Easy Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce Canning Recipe
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Oceanspray jellied cranberry sauce got nuthin’ on this cranberry sauce. I know, I know. It’s kinda fun to schloooooop the canned stuff outta the can and giggle cause it held its shape perfectly, but honestly, it really isn’t that good outside of the novel jiggle and wiggle. Plus… high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup are major ingredients in those store-bought versions and quite frankly, I’d like to avoid that. And it’s all one note flavor. Why not mix it up and make a more deliciously refreshing cranberry sauce with the combination of cranberries, sweet oranges, and some pineapple juice? You definitely should, and I got you a recipe here with simple ingredients to make a small batch to have homemade cranberry sauce on your shelf waiting for you when the hankering hits. Not just for Thanksgiving and holiday season anymore, even if it is the perfect accompaniment to an oven roasted Thanksgiving turkey! The acidity of the pineapple juice coaxes the natural pectin out of the citrus and cranberries and creates the best cranberry sauce that is thick and gelled perfectly and oh so goooooood.
Purchasing Cranberries
I know most of you, like myself, probably don’t own a cranberry bog (BUMMER) so we’re dependent on the stores to get some cranberries. Lucky for us, if we watch the store ads, most sell them for a steal around the beginning of November-ish since they seem to be a Thanksgiving staple. The use them as a loss to bring in people to buy them and then sucker them into spending more money. Little beknownst to them, little crazy ole me will walk right in to buy an obscene amount of cranberries for little to nothing and will leave with just that. I get some looks somedays. BUT if you plan your shopping trips around sales and those sales, you can really get a lot of goodies canned up for quite a good deal. Around here, both Aldi & Meijer run deals like this and I have a few friends who are as insane as I am about cranberries and we usually call one another to let them know we found cheap cranberries. Find you some friends like that. They’re invaluable!
This recipe can be used as a fresh cranberry sauce, canned for later, or a little of both. Other ways to use cranberries that I enjoy are:
If you’re sporting the Master Food Preserver title and are croaking over the lack of TeStInG this exact recipe has, move along. This recipe is far low enough in acidity that ye ole botulinum ain’t gonna thrive. So go on, gittttt. I suppose this recipe could be considered rebel canning because this exact recipe was not tested by people who don’t care about us, but rather I make it and others have made it and enjoy it. So, science. And as your self appointed Master Food Preserver, because let’s be honest, I know more than most of those people sporting that title, this recipe is perfectly safe to can and consume. NOW. If you personally are not comfortable canning a recipe that has not been tested by the NCHFP, then please don’t use this recipe. It’s really that simple. And there’s no shame in wanting to follow a tested recipe. In fact, please do. Because at the end of the day I don’t want you to can something you’re afraid to eat. That’s a waste of your time and money, so don’t do that!
Let’s make our own cranberry sauce!
Equipment You Might Want:
- Medium Stock Pot
- Wooden Spoon
- Ladle
- Pint or half-pint jars for canning
- Canning lids & bands
- Jar funnel
- Jar lifter
- Steam canner
- Water bath canning pot
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw unrefined sugar (or white sugar)
- 4 cups pineapple juice
- 8 cups of fresh cranberries
- 2 small oranges
Step 1: Prep
Rinse whole cranberries under cool water and place in a mesh strainer to drain.
Wash oranges with cool water. Slice thinly using a mandolin or a very sharp knife.
Step 2: Cook
To a medium stock pot (about 5 quart sized), add sugar and pineapple juice.
Over medium heat, bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently to dissolve sugar and prevent burning. Allow mixture to boil for about 5 minutes to create your sugar syrup.
Add cranberries (whole berries) and oranges to the pot. Stirring frequently, bring mixture back to a boil. Boil mixture until it sheets off a metal spoon. This takes around 15 minutes. If you don’t know what sheeting is, look for the sauce to stop dripping and rather come off the spoon in one big glob, known as sheeting.
Step 3: Canning
Wash jars and canning lids in hot soapy water. Rinse well and set aside.
Ladle hot cranberry sauce into pint jars to 1/2 inch headspace, removing air bubbles, and adding more sauce if needed to maintain headspace. Make sure you save any leftover cranberry sauce for snackin’ while the canner is heating. You’re going to want some!
Wipe jar rims thoroughly with a clean cloth or dampened clean paper towel, add a lid and secure with a screw band.
Process jars in a steam canner or water bath canner for 15 minutes, adjusting time for altitude if needed.
Once processing time is complete, shut off heat and remove canner lid and allow jars to cool for 10-15 minutes before removing completely to a heat proof surface lined with a towel. Allow jars to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
Step 4: Storing
Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.
Shelf life is ’til you eat it. Aim to use canned goods within 2 years for best nutritional value and flavor, but they last far longer if needed. I still have a few jars from 2019 and I just ate one!
Any jars that did not seal can be heated and reprocessed but it’s better just to put it in the fridge and eat it soon. Twist my arm why dontchyah. You can also store this fresh made cooled sauce in an airtight container in the fridge to consume soon at the Thanksgiving table or Christmas dinner if you don’t want to can it.
Notes:
Sugar amount can be adjusted to your taste and you can use more or less sugar based on the tartness of the cranberries. You can sub pure maple syrup or even honey, but don’t expect to get the same flavor or results than if you’d follow my recipe.
If you don’t want to use pineapple juice, you can absolutely sub in 3 cup of fresh orange juice. Just don’t expect to have the exact same flavor profile as I get with mine. It’ll still be good though!
If you’d like this to have a spiced flavor, feel free to add a cinnamon stick or two to the sugar & pineapple juice mixture while it boils.
I hope you enjoy this homemade cranberry orange sauce!
Equipment
- Medium stock pot
- wooden spoon
- ladle
- Pint jars for canning
- canning lids & bands
- jar lifter
Ingredients
- 3 cups raw unrefined sugar or white sugar
- 4 cups pineapple juice
- 8 cups of fresh cranberries
- 2 small oranges
Instructions
- In a 5 quart or larger stainless stockpot or dutch oven, add sugar & juice. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to medium low and continue to boil for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Rinse cranberries and drain. Rinse oranges and slice thin with a mandolin or sharp knife. You may leave them in slices or half or quarter the slices.
- Add cranberries and oranges to boiling pot.
- Stirring frequently, bring mixture back to a boil and boil hard for about 15 minutes, or until mixture is thickened and sheets off a metal spoon.
- Ladle into prepared pint jars. Wipe rims and add lids and bands.
- Process in a boiling water bath or steam canner for 15 minutes, adjusting time for elevation if needed.
- After time is up, turn off heat and remove lid and allow jars to sit in water for 15 minutes before removing from pot and setting aside to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.
- Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, label, and store in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.
- Shelf life is ’til you eat it. Aim to use canned goods within 2 years for best nutritional value and flavor, but they last far longer if needed. I still have a few jars from 2019 and I just ate one!
- Any jars that did not seal can be heated and reprocessed but it’s better just to put it in the fridge and eat it soon.
Do you use naval oranges?
yes, those work!