Thanksgiving Meal Prep Time! How Many Bags of Fresh Cranberries Do I Need Per Person?
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You know you’re not a regular chef, you’re a cool chef when you forgo canned cranberry sauce to make your own stuff from scratch. But how many bags of fresh cranberries do you need per person? Read on:
What is the typical serving size for cranberries?
If you check the back of a bag of fresh cranberries, you’ll see that a serving is 1/2 cup and a 12-ounce bag serves seven. The thing is, it’s uncommon to eat fresh cranberries straight up, and cranberries break down and burst when you cook them. Meaning? If you’re making a common dish like cranberry sauce, you'll end up with less volume than you started with, according to recipe developer Julie Hartigan of Cooking With Julie.
When making cocktails or scones, though, you'll use fewer cranberries per serving because raw cranberries are so tart. “They're more of a garnish than the main ingredient,” Hartigan says.
Related: 100+ Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
How many bags of fresh cranberries do I need per person for cranberry sauce?
Back to arithmetic: A typical bag of fresh cranberries tends to weigh in at 12 ounces. “Usually one bag is perfect to make cranberry sauce or quick breads,” Hartigan says—and you might find that recipes for cranberry baked goods purposefully call for 12-ounces of cranberries to make things easier on home bakers.
One 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries yields about 2 1/4 cups of cranberry sauce, which should be enough for about 8 to 10 people, Hartigan says, adding that you can half that amount of cranberries when making a cranberry-apple or -orange sauce since the alternative fruit will bulk up each serving.
Related: How Many Sweet Potatoes Should I Make Per Person?
When should I buy craisins vs. fresh cranberries?
Craisins and cranberries couldn’t be more different: The former are dried and sweetened, which makes them a perfect salad garnish or sweet-potato-topper, while most people find raw cranberries to be way too tart to eat straight up. You’ll want to pay close attention to cranberry recipes for that purpose—a baked good that calls for craisins (like cranberry cookies) will taste way sweeter than one that calls for fresh cranberries (like cranberry bread).
What to do if you buy too many cranberries per person
First of all, don’t worry! They freeze well and can be fun additions to smoothies, muffins, pancakes, vinaigrettes, chutneys and quick breads, according to Hartigan.
And because extra homemade cranberry sauce can be swirled into yogurt, spread on a sandwich, or folded into oatmeal, don’t stress if your cranberry sauce recipe yield surpasses your dinner guest count. We should all be so lucky!
Next, the best shortening substitutes.
