This is the most delicious and easiest recipe for cranberry jelly or preserves you’ll ever encounter. My uncle loves cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving and I wanted to see if I could get him to eat the real thing, not the jelly that comes from a can. It just looks too unappetizing…
I can’t remember well where I saw this recipe, but I have tried a Cranberry Chutney from Martha Stewart which called for orange juice and orange rind, and while it was delicious, the orange rind made it quite bitter for my taste. This recipe is sooooooo easy that you’ll be able to recite it to your friends when the rave about how delicious this is.
I also learned yesterday this might also be called Cranberry Butter… however you prefer to name it, please make it and enjoy.
CRANBERRY PRESERVES
1 bag of fresh cranberries 1 cup apple juice 1 cup brown sugar
- Wash the cranberries. Go thru them and throw away all the ones that have gone soft.
- Place all ingredients in a large heavy saucepan.
- Bring mixture to a boil. I cover it so it comes to a boil faster, but watch it, as it can boil over. After it starts boiling, uncover, reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- The cranberries will begin to pop on their own. Stir it every few minutes, and as you stir, pop the cranberries that might be still whole. It’s the pectin inside the cranberries that helps the sauce thicken.
- After the cranberries are cooked. Remove from heat and let cool. Be careful, the mixture is VERY HOT and will burn you.
- Transfer to smaller jars or plastic bowls.
You can have this cranberry preserves with crackers as a jam, in a sandwich, as accompaniment to mashed sweet potatoes and even as a topping for ice cream. It’s so versatile and soooooo easy.
Hope you make it this Holiday season.
KarmaFree Cooking 
BRILLIANT!!!! DELICIOUS!!!! I must inform everyone!!
I’m thinking about making this for holiday gift baskets. How do you store it? Must it be refrigerated or jarred in a particular way? Thanks
When I have done these preserves for gifts I stored it in disposable ziploc containers and in recycled glass jars. I clean the jars and tops well, but I do not can them officially. I have never sealed the lids or anything like that.
I let it cool before I divide it into the gift servings. Then I keep it in the fridge. It usually keeps very well in the fridge… although it’s so good, it usually get eaten very quickly.
Hope you have a good time making these…
It sounds delicious! How much does it make?
Catherine… you know? I’ve never really measured it, but my initial estimate, if you make the whole recipe using 1 bag of cranberries, would be about 24oz… about 3 cups of preserves. Good luck… and keep visiting us.
These cranberry preserves look so easy and so delicious! I usually shy away from jam and jelly stuff, just because it can be such an undertaking, but your version sounds too good to resist. I’d love to give this recipe a try during the holidays.
This is also good made with orange juice.
Do you remember how many ounces the bag of cranberries was? Looks delicious. I have some fresh cranberries that I would love use to make this. I was planning to use something like this to make a pastry-wrapped baked brie for Thanksgiving.
I think those standsard bags of cranberries are about 12 ounces. If I am not mistaken, about 3-4 cups of cranberries. Funny you should mention the pastry warpped brie with cramberry preserves because I was discussing something very similar last night over dinner. Check out my version of Brie en Croute using guava jelly, but certainly cranberry preserves will work beautifully!!!! Good luck!!!
Brie sounds wonderful. Last year I got a jar of cranberry chutney in one of those gift baskets and I served it over a block of cream cheese with crackers. Quick and easy for unexpected guests over the holidays. I want to try this homemade recipe this year – sounds delicious!
nice idea!!!! we do that, putting a sauce on top of a block of cream cheese, with my red bell pepper sauce… it’s delicious. Try it!!!
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Im going to make this recipe.I have always had can cranberry jelly and eat half the can myself at Xmas LOLOL never liked the whole cranberrys,but Im checking this out and
will comment tomorrow the results.
Oh I have read somewhere on the net you can add apple to it.Anyone heard of this before.
Hi Mae… I am sure you socould add some apples to it. I added pineapple and guava last year and it was wonderful!!!! looking forward to your review!!!
Hi,This is Mae I have made this Cranberry sauce and lord have mercy absolutly amazing.Im getting ready to make somemore
tonight so I don’t run out lolol UMMMM I just thought a spoonful of this would be good in homeade smoothies.I also put in some allspice,cloves,nutmegin the cranberries.
Love this site I have book marked it.
i’m so glad you enjoyed our recipe… and that KarmaFree Cooking is one of your favorite sites. Tell your friends about it too. we would love to hear from them too. Feliz Navidad and Happy Holidays!!!
How many cups of cranberries are in 1 bag & how much does this recipe yield?
The typical bag of cranberries from Ocean Spray I buy has 12oz. So if 1 cup = 8oz., a bag has about 1 1/2 cups of cranberries. But to be honest, I have never measured them to see how many actual cups it has. In terms of how much it yields… again, I haven’t measured the finished product. But I would estimate that it would yield about 3-4 cups of finished cranberry sauce. But, rest assured that the next time I make it, I will measure the fresh cranberries and the finished product to answer this question more accurately. Thanks. Madelyn.
Define “bag,” please. The market I just bought them from had two sizes: 8 and 24 ounces. Since it’s just immediate household for me this year, I bought the 8.
Yes!!! 8oz is the average size of a bag of cranberries.
Very true… my bags are usually between 8-12oz.