Can you freeze canned jellied cranberry sauce?

[Linda0818]

Tomorrow for Sunday dinner I'm roasting a whole bone-in turkey breast (with fixins) and I love cranberry sauce with my turkey. I have a can of Ocean Spray jelled cranberry sauce. But since my son doesn't like it, I'm the only one who will be eating it. Which means I'm going to have probably 3/4 of a can of cranberry sauce left that I really don't want to have to throw away.

So I was thinking of cutting the rest of the can down into individual slices and freezing the slices (on a sheet pan covered with freezer paper so the slices won't stick) and, for future meals, just pulling out a slice or two to thaw as I need them. But I've been reading a lot of conflicting comments about the end result of frozen cranberry sauce.

Has anyone done this and had any success? Or does freezing the cranberry sauce basically ruin it?

Again, this is canned jellied cranberry sauce.

 

[dragnlaw]

Yeah, I read those conflicting reports. So, here's what I would try to decide about.
If you don't freeze it, you will have about 2 weeks in the fridge to figure out perhaps another recipe to use it in. and then throw it out cause it's gone bad.

Or, if you do freeze it when you defrost it there will be one of two things happen. A pleasant surprise in that you have a good sauce - maybe not jellied as before but still tasty.
OR you have crap. So you end up throwing it away just like you would had you kept it in the fridge till it left.

Personally I would take a chance and freeze it - making sure to be as airtight as possible. And before defrosting for a meal, be sure to have a can handy ... just in case.
Here we can get small can of cranberry sauce, no need for big ones.

 

[Linda0818]

Yeah, I read those conflicting reports. So, here's what I would try to decide about.
If you don't freeze it, you will have about 2 weeks in the fridge to figure out perhaps another recipe to use it in. and then throw it out cause it's gone bad.

Or, if you do freeze it when you defrost it there will be one of two things happen. A pleasant surprise in that you have a good sauce - maybe not jellied as before but still tasty.
OR you have crap. So you end up throwing it away just like you would had you kept it in the fridge till it left.

Personally I would take a chance and freeze it - making sure to be as airtight as possible. And before defrosting for a meal, be sure to have a can handy ... just in case.
Here we can get small can of cranberry sauce, no need for big ones.

Excellent point and great advice. Thank you. I think I'll just freeze the slices individually and then put them into an airtight zipper bag and see what happens. Because you're right, it would most likely sit in my fridge until I have to pitch it (because I don't use cranberry sauce very often) and if it doesn't freeze properly, then oh well, I tried. It's better than just tossing the whole can once I've eaten my share of it with the turkey tomorrow.

 

[Andy M.]

Why don't you slice the leftovers and freeze one slice overnight. Thaw it and see if it's OK. Then you can decide to freeze the rest or just eat them really fast.

 

[Linda0818]

Why don't you slice the leftovers and freeze one slice overnight. Thaw it and see if it's OK. Then you can decide to freeze the rest or just eat them really fast.

That's an excellent idea as well. If the one slice dies a slow death in the freezer, then I'll know not to freeze the rest of it. The only thing, though, is I have no idea what to do with the rest of the sauce.

Google is my friend, I suppose, so maybe I should get busy looking up cranberry sauce recipes

 

[blissful]

I have jellied cranberry sauce that is extra from thanksgiving, as my husband likes it a lot. I also have extra at times of canned cranberries (that I canned) that I usually use in my oatmeal or grain flakes for breakfasts.
One of the zucchini fruit breads that I make uses apple sauce or pear sauce but I will use cranberry sauce if I have it in the fridge. Another is the oat-fruit cookies I sweeten with fruit (w/o sugar). It gives the cookies a tangy flavor and we like that.

 

[Linda0818]

I have jellied cranberry sauce that is extra from thanksgiving, as my husband likes it a lot. I also have extra at times of canned cranberries (that I canned) that I usually use in my oatmeal or grain flakes for breakfasts.
One of the zucchini fruit breads that I make uses apple sauce or pear sauce but I will use cranberry sauce if I have it in the fridge. Another is the oat-fruit cookies I sweeten with fruit (w/o sugar). It gives the cookies a tangy flavor and we like that.

Oooooo, the oat-fruit cookies sound good. And since I'm diabetic, the less sugar, the better. Do you have a recipe for that? Or do you use one that you found online?

 

[blissful]

I just use oatmeal (thick cut is our preference), I add any combination of bananas, apple sauce, pear sauce, cranberry sauce, and put them in the food processor with the oatmeal. I like them a little moist, adding water or almond milk. The oats take 15 minutes to soak up the moisture. If you like them sweeter, add honey or sugar or whatever sweetening agent you like. We add raisins because they are little bites of sweet. Then we portion them, flatten them on parchment, and bake at 350 deg F for 20 minutes. We keep them in a gallon zip lock bag in the fridge and eat them cold.
They aren't fluffy or crispy. You might have to add eggs or baking soda or baking powder, or oil if you want them more cookie-like. But my recipe is just for day to day snacking between meals.

 

[Linda0818]

I just use oatmeal (thick cut is our preference), I add any combination of bananas, apple sauce, pear sauce, cranberry sauce, and put them in the food processor with the oatmeal. I like them a little moist, adding water or almond milk. The oats take 15 minutes to soak up the moisture. If you like them sweeter, add honey or sugar or whatever sweetening agent you like. We add raisins because they are little bites of sweet. Then we portion them, flatten them on parchment, and bake at 350 deg F for 20 minutes. We keep them in a gallon zip lock bag in the fridge and eat them cold.
They aren't fluffy or crispy. You might have to add eggs or baking soda or baking powder, or oil if you want them more cookie-like. But my recipe is just for day to day snacking between meals.

That sounds absolutely delicious. Thanks so much. Definitely good to have around for snacking.

 

[HeyItsSara]

for many many years i;ve been buying a case of cranberries when it's i=cheap and in season and making cranberry sauce and freezing it to eat all year. we love it!

 

[taxlady]

I, personally suspect that the commercial cranberry sauce with the berries in it would freeze better than the commercial gel sauce that doesn't have any solids. This is just a guess on my part.

 

[dragnlaw]

Don't forget the Jellied cranberry, (when mixed and 'melted') will be a lot more liquidy (yes, that's in my personal dictionary, ) than than the non-jellied or regular cranberry sauce.

Andy's suggestion is excellent! Only I would leave it a couple of days in the freezer, not just overnight. Don't know why, just feel it might make a difference as to how long it is frozen. Like some foods are good in the freezer for 1 month and other up to 3 months. The unfrozen will last in the fridge for a good week while you test the one slice. Guess it depends on where you have more room, fridge or freezer.

bliss, have copied your "recipe" for those snacking cookies. You had mentioned that once before but if I kept it I can't find it now! LOL.

 

[dragnlaw]

I also wanted to ask, not exactly sure what you mean by "thick cut" oatmeal.
I have available here:
Steel Cut
Rolled or Old Fashioned
Quick Cooking
Instant

I usually have the Quick Cooking type or sometimes the Rolled Old Fashioned.

 

[blissful]

I also wanted to ask, not exactly sure what you mean by "thick cut" oatmeal.
I have available here:
Steel Cut
Rolled or Old Fashioned
Quick Cooking
Instant

I usually have the Quick Cooking type or sometimes the Rolled Old Fashioned.

Thick cut is just a little thicker than rolled old fashioned. I mostly buy it in 50 lb bags and haven't looked for it in the grocery store. Steel cut isn't flakes it will be too big of pieces. Quick cooking is cut thinnest, so it gets hydrated faster and gets more glue-y.
I would use the rolled oatmeal or old fashioned.

 

[dragnlaw]

Thanks, I was hoping they were steel cut - not my favourite.

 

[ElleSmith]

Tomorrow for Sunday dinner I'm roasting a whole bone-in turkey breast (with fixins) and I love cranberry sauce with my turkey. I have a can of Ocean Spray jelled cranberry sauce. But since my son doesn't like it, I'm the only one who will be eating it. This means I'm going to have probably 3/4 of a can of cranberry sauce left that I really don't want to have to throw away.

So I was thinking of cutting the rest of the can down into individual slices and freezing the slices (on a sheet pan covered with freezer paper so the slices won't stick) and, for future meals, just pulling out a slice or two to thaw as I need them. But I've been reading a lot of conflicting comments about the end result of frozen cranberry sauce.

Has anyone done this and had any success? Or does freezing the cranberry sauce basically ruin it?

Again, this is canned jellied cranberry sauce.

Freezing jellied cranberry sauce can be done successfully, And many people will tell you their experience that it worked well. but while freezing it may alter the texture slightly, the overall flavor and usability are generally maintained.

 

[Linda0818]

Freezing jellied cranberry sauce can be done successfully, And many people will tell you their experience that it worked well. but while freezing it may alter the texture slightly, the overall flavor and usability are generally maintained.

Thank you. We'll see how it turns out once it's thawed after freezing.

 

[ElleSmith]

Let me know your experience

 

[Linda0818]

Let me know your experience

If I remember to, lol. It'll be a good while before I thaw some out to eat again.

 

[dragnlaw]

There are quite a few recipes out there for leftover cranberry sauces. Pick which ever one tickles your fancy. I was impressed with how many there were.