In 1787, James Madison wrote Thomas Jefferson in France for background information on constitutional government. Jefferson replied by sending a number of books on the subject and in return asked for a gift of apples, pecans and cranberries.

He must have wanted to make homemade cranberry sauce.

Homemade cranberry sauce video recipe. (View all pressure cooker recipe videos)



It makes sense but I was shocked to learn that only 5% of today’s cranberries are dry picked and sold fresh. The vast majority produced in the United States are quickly frozen, dried, or processed into juices and shape holding mounds of that most delicious jellied sauce.

Now we absolutely love the canned stuff. It has been the tradition at both our family’s dinners since as far back as we can remember. We still love the canned stuff (even with the corn syrup) but this recipe is nothing like it; it’s sweet, tart, tangy, and bursting with flavor. Comparing the two would be like comparing broccoli and cauliflower, they both look similar but the flavor is totally different. Now that I’ve tried homemade cranberry sauce, and have seen how easy and fast it is to make, I don’t think I could go back to eating the jelly again.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe:

This recipe is currently set up to make just about 12 ounces of cranberry sauce or the same amount you’d find in that can (serves around 4-6). You can easily just double everything (keep the cook time the same) for larger gatherings.

Ingredients

4 cups rinsed berries

1 1/2 inches ginger (cut into 1/4 inch slices)

1/2 cup squeezed tangerine juice

1 cup sugar

It really couldn’t get much easier.

Step 1: Rinse the cranberries

Step 2: Add the ginger, juice, and sugar

Step 3: Pressure cook for 15 minutes

Since it’s so acidic it should last for 3-4 weeks in the fridge no problem.We love this recipe but there are tons of great variations out there. Do you make your own cranberry sauce? What’s your favorite recipe?

Oh, I almost forgot. If you are looking for a recipe that jells here are a few to consider:

Jellied Cranberry Sauce @ Vegan Yum Yum

Jellied sauce @ Pick Your Own