An easy and unique cranberry sauce recipe made with a Cuban twist using guava marmalade mixed with whole cranberries and orange juice.
Growing up in a Hispanic family, I never really had a traditional Thanksgiving like the rest of America. Sure, my mom would make turkey but the sides were not traditional at all. So, you can only imagine how confused I was about cranberry sauce. I never understood the purpose of cranberry sauce being served with turkey!
Now, as an adult, I’m a huge fan of traditional Thanksgiving with all the fixings. I have to constantly stop my mom from making white rice because we have that all year long.
“Mom, today, we have mashed potatoes, not rice!” She still doesn’t get it. For her, no meal is complete without rice.
In an effort of meshing my Cuban roots and my love for traditional American Thanksgiving, we’re giving classic cranberry sauce a Cuban twist by adding guava marmalade!
And let me just say…it was everything I’d hope it would be and more. Let’s discuss.
Ingredients for this Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe
I wanted to create a unique cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving so I added guava marmalade which is sweet yet tart and it just works so well when combined with the rest of the ingredients.
- Guava marmalade – You can buy any brand as long as there are not tons of weird ingredients. If you can’t find guava marmalade, you can boil guava paste with a bit of water until you get a liquidity consistency. Click here to buy guava marmalade or click here to buy guava paste.
- Whole cranberries – Say no to canned cranberry sauce! We’re using a bag of fresh whole cranberries which when cooked, they pop and soften so you can mash them to your desired consistency.
- Granulated sugar, orange juice, and vanilla – The flavor enhancers! We need a bit of sugar and orange juice to balance out all that tartness from the cranberries. I also like adding orange zest at the end for a bit of citrusy flavor.
- Cinnamon stick – While you cook the cranberry sauce, the cinnamon stick adds a spicy, woody flavor.
- Salt – The ultimate flavor enhancer!
This recipe comes together so easily, you’ll want to make it every year!
How should you serve cranberry sauce?
The cranberry sauce can be served chilled but I personally prefer to serve it warm or at room temperature. You can reheat it for a minute or so in the microwave or in a saucepan before dinner.
Can you freeze this easy cranberry sauce recipe?
Yes! You can make this cranberry sauce 2 days in advance and keep in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
You may also like:
- Cuban Mojo Spatchcock Turkey
- 5-Ingredient Crispy Sliced Roasted Potatoes
- Caramelized Onion Pear & Walnut Stuffing
- Mini Sweet Corn Casseroles
- Vegan Roasted Cauliflower Gratin
- Chorizo Mac and Cheese with Cheesy Pork Rind Topping
- 5-Ingredient Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Bourbon Caramel Apple Galette
- Moist Carrot Cupcakes with Brown Butter Frosting
- Espresso Dark Chocolate Pecan Pie Galette
- Leftover Cranberry + Turkey Turnovers (Thanksgiving Pastelitos!)
- Leftover Turkey Arepas with Cranberry Goat Cheese
Guava Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar or more to taste
- 1/3 cup fresh orange juice plus orange zest (juice from 1 small orange)
- 1 cup guava marmalade*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces whole cranberries
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- In a saucepan, stir together sugar, orange juice, guava marmalade, and vanilla over medium-heat while stirring.
- Add cranberries, salt, and the cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries pop and the sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. You can also mash the cranberries until desired texture.
- Remove from heat and remove the cinnamon stick. Transfer guava cranberry sauce to a bowl to cool for 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Sasha Ramirez says
This is the best cranberry sauce! It’s my fourth year making it and I look forward to it every year. The fam loves it.
Jamie Silva says
So happy to hear! Thank you, Sasha!
SASHA says
This is THE BEST cranberry sauce. I’ve made it 3 Thanksgivings in a row now and it’s always a hit. The addition of guava is 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
Mari says
This is my new favorite cranberry sauce recipe! Seriously so good – I thought the guava would make it a bit too sweet but it’s honestly the perfect touch. I used guava paste instead of marmalade and used the tip from the recipe and it came out perfect!
Betty753 says
Best cranberry sauce in the whole wide world. I made it today and I’m never going back to boring, plain cranberry sauce again. I followed the recipe but instead of the marmalade I used guava paste and it worked just fine. Fast, Easy & Delicious. Thank you for this wonderful idea!
Jamie Silva says
So happy you loved it! It’s my new favorite too!
Rosemarie says
I can’t find guava marmalade where I live, but I do have guava paste. How can I use that in this recipe?
Jamie Silva says
I found a guava marmalade on Amazon! Here is the link: https://amzn.to/3lrAdiP Since I’ve never used guava paste to make this recipe, I’m going to guess that you can maybe cook the guava paste down with some water in a saucepan until it becomes drippy like a marmalade. Guava paste has enough sugar so you don’t need to add any. Just add water and heat it up a bit. I can’t guarantee the results since I’ve never tested this recipe with guava paste but try it out and see what happens!
Rosemarie says
Thank you. I think I’ll order the marmalade from Amazon.
Gina says
Howwwwww have I never thought of combining guayaba & cranberry before? Genius!
Jamie Silva says
The flavor is incredible! Can’t wait for you to try it!