When I was living in the country of Georgia, there wasn’t a fresh cranberry in sight but dried were readily available. Cranberry sauce is one of my favourite Thanksgiving trimmings and I felt like it was a necessary dish for the dinner I was making for our friends there. That’s when I had to come up with a way to make this iconic sauce from dried cranberries!
Whether you’re in a similar situation that I was then – living in an area where fresh cranberries aren’t available – or fresh or frozen cranberries are sold out at the shop and Thanksgiving is tomorrow, this method leaves very little to be desired.
Personally, I think it gets both the flavour and consistency right and it’s not too difficult to make. I also infuse it with lots of warm spices – but feel free to leave those out if you don’t have them on hand.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce Using Dried Cranberries
There is no need to soak the dried cranberries before making this recipe – they get plenty plump as they simmer on the stovetop.
The entire recipe is compiled in one pot, so it also saves on some dishes – always a win when you’re preparing a big meal!
Start by adding your dried cranberries to a small saucepan – keep in mind that they do expand as they cook so it may not look like a lot at first, but it makes plenty of sauce.
To the cranberries, also grate in some orange zest and add in the juice of that orange. Cranberries and oranges go great together, however, I also have a recipe for cranberry sauce without orange juice for those who prefer to leave out the citrus (it does use fresh cranberries, however).
Also, add in some brown sugar and a bit of maple syrup. Both of these add a more robust flavour than simply using white sugar. But if all you have on hand is white sugar, then use an equal amount of that (you can leave out the maple, if necessary).
Finally, to add a little something extra, I like to toss in a bit of fresh ginger, a cinnamon stick and some cardamom pods. This is optional, but I do think it adds a really nice extra touch to the finished sauce.
Pour over a bit of cool water and set the pan over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to bubble away – uncovered – for about 15 minutes.
Once the cranberries are plump and the liquid is thick and syrupy, take a stick blender and puree about a quarter of the mixture. This mimics the texture of cranberry sauce made from fresh cranberries a bit more accurately.
You can also ladle about a quarter of the mixture into a standard blender and puree until smooth before stirring it back into the sauce. But this does dirty more dishes! You can also skip this step if you don’t have a blender – or don’t want to use one!
To finish up the sauce, make a slurry with some cornstarch (aka cornflour) and pour it into the sauce.
Allow the sauce to simmer and thicken a little bit before stirring in a bit of balsamic vinegar to add a some more tartness that mimics fresh cranberries.
Let the sauce cool to at least room temperature before serving, but it also lasts for a long time in an airtight container in the fridge, so it’s something that can be made in advance.
Cranberry Sauce from Dried Cranberries (Craisins)
Ingredients
- 200 g (2 cups) sweetened dried cranberries
- 100 g (½ cup) light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 navel orange zest & juice
- 10 g (0.35 oz) ginger cut into a single slice, optional
- 3 green cardamom pods optional
- 1 cinnamon stick optional
- 10 g (2 tbsp) cornstarch/cornflour
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- To a small saucepan, add the cranberries, brown sugar, maple syrup, orange zest and juice and the ginger, cardamom and cinnamon if using. Cover with 375ml (1½ cups) of water.
- Set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the cranberries are plump and tender and the mixture is syrupy – about 15 minutes.
- Using a stick blender, blend about ¼ of the cranberries to break them down slightly (see notes).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 60ml (¼ cup) until well combined. Stream the slurry into the sauce and stir to combine.
- Allow the cranberry sauce to simmer for about 5 more minutes, just until the sauce is thick and viscous. Stir in the balsamic vinegar. Remove from the heat and allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is automatically generated and provided as guidance only. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
And that’s all there is to using dried cranberries to make a delicious cranberry sauce! This will be right at home alongside all of your holiday favourites.
Are you looking for a great recipe for cranberry sauce? Have any questions? Let me know in the comments!
