Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce

Elevate your holiday gathering with a show-stopping cranberry sauce that will leave everyone craving more – and begging for the secrets behind its irresistible flavor? Is this a recipe for a culinary delight? With just five straightforward components and a mere 15 minutes of your attention, you’re all set to get started. Sprinkle this savory sauce over turkey, ham, creamy mashed potatoes, and a medley of roasted vegetables for an unforgettable culinary experience. This irresistible dish has everyone going back for more!

Contents

Why Our Recipe Ingredient Notes Preparing the Cranberries Spiciness Levels Serving Warm or Chilled Storage and Reheating Instructions

Why Our Recipe

A bold spin on traditional cranberry sauce that yields a thrilling taste sensation, effortlessly prepared in just 15 minutes!
With just five simple ingredients, you can craft a delectable sauce that will leave your audience craving more, with their taste buds singing in harmony and their plates immaculately licked clean.
Serve it warm, if desired, as a drizzly sauce that will add depth to any dish, or allow it to cool completely, permitting the flavors to meld together and thicken into a scoopable gel.

While it may be tempting to grab a store-bought can of cranberry sauce, the truth is that making your own at home yields a far more delectable result. When you infuse that dish with a fiery jalapeño kick, the result is nothing short of extraordinary. Ditch the jarred cranberry sauce and start a fresh family legacy with this easy and delicious homemade alternative.

Ingredient Notes

An overhead view of a bowl filled with fresh cranberries, set next to other raw, wet, and dry ingredients needed to make jalapeno cranberry sauce.

Freshness is paramount when selecting these tart berries, making them truly the crowning jewel of any dish. Frozen cranberries can also work, requiring an additional few minutes of cooking time to ensure they’re fully rehydrated and tender.
There’s no need to go for freshly squeezed orange juice on this one. That’s a refreshing idea – a bottle of orange juice would be an excellent choice!
To temper the heat of your sauce, consider seeding the jalapeño pepper before incorporating it into your recipe. Why not add some heat to your dish by substituting a milder pepper like the jalapeño with a spicier option, such as a serrano?

Preparing the Cranberries

Cranberries require a thorough rinsing in cold water followed by meticulous sorting. You’re seeking to retain berries that are firm, plump, and boast a rich, vibrant red hue. As you sort the cranberries, carefully inspect each one for signs of spoilage or stems, removing them promptly before proceeding with cooking. Spoiled berries often appear mushy, soft, and shriveled, with discoloration or mold growth. While slightly soft cranberries can still yield decent results, optimal flavor is typically achieved with firmer berries.

Spiciness Levels

For those who prefer milder flavours, you can easily modify the level of spiciness by either removing the seeds, using reduced amounts of jalapeno peppers (1/4 or 1/2 cup) or adding them to the cranberry mixture at the outset. As a cooking process prolongs, the intense heat of the jalapeno peppers gradually subsides, yielding a rich flavor profile accompanied by a milder burning sensation.

To amplify the fiery flavor, consider replacing your jalapeño with a scorching serrano pepper instead. Exercise caution when handling extremely hot peppers like habaneros, whose intense heat tends to intensify and become even more concentrated over time.

A close up overhead view of a white gravy boat filled with jalapeno cranberry sauce set on a counter next to a plates holding green beans, mashed potatoes and turkey, covered in jalapeno cranberry sauce.

Serving Warm or Chilled

What’s the purpose of cranberry sauce? This luscious, ambrosial condiment is an exemplary pairing for meats like turkey or pork, yet its versatility extends to being a scrumptious spread on sandwiches, elevating the humblest of combinations into a culinary delight. This succulent roasted turkey pairs delightfully with a medley of classic sides, including fluffy stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, and crisp green beans. Discover a world of flavor possibilities – this cranberry sauce pairs surprisingly well with numerous delights!

It has a silky, pourable texture akin to that of rich, slow-cooked barbecue sauce.

Its consistency is gel-like, remarkably akin to that of canned cranberry sauce. While the canned product won’t yield the precise shape of a log on a plate, it will retain its characteristic scoopable and spreadable texture.

Storage and Reheating Instructions

Stored in an airtight container, leftovers will remain fresh for up to seven days.

Store leftover portions in an airtight container for up to two months. Should the frozen product thaw in the refrigerator overnight prior to use?

Stirring occasionally, bring the mixture to the desired temperature either by cooking it gently on the stovetop over low heat or, if working with smaller quantities, microwaving in 15-second intervals, increasing the time to 30 seconds as needed for larger portions.