Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce

It’s cranberry season here in Massachusetts, and homemade cranberry sauce is a popular dish on our holiday dinner table.

This month’s Recipe Redux challenge invites members to create new slow cooker recipes. If you’re hosting a crowd for Thanksgiving, you’ll appreciate keeping the stove top free by making this slow cooker cranberry sauce.  These flavors are wonderful together, and the apple helps to thicken the sauce because it naturally contains pectin.  I use maple syrup to sweeten this sauce, but honey works well too.  Some people in my extended family prefer canned cranberry sauce, but several of us love this chunky homemade version.

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Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce

$.73 per serving

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 5 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 107 kcal

Author Annemarie

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 2 medium oranges
• 1 medium apple (1/2 lb)
• 3/4 cup maple syrup

Instructions

1. Rinse the cranberries and place them in the slow cooker.
2. Squeeze the juice out of one orange and add the juice to the slow cooker. (This is about 1/4 cup of juice.)
3. Remove the peel from the second orange and chop the fruit into bite-sized pieces. Add them to the slow cooker.
4. Peel the apple and remove the core. Chop the apple into bite-sized pieces and add them to the slow cooker.
5. Add the maple syrup to the fruit and stir.
6. Turn on the slow cooker to “Low” and cook until the fruit is very tender. For me, this takes about 2 hours, but your slow cooker might take more or less time. Keep an eye on it.
7. Mash the fruit so there are no large chunks remaining. I use a potato masher, but you could also use a large spoon or fork (just don’t scratch the slow cooker).
8. Turn the heat to high, and cook uncovered for an additional 15 minutes to thicken the sauce.
9. Serve the slow cooker cranberry sauce warm, or let the sauce cool and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce Price Breakdown

This recipe costs a total of $7.26 to make and it yields 2½ cups, for a cost of $.73 per ¼ cup serving.  Homemade slow cooker cranberry sauce is a classic side dish for Thanksgiving, and this version is so easy to prepare.

Do you prefer cranberry sauce out of a can, or do you like the homemade stuff better?