Cranberry Sauce Recipe with Orange

It may seem challenging to get the bitterness out of your cranberry sauce, but it’s actually super easy!  Cranberries taste bitter due to their high tannin content. Tannins are also found in dark chocolate and coffee. That’s why they are also bitter sometimes.
There are a few ways to kick the bitterness out of your orange cranberry sauce. 
You can add a teaspoon of orange juice, lemon juice, or apple juice. Any of the sweeter fruit juices will help turn down the bitterness. If you don’t have juice on hand, feel free to add a dash of maple syrup to cut back on the bitterness. 
If you accidentally add too much and your cranberry sauce is way too sweet, add a dash of salt, which will help level out the flavors again. 
I do not recommend adding granulated sugar to your cranberry sauce after it has cooled to add more sweetness. The sugar will not dissolve correctly, and your sauce will become a mess. 
If you want to add more sugar or brown sugar, put the cranberry sauce back into the saucepan, warm it up, and then add the sugar to dissolve fully.

Want to know the secret to the perfect consistency? Watch your cranberries! 
You will know your cranberry sauce is done when your cranberries start to split open. When cranberries pop or split, they release pectin, a natural thickener. 
Listen for the POP!

If you notice that your easy cranberry sauce is too watery, cook it a tad bit longer. The pectin that is released when your cranberries are on the stove is a natural thickener, so the longer you cook it, the thicker it will become.
Keep in mind that your orange cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. If you notice that it’s starting to become too thick, add a splash of water or orange juice to thin it out a little. 
Be sure not to add too much because you don’t want your sauce to become watery again. If necessary, mix 1 tsp of cornstarch and 1 tsp of water, making a slurry, and then add it to the sauce. 
Another solution is to use a slotted spoon when transferring the cranberry sauce to your serving dish, leaving any watery parts behind.

To warm up leftover orange cranberry sauce, you can either put it in the microwave – checking every 15 seconds or so. You could also throw the cranberry sauce into a medium saucepan and warm it up on medium-low heat.

Cranberry sauce thickens due to the natural pectin in cranberries interacting with added sugar during cooking, forming a gel-like structure. As the sauce simmers and cools, this interaction sets, resulting in the desired thickness.

Homemade cranberry sauce, when properly stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, can last for about 10 to 14 days. To extend its shelf life, you can also freeze cranberry sauce, where it can stay good for up to several months. Just make sure to allow it to cool completely before freezing and store it in a freezer-safe container or an airtight freezer bag.

– Cranberry sauce typically thickens from the natural pectin (a natural thickener in fruits) found in cranberries.
– Sugar is used in cranberry sauce recipes to add sweetness and help with the thickening process, but you can make cranberry sauce without sugar.
– If you make cranberry sauce without sugar, I suggest using some sort of sugar alternative like maple syrup, date syrup, or monkfruit sweetener to help balance the tartness from the cranberries.

There are a few reasons why your cranberry sauce might not have thickened:
– Not enough cooking time: cranberries release natural pectin as they cook, which helps to thicken the sauce. If you haven’t cooked them long enough, the sauce might remain thin. Simmer the sauce for a bit longer to allow the pectin to release and thicken the sauce.
– Not enough sugar: while you don’t need to use sugar in cranberry sauce, it does help to thicken it. If you reduced the sugar content in your recipe, it might result in a thinner sauce. You can try adding more sugar or a sweetener like honey or maple syrup.
– Not allowing it to cool: cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. If you’re in a hurry, it might seem thin when it’s still warm. Allow it to cool to room temperature or refrigerate it for a while to see if it thickens.

– Texture might change: cranberries contain natural pectin, which helps the sauce thicken as it cooks. Overcooking can cause the pectin to break down too much, resulting in a sauce that is too thin and lacks the gel-like consistency cranberry sauce should have.
– Change in flavor: overcooking cranberry sauce can also lead to the loss of some of the bright and tart flavors of the cranberries. The sauce may become overly sweet or lose some of its fresh and tangy taste.
– Change in color: overcooking can cause the sauce to lose it’s vibrant red color.