2 minute • How to Serve Canned Cranberry Sauce • Loaves and Dishes

Delicious Canned Cranberry Sauce is the EASIEST and FASTEST way to serve that smart bite with your holiday meal. When you know how to serve canned cranberry sauce, you are on your way to a successful holiday meal!

How to Serve Canned Cranberry Sauce

Probably the most important thing to know about cranberry sauce is that it offers a little spice and acidity to break up the fattiness of a holiday meal.

Think for a minute about your holiday meal. Usually there is a fatty meat with carby side dishes and even the veggies are soft and oozing with butter or oil.

You need something with a bit of a kick to break it up.

That’s the role of Canned Cranberry Sauce.

If you want to try and make a different type of Cranberry Sauce, here’s an original recipe (and it’s easy!)

Here’s What You’ll Need

It really depends on how you like your canned cranberry sauce!

• If you enjoy it right out of the can, then you only need a can opener, a small plate and a butter knife.
• Like it better like a sauce? Then you’ll need a small bowl and a spoon but you may also want to heat it in a sauce pan and add some ingredients to jazz it up (see below)

Here’s How It’s Done

Depending on how you like yours, you’ll do one of the following…

• Open both ends of the can, jiggle and shake the can until it slides out in one solid piece onto a small plate. Cut into 1/4 inch slices and serve by offering a large serving spoon.
• Pour the contents of the can into a sauce pan, use a wooden spoon to break up the contents into a sauce and heat slightly over medium heat. Make additions as noted below.

Special Equipment

You don’t need ANY special equipment BUT they do make a fun and kind of cool dish/spoon combination especially for canned cranberry sauce.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)

More FAQ’s…

Sometimes FAQ’s are more than you can read in small outlined boxes so here’s the answers to your burning canned cranberry sauce questions…

How Do You Serve a Can of Cranberry Sauce

The question on everyone’s mind is how do I serve a can of cranberry sauce? It’s so easy, no worries at all. I’ll show you how in the article below.

Do You Heat Up Canned Cranberry Sauce

It’s really up to your own preference. In my family, we slide it out of the can, slice it up and serve it up.

In other families, you’ll find that heating it is preferred. It’s then stirred into a “sauce” and served in a bowl with a spoon.

There are ways to enhance the flavor by heating it up and I’ll review those below.

Does Canned Cranberry Sauce Need to Be Refrigerated

After canned cranberry sauce is opened, yes, it needs to be refrigerated within 2 hours of opening.

Keep the canned cranberry sauce covered and refrigerated until used. Do not keep for longer than 5 days.

Whats the Best Canned Cranberry Sauce

Oh, now, we aren’t in to starting arguments, but the brand I see most often on the canned food shelves at the grocery is the Ocean Spray brand.

They are known for cranberries. It’s what they do.

How to Serve Canned Cranberry Sauce with Turkey

Everyone has their own ideas about this and therefore, it’s probably best to let folks do what folks do.

Offer your cranberry sauce either in slices on a plate or as a sauce in a bowl and let people put it on their turkey, stuffing, green beans or whatever they have in mind.

How To Jazz Up Canned Cranberry Sauce

Oh, you’ll be tickled with this! There are quite a few ways to jazz up canned cranberry sauce and here are some good ideas…

• Orange Juice – Heat the contents of the can on the stove, break it up with a spatula and add 1/4 cup of orange juice.
• Ginger – Heat up the cranberry sauce on the stove and add a few tablespoons of fresh ground ginger.
• Fruit – Mix in about 1/4 cup of chopped fruit like oranges, pineapple, etc.
• Nuts – chop and toast some pecans or almond slivers to mix in. Adds a nice crunch.
• Adult Zing – Add a few tablespoons of sweet white wine.

Tips and Tricks

• If you like your cranberry sauce in the can shape and served in slices, open the cranberry sauce last when preparing the meal so that it doesn’t become all weepy.
• When the meal is over, cover the cranberry sauce and refrigerate to help keep your sauce from getting weepy so fast.
• Go ahead and slice the can shaped sauce so that it is easier for your guests to get the sauce they want.
• Open both ends of the can to shake and jiggle the can shaped sauce out of the can. This removes the suction issues.

Can You Help Me Out?

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• 15 oz Cranberry sauce
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 tsp sugar optional

• Open the can of cranberry sauce and empty into the saucepan.

• Add the orange juice and use a wooden spoon to break up the cranberry sauce.

• Heat over medium heat until heated through.

• Taste and add sugar if neede

• If you like your cranberry sauce in the can shape and served in slices, open the cranberry sauce last when preparing the meal so that it doesn’t become all weepy.
• When the meal is over, cover the cranberry sauce and refrigerate to help keep your sauce from getting weepy so fast.
• Go ahead and slice the can shaped sauce so that it is easier for your guests to get the sauce they want.
• Open both ends of the can to shake and jiggle the can shaped sauce out of the can. This removes the suction issues.

Nutrition Facts

How to Serve Canned Cranberry Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 90
Calories from Fat 1

% Daily Value*

Fat 0.1g0%

Saturated Fat 0.01g0%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.02g

Monounsaturated Fat 0.01g

Sodium 3mg0%

Potassium 30mg1%

Carbohydrates 23g8%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 18g20%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin A 38IU1%

Vitamin C 4mg5%

Calcium 2mg0%

Iron 0.2mg1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

A Verse to Share

Earlier today I witnessed someone cracking someone else over the head with scripture from Proverbs. Honestly, I think it’s this kind of thing that is giving Christianity a bad name.

If someone doesn’t believe in and follow the Bible, I doubt you will convince them of the truth by quoting the Bible. You have to find a different way.

Perhaps the best way is to live your best life and allow them to see your own inner peace and when asked how you achieve that, you can say that it comes through your faith. See how that works? Romans 14 has a lot of good things to say about this. Give it a try, if the Bible is your thing.

Romans 14:13

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.