Canning Cranberry Sauce
Canning Cranberry Sauce is incredibly easy and a great way to preserve your cranberries. Step-by-step canning instructions included.
You can can both jellied cranberry sauce and whole berry cranberry sauce.
It’s the perfect side dish for turkey or chicken and pretty much requisite for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner. It’s also great in desserts, sauces and more. Try it with your next pork roast for a change of pace.
Why should you can your own cranberry sauce at home?
- Make in advance – Cooking for the holidays can be very stressful. There is so much to do to get dinner on the table. Having the sauce on hand means that it is one less thing you have to do when you are busy preparing your holiday meals.
- The taste is far superior to the stuff you buy in cans.
- It’s incredibly easy. It only takes about 15 minutes to cook and another 15 minutes to preserve it.
- It’s great in so many other recipes. See below section for uses.
New to canning? Don’t miss our complete step by step guide to canning.
What you need
- cranberries – fresh cranberries or frozen.
- water – you can substitute part of the water with fruit juice. We like to use orange juice.
- sugar – white or brown sugar, turbinado or demerara sugar
Optional ingredients
- orange zest or lemon zest
- fine diced apples
- various spices, such as; ginger
- cinnamon sticks
- cloves
- allspice
- star anise
- rosemary
- pinch of salt
- orange juice – measure the orange juice and water together to make the one cup of water that you need for the recipe.
- grand marnier, cointreau, rum, brandy, port wine, bourbon – measure the alcohol and water together to make the one cup of water that you need for the recipe.
Pro tip! When cranberries are in season buy an extra bag and freeze them to use them in your favorite recipes all year long!
How to make it
Whole berry sauce
Start water bath canner to heat before starting the sauce. The canner can take up to 45 minutes to come to a boil.
- Add cranberries and water or juice to a large stock pot. Cover pot with lid. (It’s best to cover the pot and leave a crack opened because the berries can “jump” out of the pot when they burst open. Bring to boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to a high simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes until berries are soft.
- Add sugar. Stir to incorporate. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, boil 3 minutes.
- Ladle hot cranberry sauce into hot half-pint jars, with the aid of a canning funnel. leaving ½ inch headspace. (The space between the product and the rim of jar.)
- Remove air bubbles.
- Wipe rim with a damp paper towel.
- Place hot lid on the jars.
- Screw on bands fingertip tight.
To test to see if sauce is thick enough, sauce should sheet of a metal spoon. You can also put a plate in the freezer for about 5 minutes. Place a spoonful of hot cranberry sauce on the plate. Give it a few minutes and you can determine if it is thick enough. It will set up like cranberry sauce should.
NOTE: You can add ½ tablespoon of butter to reduce foaming.
If you’d like crushed cranberry sauce, mash the soft berries with a potato masher after step 2 above.
For jellied cranberry sauce
- Add cranberries and water or juice to a large stock pot. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a high simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes until berries are soft.
- Run cranberries through a fine mesh sieve to remove skins and pulp. Return juice to the saucepan.
- Add sugar. Stir to incorporate. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, boil 3 minutes.
- Ladle hot cranberry sauce into hot half-pint jars, with the aid of a canning funnel. leaving ½ inch headspace. (The space between the product and the rim of jar.)
- Remove air bubbles.
- Wipe rim with a damp paper towel.
- Place hot lid on the jars.
- Screw on bands fingertip tight.
Process half pint or pint jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for elevation. See recipe below for details. Start the timer after water in the canning pot comes back to a boil. Let jars rest in the hot water for at least 5 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter tool, to the counter, placed on a tea towel.
Check for seal after 12-24 hours. (Lid should not flex up or down when pressed in the center. If jars did not seal, you can reprocess with new lids or store it in the fridge for a few weeks unopened. Jars can also be stored in the freezer if you leave a 1 inch headspace.
Be sure to label your jars with the contents and date so that you can use it before it goes bad.
Pro tips for your success
Do you have to sterilize jars before canning? The answer is no. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, it is no longer necessary to sterilize jars if the processing time is over 10 minutes.
Do you have to can this sauce? No. Sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks, unopened. Once opened, it is best used with 4 days or so. Sauce can also be frozen for about a year.
When canning the sauce, use a straight sided jar, like a wide mouth, instead of using a tapered jar. This will make removal easier.
How long will sauce last? If you can the sauce it will keep in a cool, dark place for at least 12 months. With the new Ball lids, the sauce will last 18 months.
Always allow jars to sit in the hot water for at least 5 minutes before removing them from the canning pot with your jar lifter.
How to serve cranberry sauce
To remove sauce from the jar, run it under hot water for a couple minutes. Tap the sides of the jar on your counter, lightly so that the jar doesn’t break. Run a flat knife around the edge of the jar. Turn jar over and shake over your serving bowl. It should slide right out.
Uses for cranberry sauce
- Serve cranberry sauce with all of your holiday meals. It’s the perfect accompaniment for your Thanksgiving turkey. You can serve it cold out of the fridge, at room temperature or warm it slightly, whichever you prefer.
- There are so many other uses for it though like these Cranberry Orange Cocktail Meatballs
- Swirl it into yogurt and top with granola for a healthy breakfast.
- Swirl it in oatmeal, cream of wheat or grits
- Homemade hand pies or pies.
- Top French toast, pancakes or waffles with sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.
- Make cranberry butter.
- Add it to toasted bagels or English muffins topped with cream cheese.
- Make cranberry soda by adding a bit of cranberry sauce to sparkling water or club soda.
- You can make a vodka or gin cocktail by muddling a bit of cranberry sauce and adding sparkling water.
- Make a crostini with some toasted, sliced baguettes top with cream cheese or goat cheese and a dollop of sauce.
- Make a vinaigrette with some sauce that you process in a food processor
- Use as a glaze for meats like ham, chicken or pork.
- Makes a great grilled cheese sandwich. Add to turkey, with Swiss or cheddar for a delicious toasted sandwich.
- Make a leftover turkey sandwich.
- Jars of homemade cranberry sauce make great holiday or hostess gifts.
More delicious sauces to can
- Apricot BBQ sauce
- Blueberry BBQ sauce
- Honey BBQ sauce
- Cherry BBQ sauce
- Peach Bourbon BBQ sauce
- Cranberry Orange Sauce
Tools I use
Canning cranberry sauce is a fun, easy canning project that is perfect for beginners and seasoned canners.
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Canning Cranberry Sauce – Whole Berry or Jellied
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups Sugar
Instructions
- Start water bath canner to heat before starting the sauce. The canner can take up to 45 minutes to come to a boil.
For Whole Berry Sauce
- Add cranberries and water or juice to a large stock pot. Cover pot with lid. (It’s best to cover the pot and leave a crack opened because the berries can “jump” out of the pot when they burst open. Bring to boil over medium-high heat then reduce heat to a high simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes until berries are soft.1 cup water, 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
- Once the cranberries soften, mash them with a potato masher for crushed berry sauce.2 cups Sugar
- Add sugar. Stir to incorporate. Stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, boil 3 minutes.
- Ladle hot cranberry sauce into hot half-pint jars, with the aid of a canning funnel. leaving ½ inch headspace. (The space between the product and the rim of jar.)
- Remove air bubbles.
- Wipe rim with a damp paper towel.
- Place hot lid on the jars.
- Screw on bands fingertip tight.
For Jellied Cranberry Sauce
- After cranberries soften, run cranberries through a fine mesh sieve or food mill to remove skins and pulp. Return juice to the saucepan.
- Process half pint or pint jars for 15 minutes, adjusting for elevation. See recipe notes below for details. Start the timer after water in the canning pot comes back to a boil. Let jars rest in the hot water for at least 5 minutes. Remove jars with a jar lifter tool, to the counter, placed on a tea towel.
- Check for seal after 12-24 hours. (Lid should not flex up or down when pressed in the center. If jars did not seal, you can reprocess with new lids or store it in the fridge for a few weeks opened. Jars can also be stored in the freezer.
- Be sure to label your jars with the contents and date so that you can use it before it goes bad.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
- Serve cranberry sauce with all of your holiday meals. It’s the perfect accompaniment for your Thanksgiving turkey. You can serve it cold out of the fridge, or warm it slightly, whichever you prefer.
- There are so many other uses for it though like these Cranberry Orange Cocktail Meatballs
- Swirl it into yogurt and top with granola for a healthy breakfast.
- Swirl it in oatmeal, cream of wheat or grits
- Homemade hand pies or pies.
- Top French toast, pancakes or waffles with sauce and a dollop of whipped cream.
- Make cranberry butter.
- Add it to toasted bagels or English muffins topped with cream cheese.
- Make cranberry soda by adding a bit of cranberry sauce to sparkling water or club soda.
- You can make a vodka or gin cocktail but muddling a bit of cranberry sauce and adding sparkling water.
- Make a crostini with some toasted, sliced baguettes top with cream cheese or goat cheese.
- Make a vinaigrette with some sauce that you process in a food processor
- Use as a glaze for meats like ham, chicken or pork.
- Makes a great grilled cheese sandwich. Add to turkey, with Swiss or cheddar for a delicious toasted sandwich.
- Make a leftover turkey sandwich.
- Jars of homemade cranberry sauce make great holiday or hostess gifts.
I didn’t realize how easy it is to can my own cranberry sauce. I’m doing this every fall for now on!
I always buy a couple extra bags around the holidays so that I have enough to can. Thanks Lisa.