Cranberry Applesauce

Change the way you eat apple sauce and make a batch of Cranberry Applesauce using just 5 ingredients that is both gluten free and dairy free. This delicious side dish comes together in under an hours time and makes for the perfect side dish for pork tenderloin or even turkey.

Remember, when I posted about my mom’s homemade applesauce, last year? Well, I started tinkering with that recipe the other week. You see, I love that applesauce but I wanted something a bit different. I served up a juicy pork loin and my Gratin Dauphinois alongside of this gorgeous and uber flavorful (and festive) cranberry applesauce. Cranberries are a luxury food item that we only get to really embrace and cook with for a whopping 2 months (ok, maybe 3 months) out of the year!

I’m a big fan of chunky applesauce. Pureed applesauce doesn’t always fly for me so I tend to keep my applesauce a bit more on the chunky side. However, if you like it 100% pureed — do it! Get your puree on. That’s the great thing about recipes–you can always adapt and modify to your liking. Of course this applesauce doesn’t look like traditional applesauce thanks to the red dye in the cranberries. This is a sweet and tangy applesauce and pairs well with pork and of course you could always serve it next to your turkey tomorrow. Simple enough to make the day of and serve hot or make it tonight and pull it out of the refrigerator just before your ready to serve your Thanksgiving meal.

Directions

• Peel, core, and chop apples.
• Place the chopped apples in a sauce pan on medium heat. Rinse the cranberries and add them to the pot. Add sugar, cinnamon and apple juice. Give the contents of the pot a stir, place the lid on the pot, turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for 30 minutes (mixing periodically).
• Serve warm or let cool to room temperature.

Tips & Tricks

Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks whenever I make cranberry apple sauce.

• Smooth Applesauce – If you don’t like chunky applesauce feel free to run it through a food processor or blend with an immersion blender.
• Cranberries – This recipe requires fresh cranberries. If you don’t have fresh cranberries on hand you can use frozen cranberries.
• Apples – Any style of apple will work. A tart apple like a Granny Smith is what I typically recommend as it holds it shape better.
• Cranberries Cooking – Don’t be alarmed, your cranberries will begin to pop.
• Cooking Varies – Depending on your stove you may need to reduce the heat if the apples and cranberry begin to boil. Apples and cranberries should be soft to touch.
• Storage – Store in an air tight container for up to 5 days.
• Yield – Recipe yields about 2 cups cooked cranberry applesauce.

Cranberry Recipes

Craving more recipes that have cranberries in them? Give a few of these cranberry recipes a try…

• Cranberry Bread
• Turkey Cranberry Flatbread
• Cranberry Mustard Dipping Sauce
• Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
• Apple Cranberry Coleslaw
• Homemade Cranberry Sauce

If you make this cranberry applesauce recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

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