Easy Homemade Cranberry Applesauce (with maple syrup)🍎 A bright and delicious applesauce recipe with fresh cranberries lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup, a touch of holiday spice, lemon juice and orange zest.
A few years ago, I was looking for a light side dish to add to our Thanksgiving meal. Something that would contrast nicely with all the fabulous savory and rich 'veganized' traditional foods we love to serve. I always make my simple cranberry orange sauce and cranberry relish, but thought it would be fun to include something new. So I made homemade cranberry applesauce sweetened with maple syrup. Oh my gosh, it's so good!
I absolutely love the combination of tart fresh cranberries intermingled with apples, like in my Old Fashioned Vegan Applesauce Cake. One of the easiest ways to enjoy the two fruits together is by combining cranberries with this yummy homemade applesauce. With a dash of ground cloves, nutmeg & orange zest, it's a perfect fall, Thanksgiving or holiday side dish!
Why this recipe works
- Makes a light, delicious & colorful dessert, side dish or snack
- Loaded with Vitamin C and other healthy nutrients
- Very easy to make
- Serve during the holidays or anytime!
- Can be prepared with homemade or store-bought applesauce
- Add or substitute ingredients as needed
🥕Did you know? Cranberries are one of the only commercial fruits native to North America.
With just a few basic ingredients you can have a batch of this easy & delish cranberry applesauce ready to serve in less than 30 minutes!
🥕See the printable recipe card below for quantities and complete details.
Ingredients
- Applesauce - homemade (preferred) or store-bought
- Water
- Maple Syrup - may be substituted with agave nectar or sugar.
- Nutmeg - ground
- Cloves - ground
- Orange Zest - may substitute with lemon zest
🥕Tip: Adding ground nutmeg and cloves will give the applesauce a wonderful holiday flavor, but can be omitted if you prefer.
Be sure to check out my recipe for making simply the best homemade applesauce. I think you'll agree it's so much better than store-bought and very easy to prepare. Here's the recipe.
Instructions
First, prepare a batch of easy homemade applesauce, (or use store-bought). Gather other ingredients & rinse cranberries, making sure to remove any stems.
Pour maple syrup and water in stovetop pot. Add fresh cranberries.
Cover (to avoid splatters) and simmer at a low boil until cranberries become soft.
Once cranberries are tender, remove from heat and strain liquid. Add cooked cranberries and spices to applesauce. Stir to combine. Cool and serve!
Equipment
- Large covered pot
- Measuring cup
- Measuring spoons
- Large strainer or colander
- Citrus zester
🥕 Tip: I love adding whole cranberries to my applesauce, but if you prefer a smoother texture, simply purée the cooked cranberries in a blender or food processor before adding to the applesauce. You can also combine both the whole cooked cranberries with applesauce and purée everything together at once for an even smoother texture.
FAQ's
If you're short on time, you can definitely use store-bought applesauce, but in my opinion, nothing beats homemade.
Cranberries are considered a superfood because they have a lot of health-boosting benefits.
According to this article:
"They’re high in antioxidants. A study found that out of 20 common fruits, cranberries have the highest level of phenols, a type of antioxidant. (Red grapes were a distant second.)"
A cup of raw cranberries contain 25% of your daily requirement of vitamin C and are loaded with many other vitamins and nutrients. Learn more about the health benefits of cranberries here.
Cranberries should remain fresh for up to one month in a refrigerator. Dull or wrinkled looking cranberries are not fresh and should be discarded. You can also freeze them for several months, providing you place them in a freezer as soon as you bring them home from the store. Here is a website with details and tips on safely freezing fresh cranberries
Package applesauce in an airtight container and store refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 3 months. Thaw in a refrigerator before using.
Love cranberries? Here's a few more recipes you might enjoy!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, please rate it in the comments below. Sharing your experience helps others decide if they should give it a try too. Thanks a bunch!🥕
Recipe
Easy Homemade Cranberry Applesauce with Maple Syrup
Equipment
- Large covered pot
- large strainer or colander
Ingredients
Instructions
- Thoroughly rinse/drain cranberries
- Pour water, maple syrup and cranberries into a 5 qt. or larger stovetop pot and cover with lid (to prevent splatters).
- Place over med-high heat until liquid is boiling. Reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until cranberries pop open and soften.
- Remove from heat. Strain liquid from cranberries.
- Spoon cranberries into applesauce. Stir until combined or if you prefer a smoother sauce, place cranberries and applesauce into into a blender and pulse until puréed.
- Stir in spices and zest (if desired).
- Allow to cool, then transfer into an airtight container. Store refrigerated up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you're using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Sarah
What a great looking sauce, and versatile. I can't usually get fresh cranberries where I am, could I use frozen instead?
Cindy Mom, the Lunch Lady
I am loving this cranberry applesauce. It would be an amazing addition to a pork dinner.
Lara
What a delicious sounding recipe. I’m going to try it with pan roasted pork tenderloin.
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Thanks very much Lara! I love serving cranberry applesauce with pan-seared tofu.😊
Emily Flint
I'm not sure why I never thought that cranberries and apples would make the most amazing sauce...but they do! I can't wait to make this again for Thanksgiving!
Andrea White
Love this! Perfect for the holiday season coming up!
Kayla DiMaggio
Yum! Loved how easy this cranberry applesauce was to make! It was so delicious as well! I loved the tang of the cranberries!
Connie Edwards McGaughy
Once I realized how easy & delicious it is to make my own applesauce, I rarely buy store-bought anymore. This recipe for cranberry applesauce combines two of my favorite fruits into one wonderful dish!