Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce (AIP & Paleo)

Thanksgiving is only a couple days away, and I’m in full prep mode. But even if you’re waiting until the last minute to make the big Thanksgiving dinner, you can still have easy, delicious cranberry sauce, in a matter of minutes thanks to my favorite appliance, the Instant Pot.

Like the past two years, we are dry brining and butterflying a pastured turkey again, though because I can’t have dairy, we baste ours with a combination of bacon grease, sauvignon blanc wine & homemade turkey stock. I’ve actually chosen to do two birds this year because of the number of family members visiting and I wanted to make sure we’d have leftovers too! I find that cranberry sauce is not only a delicious condiment for the Thanksgiving table, but one that also can help mask the slight “gamey” flavor of a pastured turkey. It’s also delicious spread on sweet potato lefse, as well as on top of homemade 2-ingredient coconut yogurt.

In addition to the turkey, lefse, and this cranberry sauce, we’ll also be having my starch-free gravy, mashed white sweet potatoes, sweet potato casserole with tigernuts, roasted brussels sprouts with bacon/balsamic/dried cranberries (adapted from “The Healing Kitchen”), refrigerator pickles, a green bean casserole that I hope to share more about in a future post. And, of course, pie! Paleo pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and an AIP apple galette (adapted from the pear galette in my e-book “Holiday Sweet Treats”. In the name of stress reduction, since stress is one of my biggest autoimmune triggers, I’ll have made everything, except the turkey and gravy, in advance and will only need to re-heat things before we eat.

If you don’t already have an Instant Pot, this cranberry sauce can be made on the stove—just simmer all the ingredients until the cranberries pop & the sauce thickens slightly. And I highly recommend checking Amazon and other retailers to see if the Instant Pot goes on sale on Black Friday or Cyber Monday :)

Have a wonderful holiday. May you all enjoy spending time with friends and family. And may the leftovers be plentiful! :)

Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce (AIP & Paleo) 
yields just shy of one quart jar of sauce

20 ounces frozen cranberries
215 grams (approx 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons) honey (I prefer to use orange blossom honey)
1 tablespoon mandarin orange zest
3/4 cup mandarin orange juice
1/4 cup filtered water
1 cinnamon stick

1. Combine all the ingredients in the stainless steel insert of the Instant Pot. Close and lock the lid, ensuring the vent is set to sealing. 
2. Press {Manual} and reduce the time to 8 minutes.
3. Once the time is up, allow the pressure to release naturally. 
4. Remove the lid, stir, and allow to cool. Pour into a quart jar (or several small jars) and refrigerate until ready to eat. The sauce will thicken as it cools. The flavor continues to develop as it sits in the refrigerator, so plan to make this sauce a few days in advance, if possible. 

Notes:

• I’ve tested this recipe only with frozen cranberries, since I can find them at Whole Foods year-round. But you should be able to substitute fresh cranberries.  
• You may be tempted to reduce the amount of honey in the recipe, but I must warn you, even with 215 grams (over 1/2 a cup), the sauce is still a bit tart! 
• Regular orange zest/juice may be substituted for the mandarin orange zest/juice. 

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