange peel, though. 

Prepare as instructed above. 

Storage Instructions:

• Store cranberry sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Just make sure you keep it refrigerated when you're done serving it. 

Freezer Instructions: 

1. Allow the sauce to cool completely.
2. Transfer the sauce to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. 
3. Thaw the cranberry sauce in the fridge.
4. Just before serving, stir the sauce well. 

Nutrition

Calories: 177kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 107mgPotassium: 137mgFiber: 1gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 82IUVitamin C: 20mgCalcium: 48mgIron: 1mg

Course Accompaniments

Cuisine North American

Keyword cranberry

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