Ready for the best cranberry sauce made from dried cranberries that is easy and healthy? We have tried this Spiced Cranberry Sauce with the Porcini Mushrooms Stuffing in warm Rosemary Christmas Bread Buns, and it is heaven! This gem is the best fresh cranberry sauce we have tried!
Although Cranberry Sauce is associated with Thanksgiving dinner and the holiday table, we crave them year-round. We use it for our breakfast fruit bowls and topping for porridge (warm oatmeal), just as we would use our applesauce.
It is also a staple on our Thanksgiving table, which consists of this lovely and citrusy cranberry sauce paired with our gluten-free cornbread recipe with bean vegan chili and pumpkin pie, made with a 5-minute pumpkin spice mix and the no-roll vegan pie crust.
If you love the fall season and all its yummy produce recipes, you may love our compilation of fall season recipes.
Jump to:
🧾 Ingredients
This healthy cranberry sauce has the right and simply spiced to make it perfectly suitable for all your guests, with a couple of secrets to make it memorable.
- Dried cranberries: They provide a concentrated burst of tart and sweet flavor, adding a vibrant taste and chewy texture to the cranberry sauce.
- Fresh ginger: It lends a warm and slightly spicy note to the sauce, balancing the sweetness and offering a subtle zing of flavor.
- Cinnamon stick: It infuses the sauce with a comforting and aromatic taste, complementing the cranberries and adding a hint of warmth.
- Nutmeg: It contributes a subtle and earthy flavor, enhancing the overall depth of the cranberry sauce without overpowering the other ingredients.
- Maple syrup: It acts as a natural sweetener, adding a rich and caramel-like sweetness to the sauce, balancing the tartness of the cranberries.
- Cloves: They provide a fragrant and slightly floral taste, adding complexity to the sauce and infusing it with warm and aromatic undertones.
Optionally, the two ingredients will take it to the NEXT LEVEL: English Breakfast Black tea and one clementine or one orange (use the orange juice and orange zest).
Making a healthy cranberry sauce is easy. We don't use white sugar or brown sugar. We replace it with maple syrup and use only spices, which a calorie-free. Then we use clementine or orange juice, more added natural sweetener power.
See quantities and complete instructions in the recipe card.
🔪 Instructions
Wondering how to make cranberry sauce from dried cranberries?
Suppose you don't have much time to make cranberry sauce; worry not! Making homemade cranberry sauce requires no experience to make an exceptional one. Start by:
Step 1. Hydrate the dried cranberries with a teabag of your preferred tea for five minutes (we like English breakfast tea). If not using tea, hydrate the cranberries using hot water.
Step 2. Simmer: In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries and their soaking liquid. Incorporate the juice and zest of the clementine or orange, along with the cinnamon sticks and cloves. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring now and then.
As the cranberries start to soften, mix in the grated ginger and a sprinkle of nutmeg. If the mixture thickens too much, feel free to add a bit more water.
Step 3. Sweeten: Now it's time to stir in the maple syrup (or agave) for a hint of natural sweetness. Let it simmer just a bit longer.
Before serving, remove the cinnamon sticks and cloves. And there you have it—a cranberry sauce that's as healthy as it is delectable, all whipped up in no time.
Who knew making homemade cranberry sauce could be so straightforward?
🍶 Substitutions
So you're ready to whip up some spiced cranberry sauce but missing an ingredient or two? No worries! Here's a handy list of substitutions to keep the culinary magic going. And yes, this recipe is already vegan, but let's explore some alternative options, shall we?
- Dried Cranberries:
- Swap with: Fresh cranberries + a sprinkle of sugar
- Why: Fresh cranberries will give you that tartness, and a little sugar can mimic the sweetness of dried ones.
- Fresh Ginger:
- Swap with: Ground ginger or ginger powder
- Why: It'll still bring that warm zing to the party, just use it sparingly as it's more concentrated.
- Cinnamon Stick:
- Swap with: Ground cinnamon
- Why: It's the same cozy flavor, just in a different form. Use about ¼ teaspoon for each cinnamon stick in the recipe.
- Nutmeg:
- Swap with: Allspice or mace
- Why: These spices offer a similar earthy kick without stealing the limelight from your cranberries.
- Maple Syrup:
- Swap with: Agave nectar or coconut sugar
- Why: They're also natural sweeteners that can balance out the tartness but offer slightly different flavor profiles.
- Cloves:
- Swap with: Allspice or cardamom
- Why: They'll still add that fragrant complexity we're after, just with a different twist.
Feel free to mix and match these substitutions based on what you've got in your pantry. Happy cooking! 🍲🌟
Pro Tip: If you're using any of these substitutions, make sure to taste as you go. Spices and sweeteners can be potent, so start small and adjust as needed.
📖 Variations
- Cranberries - If dried cranberries aren’t on hand, feel free to opt for fresh, frozen, or even the canned variety, which won’t require pre-soaking. Keep in mind, that fresh cranberries tend to be more tart, so you might want to tweak the sweetness to your taste.
- Citrus - While clementines add a delightful zest, orange juice is a great substitute for a cranberry-orange twist. Lemon juice also works wonders. Using orange peel is a smart move for its zest, which brings a deeper flavor dimension. Bottled orange juice is a quick alternative, and for a gourmet twist, a splash of orange liqueur or Grand Marnier can elevate the sauce, just be sure to add it early in the simmer to cook off the alcohol.
- Ginger - In the absence of fresh ginger, candied ginger is a fine stand-in, plumped up with dried cranberries. Ground ginger is another substitute; just season to taste.
- Spices - Feel free to experiment with spices. Swap out ginger and cinnamon sticks for two teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mix, checking the flavor as you go. This mix includes the key spices found in a pumpkin spice mix like cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, encapsulating all the warm notes you need.
Pro Tip: you can make cranberry sauce simply using cranberries, pumpkin spice, tea bag, and citrus. Voilà! That's the easiest way to make homemade cranberry sauce.
I like using fresh ingredients like freshly grated ginger, cinnamon sticks, and cloves for my cranberry sauce recipe, but sometimes you put convenience on top of nostalgia!
🫙 Storage
You can freeze cranberry sauce. This fresh cranberry sauce freezes and thaws perfectly well. Just leave it in the refrigerator overnight before using it.
If you have leftovers, you can add them to a sweet potato pudding, another great Thanksgiving recipe that will have everyone asking for more.
I like to use leftover cranberry sauce on top of my Homemade Granola Bowls and use it both on my Oats and Chia Pudding or Breakfast Fruit Bowl as an option when we run out of fresh fruit.
💡 Tips for using
Apart from enjoying this delicious sauce on Holidays, you can also enjoy it year-round.
Pair the Cranberry Sauce with some nice Vegan Bread Buns or in your morning breakfast fruit bowl.
Not only does it adds a beautiful flavor but some delicious spices to our mornings... and spices are great for our health!
📚 More Vegan Sauce Recipes
Our suggested Christmas vegan recipes
- Truffled Mashed Potatoes
- Green Beans with Flaked Toasted Almonds
- vegan vegetable casserole
- stuffed onions
- Christmas Rosemary Bread Buns
If you try this dried cranberry sauce recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #ourplantbasedworld on Instagram. Cheers!
📋 Recipe
Spiced Cranberry Sauce made with dried Cranberries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup cranberries dried
- 5 cloves
- 3 tablespoons maple syrup or agave syrup
- 3 sticks cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg ground
- ½ teaspoon ginger grated
Optional (and recommended):
- 1 tea bag ginger or cinnamon tea
- 1 clementine or orange
Directions
- Hydrate. Place the dry cranberries in a bowl with 1 cup of hot water and a teabag for 5 minutes.
- Heat a pan and add the cranberries with its water.
- Season. If using the clementine, add the freshly squeezed juice and cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Cook, stirring regularly for around 5 minutes.
- Add the ginger. Once the cranberries start to wilt, add the nutmeg and simmer further. You can add water if the cranberries are drying too much.
- Add sweetener. Next, add the maple syrup and taste. Cranberries are sour, and you want to get the sweet just right. You may want to add more syrup.
- Simmer. Continue to simmer; at this stage, it should look more like a cranberry jam.
- Remove the cinnamon sticks and the cloves.
- Store. You can add to a jar, cool down, and store it in the fridge for later, or serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Nutritional Disclaimer
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our full Nutritional Disclosure here.
Affiliate Disclaimer
Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links, and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I recommend all of the products listed because they are companies I have found helpful and trustworthy.
Jessica says
I will never buy store-bought again!