This Crockpot Apple Cranberry Sauce is spiked with orange and crystallized ginger. Fantastic with roast turkey!
The barrage of holiday recipes has started. For my Canadian and other non-American readers, I urge you to think of these recipes not just for American Thanksgiving, but for the whole holiday season. In fact, our family tradition is to eat turkey at Christmas dinner, complete with mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes and a double dose of gravy. For my family, it's not a proper turkey dinner without our favorite
Maple & Brown Sugar Cranberry Sauce and my mother-in-law's Crockpot Applesauce. Our favorite cranberry sauce will be making appearance again this year. In fact, I think my kids would have "words" with me if I didn't make it. However, since variety is the spice of life (so they say), I thought it would be fun to have another version on hand for day-after sandwiches.
Between the family applesauce recipe and the pear applesauce I made this year, the crockpot (slow cooker) has always worked well for us. Not only does it fill the kitchen with the smell of the holidays, but it can be tucked away in the corner of the kitchen, freeing up stovetop space, which is at a premium when cooking a holiday meal. This version is filled with cranberries, fresh orange juice, orange zest and chopped crystallized ginger. As the apples cook down and the cranberries pop, the color takes on a ruby red hue. Before removing the sauce from the crockpot, be sure to taste it. If you find it to be too tart, just add an extra tablespoon or two of brown sugar to sweeten things up.
The apple cranberry sauce recipe:
Place all of the apple pieces and cranberries in a large bowl and stir in brown sugar and orange zest.
Pour orange juice into the bottom of a large crockpot (slow cooker) and add the apple mixture.
Cover, turn the crockpot setting to Low, and cook for about 8 hours, stirring occasionally and breaking up the apple slices and popping cranberries with a wooden spoon as they soften.
Stir in crystallized ginger. Taste and add an additional tablespoon or two of brown sugar if you find the sauce too tart for your liking.
Serve warm or room temperature.
Other cranberry sauce recipes:
Cookin' Canuck's Maple & Brown Sugar Cranberry Sauce
Two Peas and Their Pod's Fresh Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ciao Florentina's Blood Orange Cranberry Sauce
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Apple & Cranberry Sauce with Orange & Crystallized Ginger Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium Gala apples peeled, cored, quartered & sliced
- 1 12 ounce package fresh cranberries
- 5 tablespoons brown sugar or more to taste
- 1 teaspoons grated orange zest
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup chopped crystallized ginger
Instructions
- Place all of the apple pieces and cranberries in a large bowl and stir in brown sugar and orange zest.
- Pour orange juice into the bottom of a large crockpot (slow cooker) and add the apple mixture.
- Cover, turn the crockpot setting to Low, and cook for about 8 hours, stirring occasionally and breaking up the apple slices and cranberries with a wooden spoon as they soften.
- Stir in crystallized ginger. Taste and add an additional tablespoon or two of brown sugar if you find the sauce to be too tart.
- Serve warm or room temperature.
Nutrition
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Megan @ Ginger Mom's Tastes and Travels
I have a bag of cranberries to use up and apples coming out my ears! This looks like something I'm going to have to try 🙂 The only question is: do I have enough crockpots. I've already allocated many of my side dishes to crockpots this year. Happy Thanksgiving!
Natasha Coleman
Made this last year and forgot it had to be on 8 hours!!! So this year I have the pot on high. I will update on the result in 5 hours lol!
Yokuyst
My crockpot has something in it now. Can I cook this on top my stove on low heat?
Erin
I followed this recipe exactly, but the end results turned out a brownish color, and the taste was really off. Any idea what the reason could be for that?
Dara
Hmm...I'm not sure what went wrong as I haven't experienced that, but I'm sorry to hear that it didn't turn out for you. A few possibilities: 1) It's possible that your LOW setting is a little hotter than mine. Perhaps try cooking it for a shorter time. 2) Were the cut apples sitting out for awhile before going into the crockpot? I'm just wondering if they started to brown before being cooked. 3) Were the cranberries really fresh? I know I've bought bags of cranberries in the past that had some less-than-stellar cranberries in the bunch.
Amy
How many servings does this make? I'm hosting somewhere between 15-20 people, and I'm wondering if I need to double the recipe and/or adjust cooking time if so...
Dara
Hi Amy, the recipe makes about 4 cups. So, it all depends on how much your guests like cranberry sauce. If you ration 1/4 cup per person, that would serve approximately 16 people. To be on the safe side, I'd probably make 1 1/2 time the recipe, which may require you to cook it slightly longer. I hope you enjoy it!