Try making this refreshing and tangy cranberry ice recipe instead of your typical cranberry sauce, for your next holiday meal. It’s frozen and is based on a recipe my family has made for generations. If you’re game, you can customize the flavor!
Reinventing a holiday cranberry standard, but not really
Cranberry sauce holds a steady spot on the menu of many holiday meals. However, people either love it or hate it and it may be the most taken-for-granted side dish at the holiday meal. Our family has served cranberry ice instead of cranberry sauce, alongside our holiday meals for generations (maybe 3?), and without a doubt, our Cranberry Ice is a side dish standout, versus the usual forgotten cranberry sauce condiment.
The beloved family cranberry ice recipe
From what little I could find on the internet, cranberry ice originated in the earlier part of the 1900s which would make sense since our family’s recipe originated around the Depression era. We’ve always served it in a small dish on the side, alongside our holiday main meal. Served frozen, it melts just enough to eat by the time you are partway into your meal. As you can see in the recipe photo above, it is simple, and like many recipes of the times, contains gelatin. Nowadays collagen (which is what gelatin is made from) is a prized supplement and even a well-known protein powder ingredient. Go figure! Without going down that rabbit hole, I’ll say I’m not sure what role gelatin plays in this recipe, since the recipe is for a frozen fruit ice concoction, and does not require gelling. I’ve made it with and without, and the version made with gelatin, maybe is a tad less watery as the ice melts.
Making the Cranberry Ice: A Simple Process
- Boil fresh or frozen cranberries in water (with or without additional ingredients to enhance flavor)
- Pour cooked cranberries into a sieve, to separate the solids from the liquid. Press the solids some to extract as much liquid and a bit of the finer pulp.
- Add sugar and some citrus juice, stir to dissolve sugar, and decide how to freeze (in individual containers or one larger container).
Adding aromatics and flavors to the ice
The original recipe uses lemon, orange juice, and zest to balance the cranberry flavor, and this is how our family has eaten it forever. Follow the recipe card below for that. Or the possibilities are endless to enhance and adjust the flavor of the ice, using the trio of citrus/herbs/spices. Experiment with my suggestions below or come up with your own, for subtle flavors in the Cranberry Ice. I’ve kept the recipe card as the original, and share amounts in parentheses below, for my three versions, to guide you if you want to try the enhanced flavors. I found that including some citrus slices with the cranberries while boiling may add some flavor, but I believe most of the citrus flavor comes from zest and juice added with the sugar, so I only used slices from half a citrus fruit in all of the versions, saving most of the fruits’ zest and juice for the recipes.
Version #1 Orange, Cloves, Anise
Adding whole cloves (18), star anise (9), and some orange slices (half an orange) to the cranberries as they boil, adds a subtle warmth in flavor from the whole spices. For this version, I used all orange juice (no lemon) when following the recipe.
Version #2 Lemon, Rosemary, Thyme
Sprigs of rosemary (3 good size) and thyme (3 good size), along with slices of half a lemon lend a wonderful familiar flavor from all three of these ingredients. In the recipe for this version, I used all lemon juice and forewent the orange here.
Version #3 Jalapeno, Lime
This version brings a smile to my face, as it turns the simple Cranberry Ice into something for a less traditional meal, maybe alongside enchiladas or a mole. I used two jalapenos and the zest and slices of a whole lime here since I wanted the lime to be strong, alongside the jalapeno heat. I kept the seeds in the jalapenos and sliced them in half before adding them to the pot. You could use a Fresno, Habanero or whatever fresh hot pepper you like. The flavor was smooth and subtle. I recommend it.
A Final Word on the Recipe
Below is the recipe I use nowadays for my family’s Cranberry Ice recipe. I forego the gelatin and reduce the sugar. It tastes divine. We love to use silicone muffin cups to freeze the ice, for an easy-out scenario at our traditional holiday meals, but here you can see I’ve used a vintage-inspired, round ice cream scoop to have fun scooping and “plating” the ice with garnishes in pretty bowls. You might wonder “Is this a dessert”? It could be for sure. You might ask “Is this sorbet”? and to that, I say not. Sorbet would not be strained, have less water, and be finished in an ice cream maker. This old-timey Cranberry Ice is sweet and refreshing enough to eat as a dessert or alongside your holiday dinner, as our family has for years. Either way, it’s a rustic and simple refreshing treat.
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Cranberry Ice
Kitchen Tools
- 12 silicone muffin cups, or a muffin tin or a quart container
- 1 saucepan, to boil cranberries
- 1 bowl, to mix ingredients
- 1 fine mesh sieve, or strainer, to strain solids from liquid
- 1 ice cream scoop, to scoop if not individual
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries (1 12 oz bag)
- 3 cups water
- 1 pinch salt
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/3 cup orange juice (juice of one orange)
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp orange zest
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
Method:
- Place cranberries and water in pot to boil. Add aromatics if desired (see post). Bring to boil and cook until soft, about 5-8 min.
- Pour mixture into sieve placed over heatproof bowl to strain liquid from solids. Press solids a little bit to remove as much liquid as possible and allow some of the finer pulp to push through the sieve.
- Add salt, lemon juice, orange juice, rinds and sugar. Stir until dissolved (if trying any of my versions 1-3 in post, add additional rinds/juice).
- Pour into individual containers or a quart container if using a scoop.
- Leave overnight or at least 12 hours before serving.
