Molded Cranberry Sauce

Molded Cranberry Sauce

a must-have at the holiday table

Recipe by
Reviewed by Arturs Arnicans
Prep Time: 11h 40m
Cook Time: 20m
Total Time: 12h
Servings: 12
Difficulty: Easy
5.0 (18 Reviews)
Cooking Mode
Prevents your screen from turning off while cooking

Ingredients

Adjust servings:

For garnish:

Nutritional Information

96
calories
0g
fat
20.9g
carbohydrates
2g
potein
0mg
cholesterol
17mg
sodium
Molded Cranberry Sauce

Recipe Description

Molded Cranberry Sauce tastes so much better when made from scratch with this simple recipe. I wanted this sauce to feel very classic and just like the one we grew up eating, but with deeper fruit flavor and richness. It’s easy to make, with an always pleasing sweet-tart filling of real cranberries subtly flavored with orange zest, thyme and a touch of vanilla. When making the sauce for a party, prepare it in advance, then pour it into a 4-cup jelly mold or Bundt pan and chill for up to two days.     

Start by cooking the cranberries, cranberry juice, sugar, orange zest, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan. Cook, stirring frequently, until the cranberries stop popping and the mixture has thickened. This takes about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool. In the meantime, pour ¼ cup of water into a bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Let stand until the gelatin softens. In a blender, blend the cooled cranberry mixture until smooth, then add the gelatin and vanilla. Strain the mixture and pour it into the mold. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours. To serve, unmold the cranberry sauce onto a serving plate and garnish with candied orange zest. Enjoy!  

To make the Molded Cranberry Sauce, you will need the following ingredients:

Ingredients for Molded Cranberry Sauce

Steps to make

  1. 1

    Prepare mold or Bundt pan

    1 min
    Step 1 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    Using a cooking spray, lightly grease a 4-cup jelly mold or Bundt pan. Set aside.

  2. 2

    Cook cranberries

    20 min
    Step 2 - Molded Cranberry SauceStep 2 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    To a medium saucepan, add 1 pound cranberries, ¾ cup white cranberry juice, 1 cup sugar, 2 strips orange zest, 2 sprigs thyme, and a pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the cranberries burst and the liquid has thickened, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

  3. 3

    Sprinkle gelatin over water

    10 min
    Step 3 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    In the meantime, sprinkle 1 envelope unflavored gelatin over ¼ cup water in a bowl. Let stand for about 10 minutes to soften.

  4. 4

    Transfer cranberry mixture to a blender

    1 min
    Step 4 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    Once the cranberry mixture is cool, discard the orange zest and thyme sprigs and pour the mixture into a blender.

  5. 5

    Blend

    1 min
    Step 5 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    Blend the cranberry mixture until smooth, about 30 seconds.

  6. 6

    Add gelatin and vanilla

    Step 6 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    Add the gelatin mixture and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and blend for 5 seconds.

  7. 7

    Strain

    2 min
    Step 7 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    Pour the blended mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl.

  8. 8

    Place cranberry sauce in mold

    12h
    Step 8 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    Pour the cranberry sauce into the prepared mold and chill until set, 12 hours or up to 2 days.

  9. 9

    Serve

    Step 9 - Molded Cranberry SauceStep 9 - Molded Cranberry Sauce

    To serve, invert the mold onto a serving plate. Garnish with candied orange zest. Serve with your favorite Thanksgiving dinner menu.

Easy and delicious, this Molded Cranberry Sauce is the ideal accompaniment to your turkey dinner. It’s sliceable, jiggly, and has a deep fruit flavor. If you give this recipe a go, remember to tag us @cookmerecipes on Instagram – we love seeing your creations!

About the author

Lilly Mathuse

Lilly is an enthusiastic and cheerful young mom. She knows as well as any parent that children can be really picky when it comes to food. And she’s had plenty of experience trying to cook meals that are both tasty and nutritious, and able to satisfy the tastes of a fussy kid right away! To save you some precious time, Lilly's going to share with you all the tricks she learned the hard way, so you don’t have to! She has a wealth of recipes for quick and easy meals for kids and families on a budget.

Recipe Reviews

Have you made this recipe? Share your experience and help other cooks!

★★★★★
★★★★★
5.0 out of 5 (18 reviews)
Yasmine
May 25, 2025
Verified

Délicieux! J'ai fait cette sauce pour le dîner de fête, et mes enfants ont adoré. Facile à préparer, et le goût était incroyable! Je le referai certainement!

Yank
March 9, 2025
Verified

Man, this Molded Cranberry Sauce is the bomb! Made it for Thanksgiving and my kids loved it. Super easy to whip up, tasted just like mama used to make but even better!

Oliver Jackson
September 11, 2024
Verified

This sauce rocked our Thanksgiving! It was simple and that tangy flavor brought back memories of grandma's table. So good!

Yannick Thompson
September 3, 2024
Verified

This cranberry sauce brought back memories of my grandma's Thanksgiving dinners, so simple yet so flavorful.

Rebecca
August 22, 2024
Verified

This recipe is a game changer! Made it for Thanksgiving, everyone loved the nostalgic flavor.

Karen Thompson
August 7, 2024
Verified

I was so proud to serve this Molded Cranberry Sauce at my last dinner party. It came out beautiful and tasted just like the one my mom used to make. The combination of cranberries and orange zest is exceptional. Definetly a new favorite.

Ursula Thompson
July 31, 2024
Verified

Simply the best cranberry sauce I've ever made

Umberlee
June 8, 2024
Verified

Fantastic! Made this for our family gathering; everyone loved it! The fresh thyme really made a difference, and I felt so proud serving a dish that reminded me of my childhood. Simple yet elegant!

Elaine
May 20, 2024
Verified

Superb! I made this for Thanksgiving, and it brought back memories of my childhood. The depth of flavor from the cranberries and hint of vanilla was a hit with my family. It was so easy to prepare ahead of time. I highly recommend it!

Sammy
May 9, 2024
Verified

Delicious! Made it for our first Thanksgiving together. Everyone loved it, just like Mums recipe! So proud!

IronChef82
May 9, 2024
Verified

Superb!

Wendy Smith
March 28, 2024
Verified

Amazing!

Molly James
February 28, 2024
Verified

Delicious!

Mike Johnson
February 9, 2024
Verified

Wow!

Kevin Thompson
February 2, 2024
Verified

Delicious

Taste of the dish
Accuracy of stated difficulty
Instruction accuracy
Would you recommend this recipe to others?
0/1000
Add photos
Upload photos of your result. This will help others see how the dish should look.

Author Information

Email will not be displayed publicly