Vanilla Cranberry Sauce

For some Thanksgiving tables, the bowl of cranberry sauce is purely decoration. That’s a shame because this overlooked side is a powerful flavor enhancer. Sweet and tart cranberry sauce cuts through all the salty richness of typical Thanksgiving dishes, creating nuanced and complementary flavors that makes even the mashed potatoes you’ve had dozens of times taste better.

So, how do you convince everyone to add some cranberry sauce to their plate? You elevate it with a splash of rum and quality vanilla extract, making a sophisticated yet approachable vanilla cranberry sauce. It’s slightly warmer and sweeter than usual, but it’s still plenty bright thanks to orange zest and fresh cranberries. Spill your cranberry sauce secrets to the table, and everyone will add a heaped spoonful to their plate.

Ingredients for Vanilla Cranberry Sauce

• Cranberries: Homemade cranberry sauce is an excellent excuse to buy a bag of fresh, in-season cranberries. Before using, rinse the cranberries under cold water to remove dirt or stems.
• Sugar: Granulated or light brown sugar will sweeten the cranberry sauce.
• Orange zest and juice: Always zest the orange before juicing it. It’s much easier to zest an intact orange! You’ll need about two oranges to have enough juice.
• Rum: Rum’s sweet, warm flavor complements the tart cranberries. You could even opt for spiced rum to get some of those holiday spices in the sauce.
• Vanilla extract: For a quality vanilla flavor, splurge on the best vanilla extract. Save the rest of the bottle for all your Thanksgiving desserts and Christmas cookies!

Directions

Step 1: Bring ingredients to a boil

In a large saucepan over medium heat, gently stir together the cranberries, sugar, water, orange zest, orange juice and rum. Let everything come to a boil.

Step 2: Reduce the sauce

Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 35 minutes. The cranberries should all have burst and the sauce thickened.

Editor’s Tip: The cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools, too, so don’t be alarmed if it’s not as thick as you’d expect when the 35 minutes are up!

Step 3: Cool and serve

Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the vanilla and allow the vanilla cranberry sauce to cool completely to room temperature. Serve the cranberry sauce slightly warm or at room temperature.

Recipe Variations

• Swap in bourbon for the rum: Bourbon’s notes of maple, caramel, orange and vanilla pair excellently with all the ingredients in this recipe. Swap it as a 1:1 replacement for the rum.
• Omit the alcohol: Need to keep it kid-friendly? Omit the alcohol and replace the measurement with water. You may need to add an extra pinch of sugar to compensate for the rum’s sweetness.
• Splurge on vanilla beans: Vanilla beans offer a more powerful vanilla flavor than extract, even if you’re using a super high-quality extract. Plus, the black flecks are so pretty and add a nice pop of vanilla flavor with every bite. Use one vanilla bean instead of 1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

How to Store Vanilla Cranberry Sauce

To store cranberry sauce with vanilla, transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to four days. The cranberry sauce must be cooled to room temperature before storage.

Can you make vanilla cranberry sauce ahead of time?

Yes, you can absolutely make vanilla cranberry sauce with rum ahead of time. It’s perfect for anyone looking for make-ahead Thanksgiving recipes. Fully prepare the cranberry sauce one or two days before serving and, once cooled to room temperature, keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Before serving, remove the cranberry sauce from the fridge one hour beforehand so it can come to room temperature or warm the cranberry sauce slightly in a pot over low heat. Transfer the sauce to a pretty serving dish.

Vanilla Cranberry Sauce Tips

Can you use frozen cranberries to make vanilla cranberry sauce?

Yes, you can use frozen cranberries to make cranberry sauce with rum and vanilla. However, frozen cranberries expel a lot of water, so they must be thawed first and then drained of excess liquid.

How do you use vanilla cranberry sauce?

Vanilla cranberry sauce is the perfect recipe to fulfill the quintessential Thanksgiving cranberry sauce checkbox. Add a dollop to your plate and eat the cranberry sauce with all the traditional Thanksgiving recipes like turkey, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls or green bean casserole.

Outside of Thanksgiving recipes, serve this cranberry sauce on top of cheesecake slices, waffles, pancakes, cornbread, pound cake, yogurt or, my favorite, baked Brie with jam.

How do you thin cranberry sauce? How do you thicken cranberry sauce?

Thin the cranberry sauce by stirring in 1 tablespoon of water. Adding a little water at a time is best. You still want the cranberry sauce to be thick and jiggly. If it is too thick, place the pot back on the stove and cook it down to your desired consistency.