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Canning Cranberry Sauce

Canning cranberry sauce with whole berries creates a glossy, thick texture after a gentle boil and burst berries. This small-batch method fills hot jars with 1/4-inch headspace and uses a boiling water bath for safe storage.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 24 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberry sauce base
  • 48 oz fresh cranberries
  • 4 cup sugar
  • 2 cup water
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 2 tbsp bottled lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp orange zest

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prepare canning setup
  1. Wash 12 half-pint jars, lids, and bands, then keep the jars hot in simmering water to prevent temperature shock. Visual cue: jars should look hot and steamy, not cold or dry.
Cook the cranberry sauce
  1. Bring sugar, water, and orange juice to a boil in a large pot, stirring until dissolved. Visual cue: mixture turns clear and fully bubbling at a rolling boil.
  2. Add fresh cranberries and bottled lemon juice, then boil gently for 10-12 minutes until the berries burst and the sauce thickens. Visual cue: skins split and the sauce coats the berries more heavily as it thickens.
  3. Stir in orange zest after the sauce thickens, then keep the mixture hot. Visual cue: zest distributes as small flecks throughout the sauce.
Fill jars and process
  1. Ladle hot sauce into the hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace, then wipe the rims clean. Visual cue: liquid level stays below the rim to keep seals from failing.
  2. Apply lids and bands fingertip tight, then process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes, adjusting time for altitude. Visual cue: jars remain submerged with active boiling throughout the full time.
Cool, seal, and store
  1. Turn off the heat and rest the jars in the canner for 5 minutes before lifting them out. Visual cue: jars settle without cracking or rapid temperature change.
  2. Cool jars undisturbed for 24 hours until fully sealed. Visual cue: lids look slightly concave and do not flex when pressed.
  3. Check that the lids have sealed, then store sealed jars in a cool dark place up to 1 year. Visual cue: sealed lids stay firmly sucked down.

Notes

Pro tip: keep jars hot and work with hot sauce to help prevent seal failures and prevent siphoning. Refrigerate opened jars and use within 7-10 days; properly canned, sealed jars store in a cool dark place up to 1 year. Freezing is not recommended for this specific water-bath-canned method. For a lower-sugar option, use a reduced-sugar cranberry preserve-style sweetener substitute designed for canning (follow the label for boil time and headspace).