Super Simple Cardamom Cranberry Sauce

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Liven up an old Thanksgiving classic with this tantalizing Cardamom Cranberry Sauce. Classically sweet and tart but infused with the rich aromatic spices of cardamom for a twist to elevate your holiday feast.

Cardamom is an essential holiday ingredient at my house so it was only natural to add it to the holiday feast of the year via the star condiment: the Cranberry Sauce. This potent spice is fantastic in baked goods like German Lebkuchen (gingerbread), pies, muffins, and even cocktails. And if you are new to this spice it is also packed with vitamins and minerals.

Thanksgiving is the time to show off your domestic culinary skills and this recipe is sure to impress your guests. While you’re at it, whip up a batch of Cranberry Margaritas to serve ahead of dinner. Your guests will thank you.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

This recipe for Cardamom Cranberry sauce not only tastes delicious but is wonderfully fragrant too. With only 4 ingredients you can make this delicious recipe in under 20 minutes. This will definitely impress your guests and they’ll think you slaved away in the kitchen for hours to make it.

This Cardamom Cranberry sauce is perfect slathered on top of Turkey and stuffing or spread onto a post-thanksgiving sandwich. You can also use it as a compote on top of Vanilla Bean ice cream or hot Apple Pie.

If you are looking for something with a little more kick be sure to try my Old Fashioned Bourbon Cranberry sauce…this will disappear faster than your money on Black Friday.

Ingredients needed for Cardamom Cranberry Sauce:

• Cranberries. Fresh whole Cranberries, rinsed.
• Brown Sugar
• Orange Juice. Freshly squeezed is best.
• Green Cardamom Pods. I use these Green Cardamom Pods, they are available in multiple sizes and come in an airtight container so they stay fresh longer.

Tools you will need:

• A medium saucepan. If you need a good set of cookware I highly recommend this set from Cooks Standard. This rivals All-Clad in quality yet is a fraction of the price. I’ve had my set for over 10 years and have not been disappointed yet.
• A spatula for stirring and squeegeeing every last drop out of the pan.
• Measuring cups

How to make Cardamom Cranberry Sauce:

1. Squeeze the orange juice and strain out any seeds.
2. Over medium heat dissolve the brown sugar in the orange juice.
3. Add the rinsed cranberries and cardamom pods. Cook until the cranberries start to pop (about 8-10 minutes).
4. Turn the heat to low and cook for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. This allows the flavor and fragrance of the cardamom pods to infuse into the sauce.
5. Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Remove the cardamom pods with a spoon.
7. Voila you’re done!

FAQ’s

Why use Cardamom Pods?

Cardamom Pods are the pods that hold all of the cardamom seeds. So each pod is laden with wonderful fragrant seeds. The pods are much easier to strain out of the sauce than seeds, and you only need a few pods to add a lot of flavor. Biting into a seed is not the most pleasant thing so I don’t recommend using seeds.

Can I use ground Cardamom?

Yes, you can use ground cardamom, but it does not add nearly as much flavor and fragrance as fresh pods. Once cardamom seeds are ground up they start to lose their freshness fast. I highly recommend using the fresh cardamom pods for this recipe.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Oh yes. You can easily make this 1 or 2 days in advance if needed. Once it is made, simply store it in an air-tight container in the fridge. Thanksgiving morning remove it from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature. Fluff with a fork and add to your serving dish.

How long will this keep?

You can store it in the fridge for up to 10 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.

Can I use frozen cranberries?

Yes, frozen will work too. You can add them to the saucepan frozen, they will just take a little longer to cook.

Now Milton, let's not be greedy. Share it!