Homemade Cranberry Sauce

vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, grain-free

Adapted from a recipe on Wellness Mama

I grew up eating the gelatinous canned kind of cranberry sauce, which I absolutely adored as a kid. Now, I'm always looking for ways to cut back on added sugar, so I love that this recipe features fruit juices to balance the tartness of the cranberries. Feel free to add additional sweetener, one tablespoon at a time to sweeten to your liking. 

Serves: 6-8 / Prep time: 30 min / Total time: 4 hours 30 min

Ingredients:​​

• 24 oz fresh cranberries
• ¾ cup pineapple juice or orange juice
• ½ cup applesauce
• ½ cup water
• juice and zest of one orange
• 3-8 TBSP sugar or maple syrup, to taste*

Directions:

1. Put cranberries, pineapple juice, applesauce and water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce to medium heat and stir constantly until the cranberries start to explode (about 10-15 minutes - see photos in notes)
3. Reduce to a simmer and add the orange juice and zest to the cranberry mixture. Taste and add sweetener to your liking.
4. Simmer 10-15 minutes and remove from heat.
5. Cool completely and store in fridge at least 4 hours but preferably overnight before serving.

*This is not as sweet as a traditional cranberry sauce, so feel free to add more sweetener as needed.

At start of cooking time

After cranberries start to explode and sauce starts to thicken

Goes great with other holiday dishes like Tempeh-Mushroom Wellington and Festive Kale Salad with Sweet Apple Cinnamon Vinaigrette & Pecan Parmesan