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The perfect combination of tart and sweet, Crockpot Express Cranberry Sauce is an easy side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas that’s ready in minutes.
I don’t know why I waited until this year to make Crockpot Express Cranberry Sauce. It’s so incredibly FAST and simple in a pressure cooker! It’s not like making cranberry sauce is difficult to begin with, but if you can just toss the ingredients in a pot and walk away, why wouldn’t you? 🙂
Growing up, we always had cranberry jelly straight out of the can. It wasn’t Thanksgiving unless there was a weird slice of can-shaped red stuff on your plate. I don’t mean to disparage my upbringing in any way, but….come on, Mom…
…homemade is SO MUCH BETTER.
I’m also amazed at how well this Crockpot Express Cranberry Sauce gels together to create an almost jelly-like texture. There’s no gelatin or thickening agent in the recipe, and it still fills the spoon beautifully.
There are only 5 ingredients in this simple recipe: cranberries, freshly squeezed orange juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. I like adding nutmeg to holiday dishes. It just brings that spicy fall flavor and adds a little extra dimension to the tart and sweet combination in cranberry sauce.
Making this recipe in the Crockpot Express means that instead of waiting for a pot to boil and then babysitting a saucepan on the stove for 10 minutes, you can toss everything in the pot and just hit “start.” The whole recipe is done in less than 15 minutes from start to finish.
Now, that’s how you save your sanity on a busy Thanksgiving morning! Plus, you’re saving space on the stove for other things. Win-win!
What other Thanksgiving dishes can I make in the Crockpot Express?
- We have a very large family, so we stick with making mashed potatoes in a large slow cooker for our Thanksgiving meal, but if you don’t need to feed 20 people, Crockpot Express Mashed Potatoes are SO easy to make and they taste fabulous!
- Do you like to serve more than one protein for Thanksgiving dinner? We make a turkey and a ham for more variety (and so we don’t need a 25 pound turkey.) Try this Crockpot Express Ham with the delicious glaze!
- How about dessert? Pressure cookers make the best cheesecakes, and this Crockpot Express Pumpkin Cheesecake is no exception!
Crockpot Express Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries
- 1/3 cup orange juice (juice from one large orange)
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Add the cranberries, freshly squeezed orange juice, zest and spices to the inner pot. Stir to combine.
- Pour the sugar over the top of the berries. DO NOT STIR.
- Close and lock the lid, turning the steam release valve to closed. Press Steam and adjust time down to 3 minutes. (high pressure) Press Start/Stop.
- When cooking cycle is ended, allow 5 minutes of natural pressure release. Do not do a quick release right away, as the berries get foamy while cooking. After 5 minutes, carefully release the pressure in intermittent bursts to avoid a mess.
- Open the lid, stir and mash any large berries gently with a spatula. Taste to check for your preferred sweetness. If it's not sweet enough for you, stir in more sugar 1 tbsp at a time, tasting as you go. Remove to cool and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with fresh orange zest.
Notes
- Stir in real maple syrup instead of sugar at the end for added sweetness and another layer of flavor
- Sauce will thicken and gel as it cools. Warm in a saucepan with a little apple juice to thin it out if desired.
- Tastes great with turkey or as a spread!
Nutrition
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