Cranberry sauce is a traditional accompaniment to turkey and other foods at holiday meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas. While cranberry sauce can add a delightful tart and tangy flavor to the meal, some people find it to be too bitter. There are a few simple tricks you can use to mellow out the bitterness of cranberry sauce.
Why is cranberry sauce bitter?
Cranberries contain organic acids like quinic, citric, and malic acids that give them their characteristic sour and bitter taste. When cranberries are cooked into a sauce, the heat breaks down some of the acids and concentrates the bitterness. The amount of sugar added to the sauce can also impact the bitterness. Less sugar leads to a more tart, bitter flavor.
Add more sugar
One of the easiest ways to reduce bitterness in cranberry sauce is to add more sugar. The extra sweetness helps mask the bitter notes from the cranberries. Here’s a look at how much sugar is typically used in popular cranberry sauce recipes:
| Recipe | Sugar |
|---|---|
| Basic stovetop cranberry sauce | 1 cup white sugar |
| Fresh or frozen cranberry sauce | 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups white sugar |
| Spiced cranberry sauce | 1 to 1 1/4 cups brown sugar |
As you can see, most recipes call for at least 1 cup of sugar for 12 ounces of fresh or frozen cranberries. Bumping up the amount of sugar by a 1/4 to a 1/2 cup per batch can make a noticeable difference in balancing out bitterness.
Use orange juice
In addition to extra sweetener, the acidity in orange juice can help mellow out the harsh bitter edges of cranberry sauce. Orange juice adds a touch of sweetness along with citric and malic acids that complement the flavor of cranberries.
Replace 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the liquid called for in a cranberry sauce recipe with orange juice. Fresh-squeezed juice will have the most potent flavor and acidity. For convenience, you can use store-bought orange juice. Go with a 100% juice variety rather than a juice blend.
Splash in lemon juice
Lemons have a similar bitter and acidic taste profile to cranberries. Adding some lemon juice to your cranberry sauce can help round out the flavor. The citric acid in lemons provides tartness to balance the bitterness.
About 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice is all you need for a 12-ounce batch of cranberry sauce. Sprinkle in a little lemon zest too for extra flavor. The bright, fresh taste of citrus cuts through the darker berry flavors.
Use cranberry juice
You might be surprised to learn that adding cranberry juice to cranberry sauce can help mellow out bitterness. Although cranberry juice contains some of the same bitter compounds as whole cranberries, the liquid form has a milder, fruitier flavor.
Making your sauce with a 50/50 combination of cranberry juice and fresh cranberries results in a lighter, sweeter flavor. Gradually reduce the amount of juice if you prefer a more classically tart and tangy taste.
Sweeten with maple syrup or honey
Rather than plain white sugar, you can use liquid sweeteners like maple syrup or honey to soften bitterness in cranberry sauce recipes. The rich, nuanced flavors of these sweeteners help counteract harsh bitterness.
Maple syrup provides a subtle caramel taste that pairs beautifully with tart cranberry sauce. For best results, use real maple syrup, not just maple-flavored pancake syrup.
Honey adds floral essence along with sweetness. Opt for a mild honey like clover or orange blossom so the flavor doesn’t overpower the cranberries.
When substituting for granulated sugar, use a 1:1 ratio. You may want to reduce the liquid in the recipe slightly to account for the extra moisture from the syrup or honey.
Infuse cranberries with warm spices
Warm baking spices like cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg can help mellow out cranberry sauce. Adding these spices won’t make the sauce any less tart, but they change your perception of bitterness. Sweet aromatic compounds in the spices balance against the cranberry’s acidity.
For a 12-ounce batch of cranberry sauce, add:
– 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
– 1/4 teaspoon allspice
– Small pinch of ginger and nutmeg
Mix the spices into your sugar before adding to the cranberries. The heat helps release their full flavor. Whole spices or larger pieces like cinnamon sticks also infuse well when cooked into the sauce.
Toast the cranberries
Dry toasting fresh cranberries before making your sauce intensifies their flavor and reduces any harsh sourness. To toast cranberries, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
The heat breaks down some of the bitter organic acids in the cranberries and develops deeper, more complex notes. The toasted cranberries will be shriveled and darkened in color when ready. Let them cool before using in your recipe.
Splash in cranberry liqueur
For adults, adding a small splash of cranberry liqueur is a foolproof way to tame bitterness. Good-quality cranberry liqueurs like Crave Quencher contain cranberry juice and lots of sugar to counterbalance the alcohol bite.
Add no more than 1 to 2 tablespoons cranberry liqueur to a basic 12-ounce cranberry sauce recipe. Any more than that, and the boozy flavor will overpower the sauce. The liqueur’s sweet-tart cranberry taste shines through without excessive bitterness.
Cut the sauce with applesauce
Applesauce is naturally sweet and acidic. Mixing in a few tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce per batch of cranberry sauce provides a pleasant fruit flavor that masks bitterness.
Start with a ratio of 2 parts cranberry sauce to 1 part applesauce and adjust to suit your preferences. You can use regular smooth applesauce or chunkier homemade varieties.
Balance with berries
Blend in a few handfuls of raspberries, blueberries or strawberries to help offset cranberry bitterness. These berries each contribute their own flavors – raspberries are tart, blueberries are sweet-tart, and strawberries are sweet. Combining them with the cranberries creates a more complex, fruity flavor.
Aim for a 1:2 ratio of added berries to cranberries. Cook the berries into the sauce or gently fold them in at the end to preserve their fresh flavor. The extra berry juices also help tame the harsh acidity of the cranberries.
Sweeten with apples or pears
Diced apples or pears make a delicious addition to cranberry sauce. Their sweetness and delicate flavor balances against the extreme tartness of cranberries.
Almost any apple or pear variety will work well, including Granny Smith, Fuji, Bartlett, and Anjou. Cut the fruit into 1/4 to 1/2 inch pieces before adding to the sauce.
Use an equivalent amount of diced apple or pear as you have fresh cranberries – for example, 12 ounces of chopped fruit per 12 ounces of fresh cranberries. Cook the fruit mixture together until the cranberries pop and the apples or pears are tender.
Mellow with red wine
Deep red wines have complementary flavor compounds to cranberries that can help smooth out bitterness. Dry red wines like Pinot Noir have pleasant fruitiness to balance cranberry’s tart acidity.
Replace 1/4 cup of the liquid in your cranberry sauce recipe with red wine. Use a wine you would enjoy drinking – nothing too tannic or strong-flavored. Simmer the wine with the cranberries to meld the flavors. The alcohol also cooks off, leaving behind cranberry essence.
Conclusion
Bitterness in cranberry sauce comes from the natural acids in the cranberries, concentrated by cooking. But with a few tweaks and additions, you can still enjoy the vibrant flavor of cranberries without an overly harsh bite.
Extra sweetener, additional fruit juices or zest, spices, and even a splash of liquor or wine are easy ways to balance out bitterness. Vary the ingredients depending on your preferences for a sweetened, mellow cranberry sauce perfect for holiday meals and beyond.