Bursting with rich flavor and classic probiotic tang, fermented cranberries in honey make the perfect cranberry sauce! This sauce is quick and easy to make and a fantastic ferment for beginners or experienced fermenters alike.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- 🍽️ Flavor: Sweet and tart cranberries with a slightly fizzy, probiotic tang
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🫙 Fermentation Time: 3-5 days
- 👥 Yield: 1 quart
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Cranberries, raw honey
- 👩🍳 Tip: Honey provides the perfect environment for fermenting cranberries, and it adds delicious sweet flavor as well!
If Cranberries Could Get Any Better…
I’ve always loved cranberries. So much that I buy them in 5 pound bags from Azure Standard all year round! I use them in everything from cranberry apple chutney to healthy pumpkin muffins to cranberry Dutch babies.
Fermentation is one of my favorite ways to prepare food, and fermented cranberries have been a staple in our home for years. I always make sure to have a batch ready for the holidays, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to eating them all throughout the year as well!
What Makes Fermented Cranberries Special?
- Easy to make even if you’ve never fermented anything before.
- Unique sweet and tangy flavor cranberry lovers will rave over!
- Only two ingredients, plus a few spices!
Ingredients
Tools Needed
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: First, place the cranberries and spices in a food processor or blender and blend until the cranberries reach your desired consistency. I prefer them to be like a chunky relish, but you can chop them more or less.
Step 2: Then pour the chopped cranberries into a bowl and stir in the honey.
Step 3: Finally, place the mixture in a quart Mason jar packing it down as you go. Once all of the cranberries are in the jar, wipe off any cranberry residue that’s on the sides of the jar.
Screw on the lid and place in a dark location at room temperature, between 65 and 75 degrees. Every day or two, slightly unscrew the lid to release any pressure that has built up through fermentation.
Step 4: Let the cranberries ferment for 3-5 days or until you like the flavor. The longer you let them ferment, the more tangy the flavor will become. Also, the warmer the temperature is, the faster they will ferment.
Once the cranberries are done, store in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
If you’re looking for more cranberry sauce recipes, check out my cranberry ginger compote and low-sugar cranberry sauce!
Tips for Success
Use high quality cranberries – Older cranberries have a more bad bacteria that can interfere with fermentation, so make sure the cranberries look plump and have a deep red color. If you find a few that are damaged, shriveled, or discolored, discard them before fermenting.
Double check your honey – Honey is the 3rd most adulterated food globally, so you need to pay special attention to labels. Honey used for fermenting must be raw (unheated and unpasteurized), and this should be very evident on the label.
Do a few taste tests – Fermentation times can vary significantly based on the temperature of your home and your personal taste. I recommend doing your first taste test on day 3 of fermentation and continuing taste tests every day or two until you’re happy with the flavor.
Most people don’t like their cranberries fermented longer than 5 days, but sometimes I’ll let them ferment 12-14 days (if you do this just be prepared for lots of probiotic tang!).
How to Serve
- Holiday side dish instead of regular cranberry sauce
- On turkey sandwiches
- Topping for homemade yogurt or homemade vanilla ice cream
- In place of jam on toast or other foods
- With pancakes (it’s delicious with pumpkin pancakes!)
- As a dip with cream cheese or brie
How to Store
Once you’re done fermenting the cranberries, place the jar in the fridge to store. They taste best when enjoyed within 2-3 months, however, they will keep up to 6 months.
The cranberries will continue to ferment very slowly in the fridge, so the longer you keep them, the less sweet and more tangy they will become.
Chef’s Note: To preserve high levels of probiotics, fermented cranberries should not be frozen. Some bacteria are able to survive extremely low temperatures for a while, but the longer fermented foods are frozen, the fewer probiotics they will have.
Violet’s Tips for Serving
These cranberries have a very rich, tangy flavor, so a little goes a long way! It only takes a small amount to add wonderful flavor and probiotics to holiday meals or other dishes.
FAQs
Yes, fermentation is one of the safest food preservation methods there are, even safer than canning. If something goes wrong, you should see visible signs in the jar. If a ferment looks, smells, and tastes good, it should be safe to eat.
No, all you need to make fermented cranberries is a food processor or blender, a mixing bowl, spoon, and a quart mason jar.
The honey completely coats the cranberries and provides a protective barrier that replaces the fermentation weight.
Yes, frozen cranberries can be fermented after they have thawed.
If you try this recipe, let me know in the comments! Tag me on Instagram @violet_rightathome
Fermented Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 6 cups cranberries
- 3/4 cup raw honey
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Place the cranberries and spices in a food processor or blender and chop until they are the texture of chunky relish.6 cups cranberries, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the honey.3/4 cup raw honey
- Scoop into a quart Mason jar, packing it down as you go.
- Once all of the cranberries are in the jar, wipe off any cranberry residue that's on the sides of the jar.
- Screw on the lid and place in a dark location at room temperature, between 65 and 75 degrees.
- Every day or two, slightly unscrew the lid to release any pressure that has built up through fermentation.
- Let the cranberries ferment for 3-5 days or until you like the flavor. Then store in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
Notes
Fermentation Time
- The temperature of your home can significantly affect the speed of fermentation (the warmer the temperature, the faster food ferments). Taste them after 3 days, and then continue tasting every day until you like the flavor. If your home is colder, you may need to let them ferment significantly longer than 5 days. I’ve let them ferment 12-14 days, however, that resulted in a very tangy sauce.
Store
- After fermentation, store the cranberries in the fridge. They will keep up to 6 months, however, for the best flavor, serve within 2-3 months.
- Freezing is not recommended since it will decrease the amount of active probiotics.
Nutrition
If you tried this cranberry sauce, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please make sure to come back and leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating.
I love this so much I make it year round! If you try it, it’ll m be one of your favorite ferments!