10-Minute Easy Cranberry Sauce | Kenji’s Cooking Show

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This recipe is adapted from my book, The Food Lab, and can also be found in another version on Serious Eats.
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The Serious Eats version of the recipe is here: www.seriouseat...
There’s an older video of an even simpler version of this recipe here: • How to Make The Best E...

[@edwardmking]

“I’ll probably end up blathering” Kenji, the blathering is why we’re all here

[@mixymixee]

I love what you do for the home cook, Kenji. My wife has bought me both Food Lab and The Wok, (she got them both signed by you as well, thanks for that!) and it has made such a huge impact on the quality of the food we eat. I'm a stay at home dad and homemaker, and as a family we are eating better, cheaper, and with much less frustration. Almost everything you teach in your books can be applied elsewhere, and making these connections and improving my game bring me immense joy. I wish you and your family a happy Thanksgiving on behalf of MY family. THANKS BRUH!

[@jeffreyhall4275]

I have both books and absolutely love them!!

[@societyofgoodness4643]

Your kitchen ROCKS! Thank you!

[@pooolB]

My sister made some this year almost exactly like this but with bourbon and it turned out INCREDIBLE, probably the most I've ever enjoyed whole cranberry sauce. I ended up taking the rest of it home and been sneaking spoonfuls of it periodically through out the day ever since

[@Kookiebiskit]

Holy crap, that's the most impressive spice drawer I've ever seen! I literally laughed out loud in amazement when you opened it up.

[@HanoiRocks1994]

I reacted as well, I already have a hard time finding my spices in my little shelf 🙈

[@kathryndiefenbach8545]

Yeh! Old Kenji style is back. Love the Go Pro and rambling style. All educational. Thahk you.

[@kenmore01]

They harvest the cranberries along with the dead squirrels and chipmunks and stuff. That made me laugh. Thanks for the dark humor to start my day! 😂 I'm sure it's true, too.

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

It’s absolutely true. All the small critters that live in the cranberry bogs are drowned during harvest.

[@kevinwhite4079]

We make our cranberry sauce into a chutney with toasted pecans, sliced jalapeño and cilantro. The sour taste of cranberries is balanced by the sweetness of the sugar, the crunch of the pecans, the heat of the peppers and the hint of herb from the cilantro make it a real show stopper..

[@PSOHBMedia]

Always thought I hated cranberry sauce growing up because we only had the canned stuff, which I'm not a fan of. Then I tried making homemade cranberry sauce just like this with a little knob of ginger in it, and now it is one of my favorite parts of the holiday (and any time of year I can find fresh cranberries)

[@emmalord1123]

ginger is such a good idea!!!

[@megcasey9902]

I grew up on Cape Cod, and yes cranberry bogs were everywhere. Not sure about now, but I remember seeing them being harvested. Very cool.

[@Botanizilla2112]

Thanks Kenji! This is pretty much what I do, though I add juice of a whole orange and a little less water. I also add zest of said orange and some grated ginger too, as you suggested. I have to say that, consistently, my favorite part of your videos is seeing your pups! I have two boys who are my sous chefs in the kitchen and I don't know what I'd do without them. Cheers!

[@sinecurve9999]

Home-made Cranberry sauce is simply wonderful. So much elevation and flavor for not much effort. Not going back to canned jello stuff.

[@Sherininja]

I have been making this since third grade , when I learned a similar recipe , 1978. In the fall stock up on cranberries and freeze them . I eat cranberries sauce with Greek yogurt , or stuffed inside phyllo dough with pistachios

[@desara_fen]

i love the occasional return to the pov cam. it's comforting

[@JjrShabadoo]

Just wanted to give you a shout out for your impact on my holiday spread, Kenji. At this point, much of my thanksgiving table is my mother’s traditional menu, except I’ve tweaked all the recipes using your methods over the years. This includes stuffing, gravy, cranberries, mash, green bean casserole, apple pie (although I converted to Stella’s pie crust), and even basic dry brining of the bird. Thanks for all these nuggets of wisdom!

[@adamaguirre9315]

Added Chinese five spice to my cranberry sauce on Sunday- highly recommend

[@kayezelinski1275]

Left over cranberry sauce great in plain yogurt. Thx for this recipe.

[@denimandlead7725]

Love that Kenji knows it’s not complete unless Jamón gets a lil something, but also has to improvise because the dish didn’t provide any easy snacks for him

[@jlpeters8576]

I was just drafted to make cranberry sauce this year, a task I accepted gracefully because I knew it would be a cinch. Thanks for the tips on additions. I will be adding fresh ginger, star anise, and cinnamon to my sauce. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

[@normp3273]

I really appreciate these Thanksgiving video sets that you're putting out. It's very helpful. Thanks! I was just watching your stuffing recipe video.

[@jillpohren4801]

Adding a splash of Grand Marnier is a nice flavoring too. Many thanks as always Kenji!

[@hopelesslyinquisitive9839]

Cranberry sauce is my favorite sandwich condiment the day after Thanksgiving! Along with cream cheese, oh my….

[@angelaprice3435]

Want to thank you for this recipe. I made this tonight for tomorrow's dinner. It is delicious.

[@Polkadotpup]

Thinking of Thanksgiving, thank you for all your hard work on KZbin. I’ve learned so much, and you seem really sweet.

[@chief_catguy]

Aww guys gals nonbinary pals is appreciated. Thanks for the vid!!

[@toin9898]

I never used to be a cranberry girlie but I impulse bought some this year for Canadian thanksgiving and made a sauce and also an apple cranberry crumble. The crumble was one of my best-ever. I love sour pastries so it really hit the spot.

[@BakedandCooked]

I'm making turkey meatloaf tonight. I was in the grocery store yesterday after work and they had bags of cranberries for 99 cents so I bought one. 1 bag a cranberries, ⅛ tsp of ground cinnamon, ½ a cup of water, and a cup of sugar made some magic. It's unbelievable how simple and good it is. I will fiddle with sugar, OJ/orange, and spices but this is ridiculously easy. Thanks

[@boogiedaddy3434]

I love homemade cranberry sauce. I like adding some pinot noir or merlot instead of water. As far as spices/aromatics, I use orange zest, cinnamon, clove, black peppercorns (szechuan if you want it tingly), and a couple sprigs of rosemary. It so good and just gets better and better in the following days as it sits.

[@Rainokoe321]

I was literally just talking to my cousin about attempting a cranberry sauce for a smoked pork loin I'm doing for Tgiving alongside the normal turkey. This is so clutch! Definitely making it the day before.

[@livialynnlynn]

Awww love the pup getting a bit of banana 😄

[@mariafernandaizquierdo9497]

I just made this recipe with ginger, so good!

[@subparSamaritan]

Ever the highlight of my Thanksgiving, I absolutely adore this dish. I really should try making mine with star anise next time, see that used in recipes all the time.

[@davidturner7577]

I've tried all manner of cranberry sauce recipes over the years, but no matter how good or easy or interesting it is, none ever, EVER beats the jellied cranberry sauce in the can. Ocean Spray reigns supreme.

[@zorayagarcia2625]

Thank you . Just made it. So easy and delicious…

[@evanbelcher]

So interesting to see how different people prepare their Thanksgiving foods. For my family, cranberry sauce is always raw, just cranberries, oranges, and sugar blitzed up in the food processor. I'm interested to try the cooked version someday

[@movingforwardLDTH]

It’s January 3, 2024 and I just dug out the bag of cranberries I bought to make during the holidays. They’re still good , but I’m out of sugar & have no fresh oranges … soooo, I’m going with (a resuced amount of) powdered sugar & half the small can of mandarin oranges in light syrup, subbing in the syrup for the water. Fingers crossed! 🤞🤣🤞🤣🤞

[@kimaclaret]

Cranberry sauce is one of my favorite things to make because it's so simple, and the popping of the berries is fun. And you can add whatever kind of flavors you want!

[@erikrydstad2743]

Try it with fish! It’s awesome. That’s how we do it in west Sweden (but with lingonberries but it’s kinda almost the same thing)

[@itqitc]

perfect timing! was about to head out to buy ingredients for cranberry sauce

[@PDXTundra]

My daughter-in-law makes a killer brandied cranberry sauce. Yummy.

[@angelj0525]

Oooooo😮 recipe me please 😂

[@wesrobinson7366]

We make something similar every yea, though I also add Jalapenos. Then use a bit of it to make a cranberry margarita.

[@rvmush3883]

I’m a jalapeño gal too.

[@Ligulistylis]

Love the idea of mixing in a little smashed raw ones! Add a bay leaf too and I’m in heaven

[@tresstoimpress4224]

I have never made homemade cranberry sauce, but you are making it look pretty easy!

[@myopiczeal]

Wish I could get more people to enjoy whole berry cranberry sauce. I'm also from New England, but I grew up having only the canned jellied cranberry sauce, which I still like, but I like the homemade versions like the one in this video so much more. But I can't get anyone else on board. Oh, well. That does look delicious. Maybe I'll just eat it all myself.

[@SSVCloud]

I was literally planning to make cranberry sauce for the first time this thanksgiving, so this is perfect.

[@BiggMo]

To tone down the bitterness, instead of water, use a purée of canned pears puréed with the syrup Also, refrigerating for a few days mellows them also

[@x1984x]

Dead squirrels and chipmunks! 🤣🤣🤣

[@zeyedim]

Thank you for the information I’m going to try this out today I’m making a Turkey cranberry dish

[@findroots7151]

This is exactly how I have made mine except I have never tried leaving the orange in it! I'll be trying that today.. Oh, I also use splenda for a low sugar version

[@blahdblah0007]

My go to is chipotles in adobo, cumin, garlic, and orange or lime.

[@oiijon]

Thank you good sir ❤

[@shaba22]

Big fan of throwing a half a can of Genesee Cran Orange Kellerbier in, gives it a nice rounded wheat smoothness in the aftertaste

[@jenniferhildebrandt6757]

Thanks for sharing this great recipe, and for the bird's eye view preparing it! :) Not gonna lie, I choked up when you mentioned dead squirrels and chipmunks in the flooded cranberries...😥 (which was tempered by your cute pup eating a piece of banana-my pup eats everything BUT bananas!)

[@rvmush3883]

Mince some jalapeño and add with orange juice and sugar to cranberries. Life changing

[@CMondo100]

Hi Kenji, hope you see this. I've been making either your or Daniel Gritzer's (oyster) stuffing for years. Should I be PULLING my stuffing at 150, or ending up at 150 after resting? So far have been pulling out of the oven at 150 because that's the letter of the law as far as I can tell.

[@marynorbury-glaser182]

So you’re saying I should pick through my cranberries and pull out the dead squirrels and chipmunks, right? ❤

[@j3annie1963]

1:47 ,,,Harvest them along with a bunch of dead squirrels and chipmunks and stuff...LOL I have never thought about the flooding of cranberry bogs killing animals. its a bittersweet sort of thought. I love cranberries, but those small animals are not something I want to have killed unless its for meat.

[@j3annie1963]

now that sounds better, thanks for giving me a better view! @@DougAdams

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

Virtually all modern harvesting techniques kill small animals. You literally cannot avoid it unless you are growing and harvesting your own crops by hand.

[@InternetPersond]

That’s a perfect spice pantry, wow.

[@larsporsena9529]

Worked perfectly, it’s almost too easy

[@paligga]

Hope theres a video about carnitas coming.

[@gac67]

Yes, please!!!

[@username9951]

Hi Kenji. My mom makes a cool cranberry relish for Thanksgiving that she found in a magazine. It has green onion, jalapeño, cumin, and cilantro. And lime I think.

[@cityslacker6221]

thank you for paying the dog tax. also, cranberry compote is my favorite holiday dish. I also add a bit of cornstarch slurry to thicken mine.

[@oumo]

So strange! I went looking for a recipe from Kenji for cranberry sauce this weekend!

[@JustCasuallyJames]

Big fan of your videos. I was wondering what specific go pro are you using to record your POV videos?

[@pooolB]

God I'm so jealous of your spice cabinet, reminds me of Good Eats

[@AdamJohnson0110]

I use a similar method and also add a small amount of bourbon, vanilla, and some apple cider.

[@Supwisebs]

luv u kenji

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

I truly adore your whole attitude. You seem to be a person I would be glad to know.❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥🤗you also have great taste in moderately priced Japanese Whiskies. 👍🏻🤗🤗🤗(like my opinion would even matter.)🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@JasonJonesoriginal]

Would love to see what it looks like and how its served after coming out of the fridge

[@boxerdawg1818]

I throw in a hot pepper (diced as finely as my knife skills allow) and use apple cider in place of water

[@orifox1629]

My dad's method uses a grinder (like a meat grinder type thing, but ya know without meat having been in it) run your cranberries, an orange, and some apples (for sweetness). It gets a little better in the fridge after a day or two as well and freezes okay too. I don't remember any spices or if there's any additional sugar other than the apples. I realize this isn't a recipe but feel free to mess around with the concept!

[@gac67]

Great video, thanks! I hope you'll follow up with carnitas after that teaser 😊

[@Orthus100]

Omg, I am so dumb. I can just toss in the whole orange instead of zesting with a peeler and having to dig them out later... You always find a way to give me a revelation.

[@hannahpackard1118]

Mix the cran with Mayo for leftover sandwiches!!!

[@SoonRaccoon]

I make a very similar cranberry sauce, but I go for fresh grated ginger instead of the cinnamon and anise.

[@kikipaura173]

Is your dog’s name “ jamon” ? That’s so cute ❤

[@SpencerRyllSmith]

Hey Kenji, will simmering heart herbs like thyme and rosemary for 12+ hours cause them to go bitter?

[@neonuxus1648]

Make a video for the best baked mac and cheese

[@midlifemom5829]

Yes , this!!!

[@jokay3732]

Please . Would love a revisit to your evaporated milk Mac and cheese. Sooo tasty.

[@Lampshadx]

All mac & cheese is the best if you’re baked enough

[@ThisAlbino]

*please

[@snowstrobe]

Looks fun to make too...

[@phubans]

Sadly I don't have an orange, orange zest, or orange liqueur, so I'm going to try to make this with just water and sugar and maybe a pinch of salt and cinnamon powder.

[@mikalshively]

Both fresh and dried cranberries are safe to feed to dogs in small quantities. Whether your dog will like this tart treat is another question. Either way, moderation is important when feeding cranberries to dogs, as with any treat, as too many can lead to an upset stomach.

[@karenl5861]

I like to add small chunks of pears to my cranberry sauce, and I only use a small amount of sugar.

[@ritwikgupta1558]

I have always been confused by this one thing, why do most people use a whole cinnamon stick as it is? Wouldn't crushing it help release more of its flavour? The only reason I could think of was that it might be difficult to fish it out later in things like cranberry sauce, but I am still confused why peeps do this for cocktails and other similar stuff.

[@irakest]

So random cranberry question... If I was to try and make a low carb version with stevia, should I just do 1cup + a little bit of fruit pectin or unflavored gelatin?

[@acn1580]

You shouldn't really need to worry too much about it, the cranberries will almost thicken up on their own even without sugar - it might be a smidge thinner but you can always cook it down a bit more too. At that point you just add sweetener to taste.

[@Zhinoi]

Guess I'm cooking up something new this thanskgiving😂

[@nicmaci7087]

Cranberries are safe for dogs 😁 now whether they will eat them is another question lol 😂

[@gokartsRfun]

How long til you can make the NYT Turkey video

[@Pikkiwoki]

Recipes in text would be amazing thanks so much you're the best!

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

I left a link tk the recipe in the description.

[@Pikkiwoki]

This tastes like Christmas thank you so much I am doing it this way forever now! You are inspiring me to cook for myself!@@JKenjiLopezAlt

[@CarFreeKC]

Of my four bags of cranberries, I am sad to say I didn't find any squirrels.

[@allenng2348]

I've noticed your pre-seasoned Misen pan a few times. How are you liking it?

[@JKenjiLopezAlt]

It’s a nice shape. I use it pretty frequently.

[@jpchan23]

What brand of lighter is the one you use to start your stove top?

[@circumflexcircumflex]

Can you do it in a microwave using the popcorn button?

[@georgetovar5976]

Hopefully there’s a Carnitas video coming

[@mrfroopy]

It freezes well.

[@8dragonsx]

I use honey in place of sugar. Somehow feels healthier tho that’s probably not true

[@Ketharuil]

I love homemade cranberry sauce, but I can't deal with it unstrained lmao

[@jmacmunn]

And suddenly I realize I never challenged my childhood belief that they grew in the water.

[@frankunderbush]

In case you couldn't tell, Kenji loves cranberry sauce

[@kentonbolte931]

I like to use my stick blender and smooth out the sauce.

[@embarrassedcap]

oh this is a lot like mine. I cook the cranberries in oj though, then add allspice.