Versatile Cranberry Sauce Recipe by Ruth Paget
Dave Faries’ article about cranberries in the Monterey County Weekly inspired me to write up my favorite recipe for cranberries. The Weekly article has historical information and gourmet recipes for this tart and bitter seasonal treat, which I have included in the hyperlink below:
When I lived in Wisconsin for 3 years, I made my version of cranberry sauce from cranberries that grow in Wisconsin as well as Massachusetts.
My recipe has several uses. I would mix my cranberry sauce with yogurt for breakfast and as a sauce for vanilla ice cream. You can also add it to hot grain cereals like oatmeal, grits, or cream of wheat. It certainly pairs well with Thanksgiving turkey.
Cranberry Sauce
Yield: 12 ounces
Ingredients:
-1 (12 – ounce) bag of fresh cranberries
-1/4 cup water
-1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar or honey
Steps:
1-Rinse cranberries and discard any stems.
2-Place the cranberries in a saucepan along with the water. Bring water to a boil.
3-Let the cranberries begin to pop open and mash them down. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes.
4-When all the cranberries have popped open, remove the cranberries from the heat. Stir in the sugar or honey and let it dissolve.
The cranberry sauce can be used hot or cold depending on what you are serving it with. It can keep for about two days in the refrigerator.
According to WebMd.com, cranberries provide 25% of Vitamin C for recommended daily values and 9% of Vitamin A and 6% of Vitamin K. Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. This tart berry is fairly healthy for your and plentiful in winter.
I looked up cranberries on Nob Hill’s website and saw that their Raley’s store brand (12-ounce package) is selling for $3.19 as of today (December 8, 2025). I think this is a fair price for the amount of cranberry sauce you can make for several servings. Making this cranberry sauce is a fun, family activity, too.
For more cranberry ideas, check out the Hello! 365 Cranberry Recipes by Ms Fruit on kindle for .99 cents.. Information follows:
Hoping you enjoy the cranberry sauce sometime this winter season!
By Ruth Paget, author Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France
