Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
Serve this easy, bourbon cranberry sauce on your next Thanksgiving dinner table. Real cranberries are simmered with bourbon and a whole vanilla bean for amazing flavor.
Servings 4 people
Calories 180kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup bourbon
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup cranberry juice
- 1 12 ounce package, about 3 cups, fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 whole vanilla bean halved and seeded
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan, including the seeded vanilla bean pod. Heat over medium high heat until it starts to boil.
- Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium low. Continue to simmer for 7-10 minutes until the cranberries begin to soften and pop and the liquid thickens.
- Remove the cranberry sauce from the heat.
- Remove and discard the vanilla bean pod.
- Remove one cup of the cranberry sauce from the pan and set aside.
- Puree the remaining sauce. Add the reserved cranberry sauce back to the pan and stir.
- Allow the cranberry sauce to chill for 4-8 hours before serving. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Video
Notes
- The sauce will look thin when hot but thickens noticeably as it cools.
- For a smoother texture, puree the entire batch instead of reserving a portion.
- If you prefer chunkier cranberry sauce, skip the pureeing step altogether.
- Taste and adjust sweetness after cooking—add a little extra sugar or maple syrup if needed.
- Bourbon flavor becomes more mellow after chilling, so don’t worry if it tastes strong while warm.
- Adding the scraped vanilla pod to the pan boosts flavor—just remember to remove it before blending.
- Stir often as the sauce simmers to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 0.3mg
