This Slow Cooker Cranberry sauce is tart with a hint of citrus. The amount of sugar can be adjusted to suit individual tastes. Since it’s made in a slow cooker, this cranberry sauce is an easy ‘set it and forget it’ Thanksgiving Day side dish.
Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
You guys are going to think I’m crazy when I admit this… but I really love the jellied cranberry sauce. You know the kind I’m talking about… the deep red, can-shaped, jello-esq kind.
It jiggles, it wiggles, it makes a weirdly satisfying gloopy plopping sound as it slides out of the can and hits the plate. As a kid, I shunned any cranberry sauce that had any kind of chunky berry in it.
Give me the canned jellied stuff all day err day.
Then I grew up and my tastes changed. I realized that whole berry cranberry stuff wasn’t so bad after all. And I also decided homemade whole berry cranberry sauce trumps the canned stuff.
Growing up, we always had the canned whole berry cranberry sauce, the jellied cranberry sauce, and a homemade whole berry sauce, and cranberry relish with orange. Now, we stick with the homemade, cranberry relish, and a can of jellied sauce for our Thanksgiving Day spread.
Yes, I still eat the jellied kind. There’s a special place for it right next to the homemade version. I feel like I’d be excluding an old friend. Or throwing out a favorite childhood memento if I no longer had the jellied cranberry sauce next to my turkey. So if you didn’t think I was crazy before, you probably most certainly do now. It’s cranberry sauce for crying out loud. To each their own, right?
Since the canned cranberry sauce is perfectly fine as is (for me), I wanted to make my own whole berry kind since I didn’t love the canned version of that. I’ve been making it on the stove top for a few years now but this year I wanted to test it out in the slow cooker.
You guys, this slow cooker cranberry sauce is so easy it’s not even funny. There are only a few ingredients and you just mix them together in your slow cooker, set it, forget it and it’s done.
Actually, don’t forget it. You don’t want to burn your cranberries. Yes they will burn. I actually did set it and forget it one day. I had a well-deserved nap calling my name. My cranberry sauce cooked an extra hour and a few of the berries that were touching the edges of the slow cooker burned.
So don’t be like me! Don’t literally forget about your cranberry sauce. Set your timer and enjoy!
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Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
This Slow Cooker Cranberry sauce is tart with a hint of citrus. The amount of sugar can be adjusted to suit individual tastes. Since it’s made in a slow cooker, this cranberry sauce is an easy ‘set it and forget it’ Thanksgiving Day side dish.
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3/4 - 1 cup granulated sugar (amount to taste)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- pinch of ground nutmeg, optional
- pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Rinse cranberries and remove any mushy, dried-up, or white cranberries.
- Add the cranberries and all of the remaining ingredients to a slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 3 hours.
- When cranberry sauce is cooked, use a spoon to mash up the berries a bit.
- Cool to room temperature, remove the cinnamon stick, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- The cranberry sauce will thicken slightly when chilled.
- This recipe can be doubled to serve a larger crowd.
- To make the cranberry sauce on the stovetop, add all ingredients to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes until the liquid has reduced, the cranberries have popped, and the sauce has thickend.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 80
Nutrition Facts are estimated and aren't always accurate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist if you have special dietary needs. Calories based on 10 servings.
Eva Watson
Thursday 5th of March 2020
i will made try it. it looks very beautiful.very good
Health and Beauty Facts
Friday 17th of January 2020
Thanks for sharing info. Keep up the good work...We hope you will visit our blog often as we discuss topics of interest to you
Paul @ Diet Blog Pro
Wednesday 13th of November 2019
i will made try it. it looks very beautiful.
Paul @ Diet Blog Pro
Saturday 19th of October 2019
slow cooker cranberry sauce so amazing.its colour attract. i made it and freeze .your recipes so yummy and easy.
taylor johnson
Friday 26th of April 2019
This sauce would be a perfect addition to an incredible Thanksgiving feast. Thanks for sharing.