Homemade vs. Store Bought Cranberry Sauce - Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (2024)

FAQs

Homemade vs. Store Bought Cranberry Sauce - Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program? ›

The homemade cranberry sauce has nearly half the calories, carbohydrates, and sugars compared to the store brand. It also has more fiber as well as potassium! Thankfully, buying cranberry sauce at the store is not the only option. We have the perfect Simple Cranberry Sauce recipe to make for the upcoming holidays!

Convenience: The main draw of canned sauce is its convenience. It's ready to eat straight from the can and requires no additional preparation. Shelf Life: Canned cranberry sauce can last for years on the shelf, thanks to the canning process that preserves the sauce.

Health Benefits

Cranberries are also rich in vitamin C and fiber, as well as the metabolism-boosting mineral manganese. And yes, you reap all these benefits whether the cranberry sauce on your holiday table is homemade or canned, jellied or whole-berry.

Homemade cranberry sauce will last in the fridge for 10 to 14 days. Canned cranberry sauce that has been opened will last up to a week in the fridge. We hear you: After a long day of cooking, hosting, and celebrating, something's bound to get overlooked.

Cranberries may reduce insulin resistance

Eating them with a meal, even if they're sweetened as in cranberry sauce, causes a smaller increase in blood sugar levels than eating the same meal without cranberries.

Nutritional Facts Face-Off

The homemade cranberry sauce has nearly half the calories, carbohydrates, and sugars compared to the store brand. It also has more fiber as well as potassium!

Homemade sauce offers the advantages of quality control, customization, and fresh ingredients, but it requires time and effort. Store-bought sauce provides convenience and consistency, yet you may need to accept compromises in terms of ingredients and cost. You might also consider combining both approaches.

4. Cranberries. Cranberries are low in potassium and high in vitamin C, making them another great choice for people with kidney disease. Cranberry juice has also been shown to help prevent urinary tract infections, which are typical for people with kidney disease.

Cranberry sauce is typically made with a lot of added sugar, but that doesn't mean it's off-limits for those with diabetes. Here's how to enjoy the festive food in a healthy way.

Homemade cranberry sauce keeps wonderfully in the freezer for up to three months. Pour your cooled cranberry sauce into freezer-friendly zip-top plastic bags, and remove as much air as possible from the bag before sealing.

Can you eat too much cranberry sauce? ›

If you take blood thinners, ask your doctor if you can safely eat and drink cranberries. You may still be able to enjoy them but in small amounts. You have stomach problems. Eating too many cranberries can cause stomachache and diarrhea, especially in children.

What to Do if You Left Out Cranberry Sauce Overnight. We hear you: After a full day cooking and hosting and (hopefully) enjoying Thanksgiving, some things are bound to fall by the wayside. But if you leave cranberry sauce out over night, whether it is homemade or store-bought, please throw it away.

Consuming cranberries regularly may protect against many chronic diseases. This is because the phytonutrients in cranberries lower the risks of unwanted inflammation. The anti-inflammatory effects of cranberries have also been found to help improve your gum health and reduce the risk of periodontal disease.

Water is the best all-round drink. If your family likes flavoured waters, make your own by adding a squeeze of lemon or lime, or strawberries.

Anthocyanins in cranberry juice may help reduce hardening of the arteries. Several studies also show that cranberry juice may help reduce the chance of heart disease by improving cholesterol levels and lowering blood pressure.

The major variation you're likely to come across is "whole berry" versus "jellied." The only difference between them is that the jellied sauce is cooked until the berries have completely broken down. They both slide out of the can as a wobbly red cylinder.

But why? Ocean Spray says this is to get the cranberry sauce out in one intact piece. “The rounded part of the can that looks like the bottom has an air bubble in it,” Ocean Spray's representative explains. The bubble is there so you can “break the seal the sauce makes with the can.”

Top with dried or fresh fruits

Sure, you can go all meta with some dried cranberries or sliced fresh raw cranberries, but I also like to think about complementary flavors — dried cherries, dried mulberries, golden raisins, chopped apricots. All work great with cranberry sauce.

Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.