For the Best Cranberry Sauce, Add This One Ingredient

Every fall, I’m reminded of the culinary nutrition class I took in college. It was fall semester, and we were learning how to make foolproof holiday classics, including giblet gravy, creamed pearl onions, and cranberry sauce. 

Maybe it was the simplicity of the recipe or the eye-catching ruby red hue of the fresh cranberries, but from-scratch cranberry sauce was a revelation for a girl who had grown up eating the canned stuff. Since then, homemade cranberry sauce has been a staple on my family’s Thanksgiving table.

For years, I stuck to simmering cranberries with sugar and water. If I was feeling extra, I’d add orange juice and a cinnamon stick. A couple of years ago, on a whim, I added dried fruit to the mix. Think: dried apricots, dates, cherries, and raisins. The result? My best cranberry sauce yet.

Why This 1-Ingredient Upgrade Makes the Best Cranberry Sauce

Dried fruit is a natural source of sweetness that helps balance out the mouth-puckering tartness of fresh cranberries. Somehow, the fruit also makes cranberry sauce taste even more autumnal. 

My family also loves the added texture. The dried fruit plumps and softens when simmered with the cranberries, but it retains its shape and adds a bit of chew, similar to a soft gummy candy. This sweet-tart mixed fruit medley is delicious served warm or chilled, and leftovers make a wonderful spread for turkey sandwiches.

How To Add Dried Fruit to Cranberry Sauce

I add roughly one cup of assorted dried fruit to a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries. If you’re making a larger batch of cranberry sauce, you can double this amount for two bags of cranberries.

You can stick with just one type of dried fruit or mix and match a variety of fruits. Either way, I prefer using unsweetened dried fruit that doesn’t contain preservatives or added color so the natural flavors and colors of the fruit shine. 

My favorite combination is apricots, dates, and golden raisins, but feel free to experiment with your favorites. I chop larger pieces of fruit, like the apricots and dates, into smaller, bite-sized pieces for a uniform consistency.

Since dried fruit adds sweetness, you may want to cut back on the amount of sweetener you add to the cranberry sauce. I recommend starting with about one-third cup of sweetener. Taste and adjust until you’ve got the right balance of tartness and sweetness for your liking.