How to Upgrade Canned Cranberry Sauce (2024)

Cranberry sauce is a condiment we tend to ignore for most of the year then scramble to make appealing for holiday meals. We've developed and tested recipes for cranberry sauces of every ilk, with flavors from licorice to mustard. Along the way, we've learned that cranberry sauce inspires strong opinions, even if it's sometimes an afterthought in the context of the full spread. Traditionalists turn up their noses at sauces enhanced with frippery like fresh ginger, blood orange zest, or habanero peppers, while hardcore foodies try to stay sane when they hear the slorping squelch of a ribbed cylinder of jellied sauce slide out of the can.

But canned cranberry sauce shouldn't be the culinary pariah of your holiday table. There is much to be gained by embracing the ease that canned cranberry sauce offers. It might be a last-minute salvage for a homemade batch that burnt on the stove. It can be the perfect way for a non-cook to fulfill their potluck assignment. Or maybe reaching for a can of cranberry sauce instead of turning on your stove can be considered an act of self-care, taking one task off your massive holiday to-do list. Sometimes, a can of cranberry sauce is a magical thing to have on hand.

The ability to enhance canned cranberry sauce with a few simple add-ins means you've beat back the pressure of holiday entertaining, hitting the sweet spot of delicious cranberry sauce with minimal fuss. Here are some of our favorite ways to take a can of cranberries from basic to boss with just a few easy additions.

Spike cranberry sauce with citrus

As it turns out, tart citrus and tart cranberries are best pals, and adding some citrus to your canned cranberry sauce is an easy way to upgrade it. Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor. If you are using the jellied style of sauce, slice or cube it, then layer or mix it with some sliced fresh kumquat or tangerine.

Add a hint of spice

Boosting your cranberry sauce can be as simple as bringing the heat. A freshly minced serrano pepper, a dash or two of your favorite hot sauce can do wonders for your sauce. Or add a sprinkle of mustard powder, garam masala, or vadouvan to wake up your palate. Try stirring in a generous spoonful of chile crisp, which will add heat, crunch, and salt for a result that will totally flip the script on canned sauce. If you have a tough time with spicy, think about using a pinch of a fruity and mildly spicy dried pepper like Aleppo or Espelette, or gentle warming spices like clove, allspice, mace, and nutmeg.

Give it some spirit

Spirits are a wonderful addition to cranberry sauce, but remember that a little goes a long way. Go with spirits and fortified wines used to make other sauces, and start with port, sherry, madeira, marsala, sweet vermouth, or even bourbon. Add it to your sauce a teaspoon at a time until you get the flavor you want. If you are concerned about serving alcohol, after adding the liquor you can warm the sauce over medium heat until it bubbles and burns off the alcohol.

Add some crunch

One of the things about holiday meals is that they are often lacking in texture. Adding some crunch to your cranberry sauce can bring an extra element to your plate that might be missing. From toasted pine nuts to chopped pecans, candied walnuts or roasted marcona almonds, stirring in a bit of crunch or adding as a garnish will bring some excitement to your sauce.

Incorporate botanicals

A drop or two of rosewater or orange blossom water, a pinch of dried lavender buds, a sprinkle of fresh minced mint, tarragon, or cilantro; some fresh ginger or galangal or lemongrass; use a judicious hand to bring these fresh flavors into your canned sauce.

Top with dried or fresh fruits

Dried fruit in your cranberry sauce adds a different fruity note and another texture that can be a welcome addition and adding other fresh fruit can bring in brightness. Sure, you can go all meta with some dried cranberries or sliced fresh raw cranberries, but I also like to think about complementary flavors — dried cherries, dried mulberries, golden raisins, chopped apricots. All work great with cranberry sauce. Fresh fruit like pomegranate arils, diced Asian pear, and tart apples would be a welcome addition.

How to Upgrade Canned Cranberry Sauce (2024)

FAQs

How to Upgrade Canned Cranberry Sauce? ›

You open the can, slide the contents onto a plate, and either slice it into neat rounds, or break it into chunks to serve it. I have known people to eat it with a spoon straught out of the jar. Some people arrange round slices of cranberry sauce on lettuce leaves and top them with mandarin oranges from a can.

How do you improve cranberry sauce from a can? ›

Stir-in one (or more) of the following add-ins to one can of whole or jellied cranberry sauce:
  1. 2 Tbsp. of orange juice plus 1 tsp. of finely grated orange peel.
  2. ½ can of mandarin oranges.
  3. ½ cup pineapple.
  4. ½ tsp. cinnamon.
  5. ½ cup chopped dried apricots.
  6. ½ cup toasted pecans.
  7. 2 Tbsp. Zinfandel Wine.
Aug 11, 2022

How do you serve jellied cranberry sauce from a can? ›

You open the can, slide the contents onto a plate, and either slice it into neat rounds, or break it into chunks to serve it. I have known people to eat it with a spoon straught out of the jar. Some people arrange round slices of cranberry sauce on lettuce leaves and top them with mandarin oranges from a can.

What role do sugar and water play in making cranberry sauce? ›

Instead, the pectin polymers will bind to each other, giving the cranberry mixture more and more structure. The sweet sugar-water molecules get trapped in between the pectin chains, resulting in a tasty cranberry sauce!

Should you chill canned cranberry sauce? ›

Cranberry sauce is best served at room temperature or slightly chilled.

How do you enhance canned sauce? ›

Spice It Up. Adding fresh herbs to your canned pasta sauce makes it taste like it came straight from the garden. While the pre-made sauce may already include some herbs, adding your own will help enhance those flavors. Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level.

How do you cut the tartness out of cranberry sauce? ›

In lieu of granulated sugar, try genuine maple syrup. It's already liquid so it will stir right into the cranberry sauce, lending it a gentle sweetness. If you don't have maple syrup (pancake syrup WILL NOT do, y'all), try honey or a more neutral sweetener like agave syrup, brown rice syrup, or even simple syrup.

What is the difference between cranberry sauce and jellied cranberry sauce? ›

Cranberry sauce can be served either as a gooey liquid or as a solid jelly. The jellied version is solid enough to retain the shape of the container in which it's placed whereas the sauce version is much more fluid.

How long does jellied cranberry sauce last once opened? ›

Prior to opening, cranberry sauce can be stored at room temperature or the refrigerator. After opening, remove from the can and store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. We do not recommend freezing cranberry sauce, as after thawing, it may become too watery.

Can you freeze leftover canned jellied cranberry sauce? ›

Unlike its homemade counterpart, canned cranberry sauce doesn't freeze or defrost very well. The jellied texture changes after freezing, becoming more watery. Even the leading authority on canned cranberry sauce, Ocean Spray, agrees that freezing canned cranberry sauce is not recommended.

How do you spice up Ocean Spray cranberry sauce? ›

Spike cranberry sauce with citrus

Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.

Why is the label upside down on a can of cranberry sauce? ›

But why? Ocean Spray says this is to get the cranberry sauce out in one intact piece. “The rounded part of the can that looks like the bottom has an air bubble in it,” Ocean Spray's representative explains. The bubble is there so you can “break the seal the sauce makes with the can.”

What thickens cranberry sauce? ›

Jelling. Homemade cranberry sauce is meant to thicken, or “jell,” while cooking. If it stays soupy, that could mean a couple of things. One possibility is that you may not have used enough sugar: Sugar helps the sauce firm up, so be sure to use the full amount called for in a recipe.

How to jazz up cranberry sauce from a can? ›

Canned cranberry sauce is delicious on its own, but there are ways you can dress it up for any meal. Adding fruits like oranges or berries brings different flavors and acidity to the sauce. Folding in crushed nuts at the end adds texture variety.

How to serve canned jellied cranberry sauce? ›

The traditional way of serving jellied cranberry sauce is sliced into rounds. With the column set on its side, slice into ¼-inch thick rounds and then arrange the slices on a serving platter. Serve the slices plain, garnished as desired, or read on for easy upgrades.

How do you fix bland cranberry sauce? ›

Maple syrup, brown sugar and even honey can make your cranberry sauce more dynamic. And don't forget the spices! Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, citrus zest and star anise all work well with cranberries and can be added while the sauce cooks to infuse your sauce with flavor.

Is canned cranberry sauce better than homemade? ›

While there are some editors who prefer homemade cranberry sauce, the canned variety also has quite a following. "There's something so beautifully perfect about the texture of canned cranberry sauce, and none of those homemade mess will ever compete," says Senior Digital Food Editor Kimberly Holland.

What can I add to cranberry juice to make it taste better? ›

Fresh Citrus: oranges and lemons add sweet and acid to balance the cranberries tartness.

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