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Perfect Homemade Slow Cooker Cranberry Orange Sauce

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This hands-off slow cooker cranberry orange sauce is the ultimate holiday side dish. With simple ingredients and no stirring required, it frees up your stovetop while delivering deep, glossy, perfectly set cranberry sauce with bright citrus notes.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries (about 3 cups)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (about 2 medium oranges)
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (from about 1 large orange)
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional but highly recommended)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

  1. Prepare your ingredients (5 minutes): Rinse the cranberries and pick through them, discarding any that are shriveled or mushy. Zest your oranges before juicing them. Measure out your sugar, water, and any optional add-ins.
  2. Combine everything in the slow cooker (2 minutes): Add the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, water, cinnamon stick (if using), and salt to your slow cooker. Give everything a good stir until the sugar starts to dissolve.
  3. Cook on low (3 to 4 hours): Cover the slow cooker and set it to low. After about 1 hour, give it a quick stir. Around the 2-hour mark, you’ll notice the cranberries starting to pop. By 3 hours, most of the cranberries should have burst, and the sauce will be fragrant and glossy.
  4. Check for doneness (at the 3-hour mark): The sauce is ready when most of the cranberries have burst and the liquid has thickened to a syrupy consistency. If you prefer a thicker sauce, leave the lid off for the last 30 minutes.
  5. Add vanilla and adjust sweetness (2 minutes): Remove the cinnamon stick (if using) and stir in the vanilla extract. Taste and adjust sweetness if needed.
  6. Cool and serve: Let the sauce cool in the slow cooker for about 15-20 minutes before transferring to a serving bowl. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
  7. Optional step for deeper flavor: Let the sauce cool completely, then refrigerate it overnight. The flavors meld and deepen beautifully.

Notes

For a thicker sauce, cook with the lid off for the last 30 minutes. For a thinner sauce, remove from heat earlier. The sauce thickens significantly as it cools. Make ahead for best flavor.

Nutrition

Keywords: cranberry sauce, slow cooker, orange, Thanksgiving, holiday, easy, homemade

Find it online: https://cookluma.com/perfect-homemade-slow-cooker-cranberry-orange-sauce/