Start a new tradition for the family Thanksgiving table by adding another fall fruit with this easy and delicious cranberry pomegranate sauce. Find more of my pomegranate recipes.
Every year for Thanksgiving I like to mix a bit of family favorite recipes with new ones. One of my favorite dishes on the Thanksgiving spread is the cranberry sauce. I never go with the crappy canned stuff, and I never just dollop a spoonful on my plate.
No, cranberry sauce always gets significant real estate on my plate, and I like to serve it as a condiment for other meals too. It works beautifully with roast pork, chicken or fish. So don’t knock my favorite relish.
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Laura says :
Why this recipe works
- Low sugar: I use just enough sugar to balance the tartness of the cranberry sauce. It’s a sauce not a jam!
- Make ahead: Because cranberries are highly acidic, they discourage bacteria growth. So you can make this sauce up to two weeks prior to serving it!
- Flavorful: Pomegranate juice and arils are both added to the sauce to make it fruity and amazing!
- How to serve: You can serve this with your holiday turkey, anytime roast chicken, pork chops or fish.
Ingredients you need
- Pomegranate: You can add as much or as little pomegranate to the mix. I start with about one heaping cup, which you can get from one large pomegranate.
- Pomegranate juice: For more pomegranate flavor, I add pomegranate juice.
- Cranberries: One bag of cranberries is used in this recipe. It can be fresh from the grocery store or from frozen cranberries.
- Sugar: I usually use regular granulated sugar, but you can also use brown sugar or honey. I also like my pomegranate sauce a little on the tart side, so this sauce isn’t overly sweet.
Step-by-step directions
- Prep the cranberries. Wash and clean cranberries, picking out any rotting or bad fruit and place in a small pot.
- Add sugar. Add pomegranate juice and sugar and bring to boil, about 7 minutes.
- Simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Chill. Remove from heat and let sauce cool for 5 minutes. Refrigerate for 2-4 hours. Once cooled or prior to serving, stir in pomegranate arils. Yup, it’s that easy.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQS
Although you can buy already shucked pomegranate in the grocery store, it is so much better to seed one yourself. Don’t worry, I show you how to simple it is to cut a pomegranate. While the cranberries are cooking, cut open and seed the pomegranate.
You can also seed the pomegranate several days before adding them to the cranberry sauce. Just store the arils in a resealable container.
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Serve with your favorite roast. And check out my family’s favorite thanksgiving recipes:
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Cranberries are highly acidic, which discourages bacteria growth. Cranberry sauce can be made and refrigerated at least two weeks before serving, and leftovers are likely to stay fresh for another two weeks.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 6 months.
Inside the pomegranate fruit, you will find segments filled with ruby red arils. These arils include a little white seed. The seed is edible and is rich in fiber.
Absolutely! Because cranberries are highly acidic, they discourages bacteria growth. This means you can make cranberry sauce up to two weeks in advance.
Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 cup pomegranate juice
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup pomegranate arils
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add cranberries, pomegranate juice and sugar and bring to boil, about 7 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Remove from heat and let sauce cool for 5 minutes.
- Refrigerate for 2-4 hours.
- Prior to serving, stir in pomegranate arils.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
I love them too. A friend of mine often serves them with bubbly wine for special occasions. And the seem like a great fruit to blend in with cranberries.