Homemade Cranberry Sauce That is Full of Probiotics (2024)

This homemade cranberry sauce is a probiotic rich, naturally fermented, and whole berry based sauce. It isn’t full of sugar or cooked on the stove top, and can be made well in advance for holidays. It’s also fridge stable. Made with honey, whole cranberries, and a natural fermentation process, this homemade cranberry sauce is both tart, sweet, and delicious.

I’ve done fermented cranberry sauce for several years now, both for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This sauce recipe is simple, but should be started about two weeks before the holiday you want the sauce for. Any leftovers can be safely stored for a minimum of a month, and up to 6 months in the fridge. There’s no need to boil this sauce, and it goes great with turkey and chicken.

Homemade cranberry sauce is a fairly traditional side dish with turkey, helping to compensate for any dryness in the cooked turkey. If you’re new to cooking a turkey, check out grandma’s tips for the perfect holiday bird, and avoid some of the worries. Many cranberry sauce recipes are heavy in sugar, or juice to help even out the tartness of the cranberries. This one calls for honey, that is preferably local and un-pasturized. So it’s still sweet, but also has a delicious tangy tartness from the fermentation.

Note: Due to the honey, don’t share this cranberry sauce with infants under one year of age.

What Zest to Use:

You can use lemon zest, as I did in my original fermented cranberry sauce recipe, that was blended. I like varying the recipe, and I’ve used lime zest and orange zest in different variations. This recipe calls for orange zest.

To zest an orange, first rinse it off with hot water and vinegar. Then, simply use the smallest side of a standard grater, and grate the colored portion of the orange’s rind off. You’ll need 1 tablespoon of zest, or about the zest of two navel oranges for this recipe.

The Cranberries:

You can use frozen cranberries for this recipe, but I would recommend a fresh, unfrozen package in preference. The pre-frozen cranberries can be softer, and you won’t get nice clear berries in the finished sauce. This is an un-blended sauce, with the express goal of having whole cranberries in the finished product.

This recipe has a unique blend of flavors, since the fermentation process imparts a distinct tangy-ness to the final sauce. Work with fresh cranberries to retain crisp, whole cranberries in the finished product. If you like a smooth cranberry sauce, try this original recipe instead of this whole-berry one.

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Homemade Cranberry Sauce:

Fermented cranberry sauce is an awesome way to get in a hit of probiotics for your gut health, even in the midst of the holiday bustle, chaos, and fancy foods.

Ingredients:

• 1 bag whole cranberries, fresh
• 2 cups local, unpasturized liquid honey
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
• 2 inch piece ginger, grated OR 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Directions:

1. You will need a fermentation airlock for this recipe. You do not need a saucepan or to use a stove top though. Total prep time is about 15-20 minutes, with the fermentation taking 7-10 days during winter months. During summer months the cranberry sauce mixture may ferment faster, within 5-7 days due to hotter ambient temperatures.
2. Wash cranberries in a vinegar and water rinse. Then rinse with plain water. Let the cranberries drain.
3. Zest and juice the oranges, it is easiest to zest the orange before cutting it for juicing. Strain out any seeds in the orange juice.
4. In a glass bowl, combine cranberries, orange zest, and orange juice. Peel, grate, and add the ginger root if using. Or add in the cinnamon if using.
5. Warm about two cups of honey until it is liquid and easy to pour. Warm it in warm water, or in a double boiler on low. Create a double boiler by placing a pan on the stove, on medium, with water in it and setting a glass jar of honey in it. Once the outside water gets close to simmering, turn the stove down to three. Do not warm honey in the microwave, do not over-warm.
6. Pour cranberry berry mixture into a quart wide mouthed jar, slowly pour honey into the jar. Use a flat butter knife to stir up the cranberries and release any air bubbles. Top up the jar to the shoulders with the honey, make sure the cranberries are covered.
7. Secure your fermentation lid and lock on the jar. Set the jar on a plate at room temperature.
8. Your cranberry sauce should begin bubbling within 24 hours in a warm environment. If your house is cool, it can take up to 48 hours to begin bubbling. Once it is bubbling, observe and make sure it doesn’t overflow. The fermentation lock means you don’t need to “burp” the jar.
9. When the bubbling slows down, or stops, after 7-10 days. Remove the air lock and replace it with a standard lid. Transfer the jar of fermented cranberry sauce into your refrigerator. I like letting the homemade cranberry sauce sit for at least 3 days in the fridge to let the flavors really meld.

Your total time for hand’s on with this recipe should be about 20 minutes. Most of the time is waiting for the fermentation magic to happen. The taste is slightly tart, and quite sweet and tangy at the same time.

Other Variations:

If you like other spices in your cranberry sauce, like cloves, nutmeg, or allspice, you can use those instead of the recommended ginger or cinnamon. I like keeping the flavor profile fairly simple, hence the ginger. You can also simmer some of those herbs in a small amount of water, in a pot on the stove, and add just a few tablespoons of the spice tea instead of some of the orange juice.

This homemade cranberry sauce recipe goes well on turkey sandwiches after the holidays are over, or just on turkey sandwiches in general.

Why This Recipe is Different:

While it doesn’t have less sugar than normal recipes, it does contain honey instead of white sugar. You can make this cranberry sauce ahead of time, up to a month ahead. It goes well on turkey breast, and is a good companion to stuffing and even sweet potato casserole.

This recipe contains active probiotics, and is gut-healthy. It’s a great way to sneak in some extra gut boosts on those heavy holiday meals.

Back to You:

What’s your favorite holiday recipe or favorite natural fermentation recipe? Leave a comment, we’d love to hear from you.