Fermented Cranberry Sauce w/ Cointreau, Rosemary & Maple

11/20/25

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday—often a focus on friends, family and relationships with food! Most years I’ve taken the lead on Thanksgiving dinner and like to make things that feel unique, intentional, and handmade. Something that reminds me why I love cooking in the first place: simple ingredients, transformed with a little attention and time. This cranberry sauce started as a small ritual that accidentally became a tradition.

I first got into lacto-ferments because I loved the idea that you could create depth and complexity using nothing but fruit, salt, and the right environment. No sugar, no tricks—just nature doing its job. Cranberries ended up being one of my favorite ingredients to ferment. They’re naturally tart, incredibly resilient, and they develop this subtle effervescence that makes the sauce feel alive. I started refining this cranberry sauce each holiday season—adding a touch of orange zest one year, rosemary the next, and eventually finishing it with maple and Cointreau for that warm, citrus-forward aroma that feels unmistakably “holiday.”

There’s something satisfying about letting microbes do the work. You prep it once, tuck it away, and five days later you have something more flavorful than you could have engineered with any shortcut.

This sauce is a dry-salt lacto-ferment cranberry that combines some familiar flavors with some depth from some savory notes. I like to use organic fruit when possible, especially for fermenting with. It’s a holiday recipe with a little personality—slightly nostalgic, slightly experimental, and completely delicious on everything from turkey to cheese boards to leftover sandwiches.

— David, Dirty Labs Co-Founder

Total Time: 5–7 days (fermentation) + 20 minutes (finishing)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Fermentation Time: 5–7 days
Cook Time: 10–20 minutes

Ingredients - Ferementation Stage

- 1 × 12-oz (340 g) bag fresh cranberries
- 9 g kosher or sea salt (≈ 2.5% of cranberry weight — about 1.5 tsp)
- Zest of 1 orange (reserve juice for finishing)
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Optional: 1 small strip of cinnamon stick

Ingredients — Finishing Stage

(After fermentation is complete)
-Fermented cranberries, drained (reserve brine)
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup or honey (adjust to taste)
- 2–3 Tbsp Cointreau
- 1–2 Tbsp fermentation brine (optional, for tang)
- 3 Tbsp fresh orange juice
- Optional additional orange zest
- Pinch of finely minced fresh rosemary

Directions

- Prep the Cranberries
- Rinse and remove any soft berries.
- Score or lightly crush berries (a rolling pin works well).
- This helps salt pull out juices and jumpstarts fermentation.

Salt & Pack
- Toss the berries with salt + orange zest.
- Pack tightly into a quart-size glass jar.
- Add the rosemary sprig on top.
- Press firmly to release liquid. You want them submerged in their own brine as soon as possible.
- Place a fermentation weight or small clean jar inside to keep berries submerged.
- Use an airlock lid if available; otherwise, loosen the lid just enough to burp daily.

Ferment
- Store at 65–72°F (18–22°C), out of direct light.
- Burp daily if not using an airlock (quickly open and reseal).
- After 3 days, taste. Expect: Tart, slightly citrusy, subtle funk and fizz developing
- Ferment 5–7 days total depending on tang preference.

Longer = more complex, less sharply tart.

*Do not add sweetener or alcohol during fermentation — sugar + alcohol can shift the microbial balance. We’ll add them after.

Final Cook
After your cranberries have fermented 5–7 days:
-Transfer the fermented cranberries (minus the fermentation rosemary sprig and brine) into a small saucepan.
- Add maple syrup/honey + 1 Tbsp Cointreau to start.
- Bring to a gentle simmer on medium-low heat.
- Cook 10–20 minutes, stirring and lightly crushing berries as they burst.
- You’re looking for a jammy texture with suspended fruit skins.

Adjust and make it yours.
- Sweetness (maple/honey)
- Thickness (more simmering = thicker)
- Acidity (touch of brine or orange zest)
- Orange aroma (more Cointreau near the end)

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