Even though we serve this alongside Thanksgiving Turkey, it's great on anything, even on a sandwich with chicken or turkey.
The alcohol burns off but leaves that sweet and tart flavors and brings out all those delicious flavors in these cranberries of fall.
Even if you're not a fan of using alcohol it's fine, just substitute apple juice.
If you're not a fan of Amaretto use any kind of bourbon, rum or other nut liqueurs you have like Frangelico.
If you love using fresh cranberries, make sure you try my cranberry almond biscotti, oatmeal white chocolate cranberry cookies, and cranberry orange muffins!
Everyone will ask you for this recipe just scroll to the bottom for our printable recipe card!
Easy Cranberry Sauce
Holiday time is sharing unique and homemade delicious traditions like this one, you can't beat homemade cranberry sauce compared to a canned product.
Making it homemade is so fresh, flavorful, and compared to store-bought the taste and texture is 100 times better than the canned stuff.
Try it once, it's so easy to make I promise and all your cranberry fans will love this recipe.
Tips:
- If you can't find fresh you can use frozen berries since they are available all year.
- Make sure you grease the casserole
- You can add the zest of orange if you prefer that flavor and orange juice
- Any kinds of liquors you prefer over Amaretto is fine, even bourbons or rum
- Lemon lovers can substitute lemon or lime also
- This can be made ahead of time, just cool to room temperature and refrigerate until you have your big feast
- You never want to overcook cranberry sauce, because the sugar will caramelize and burn. You will want to cook the cranberries until they have almost all burst and thickens so keep an eye on it.
- Lower the heat to 325 degrees if this looks like it starting to burn or caramelize remember to remove the cover
Quick and Easy
During the holidays I like things to be super special that I don't do all year.
Seriously, this somewhat cranberry sauce relish-style side dish is super special and just that.
Making it from scratch is really easy and it goes into the oven so you don't even stand over a stovetop.
The Syrup
As this bakes it makes a syrup.
The alcohol is poured into this dish at the end.
If you have kids eating, I substitute almond syrup.
This is a sweet side dish, you may want to add more lemon zest after you taste it and omit the 1/4 cup sugar if you have kids at the table and not using the alcohol.
My rules of thumb are to bake for 55 minutes and see if it's a thick sauce and berries are slightly bursting.
Keep baking until it is the desired thickness just watch it doesn't start to burn, it can take longer depending on the ingredients and amount of water versus apple juice or other substitutes you are using.
Delicious
This relish-style cranberry sauce is perfect for leftovers in your turkey club sandwich.
Just build the sandwich with turkey, lettuce some cripsy bacon and slather on this delightful sweet Amaretto relish along with some mayo on your favorite kind of bread.
Suggestions:
- Serve with Turkey, Ham or Roasted Chicken
- Great on deli meats sandwiches
- You can cut the recipe in half if it's dinner for two
- Zest and apple juice will make it less sweet
- Keep refrigerated at all times
- The cranberry sauce/relish tastes the best at room temperature take it out around 1 hour before serving.
- Remember you can use any juices and even cranberry juice instead of water is a great substitute
- Lastly, you can if you love nuts sprinkle the top with roasted sliced almonds tinted green!
More Recipes We Love:
Best Side Dishes
Cranberry Brussels Sprouts Prize Winning Recipe
Cranberry Brownie Blondie Bars
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Year after Year
Seriously this is a delicious easy recipe that I make year after year.
I love using different juices as I suggested and have tried pure cranberry juice as the liquid, though you can certainly use orange, apple, or any of the other cranberry juice.
Give it a try and make something special for your holiday, and adapt this recipe any way you like!
Just remember to bake it until that sugary sweet syrup thickens!
Homemade Amaretto Cranberry Sauce
Yield: 8
prep time: 10 Mcook time: 55 Mtotal time: 65 M
This is a delicious fresh cranberry sauce with a touch of Amaretto. The perfect blend of flavors for any holiday or poultry meal.
ingredients:
- 1 (12- ounce) bag cranberries, fresh (washed )
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 cup apple juice
- 1/2 cup water, lemon juice, orange juice or lime
- 1/4 cup Amaretto at the end up to 1/2 cup to taste (if kids are eating just omit alcohol) you can use an almond syrup as a substitute.
- optional 1 teaspoons zest of orange lemon or lime
instructions:
How to cook Homemade Fresh Cranberry Sauce
- Combine the cranberries, sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest in a light oil sprayed small baking dish and cover.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake for about 45 to 55 minutes depending on how much liquid and the kind you've added.
- Remove the cover and stir to melt sugar, then stir to make sure sugar is well dissolved.
- Return the dish to the oven and bake for about 5 to 10 more minutes, or until the cranberries are soft and surrounded by a thickened sugary sauce.
- Remove the dish from the oven and quickly stir in the Amaretto, to taste I usually use more depending on how thick you like it but I use up to a 1/2 cup.
- Let the dish completely cool.
- Put into the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour before serving.
- This relish can be made ahead of time as it will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator.
Calories
110
110
Fat (grams)
0
0
Net carbs
19
19
Sugar (grams)
20
20
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Some Other Recipes We Love with Cranberries
Cranberry Almond Biscotti
Oatmeal White chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2010. It was edited and re-published in 2019.