The Difference Between Trader Joe's Jarred And Fresh Cranberry Sauce

As the fall holidays approach, cranberry sauce is in high demand as a quintessential condiment to pair with a Thanksgiving spread and the countless leftover turkey sandwiches to follow. One grocery chain that is well equipped to fulfill your cranberry sauce cravings is Trader Joe's, with an admirable fall product lineup that includes multiple cranberry-based foods. In addition to relishes and chutneys, Trader Joe's has two different cranberry sauces: jarred and fresh.

While both the jarred and fresh sauces have similar ingredients, there are key differences in taste, texture, and production. The first main difference between the two products is where to find them in the grocery store. The jarred cranberry sauce is shelf-stable, so you can stock up on multiple jars to last you through the fall and beyond. The fresh cranberry sauce is refrigerated in the produce section with a much shorter shelf life. That said, the refrigerated cranberry sauce, which is just a blend of sugar, water, and cranberries, has a much more fruit-forward flavor. It's much more like homemade cranberry sauce. Trader Joe's lightly boils the ingredients of the fresh cranberry sauce just until the cranberries burst, rendering a chunky, almost relish-like consistency.

The jarred cranberry sauce uses pectin as a preservative as well as a thickening and gelling agent for a jelly-like consistency punctuated by bits of whole cranberries. While the jarred sauce has less added sugar than its fresh counterpart, our ranking of store-bought cranberry sauces asserts a concentrated sweetness.

With different tastes and textures, the jarred and fresh cranberry sauces also encompass different applications. The sweet, jelly-like jarred cranberry sauce has a more cohesive, spreadable consistency that would work well as a condiment in sandwiches, spread over toast, or layered in a dessert bar. It would bring a sweet and tangy zing to your next peanut butter sandwich or toasted bagel with cream cheese. You could use jarred cranberry sauce instead of raspberry jelly in this recipe for raspberry white chocolate layer bars. Just as cranberry sauce is key to a great turkey sandwich, it also tastes great on a turkey burger. We even use Trader Joe's jarred cranberry sauce to top these turkey meatloaf muffins.

The fresh cranberry sauce has intact cranberries that pop in your mouth, offering a more exciting texture and refreshingly tart fruitiness. Fresh cranberry sauce would be the perfect addition to a cheese plate or charcuterie board. You can add it to a phyllo dough-wrapped baked brie. Top a whipped ricotta dip with a spoonful to serve with crostini. Another easy fall-inspired appetizer would be to roll cranberry sauce and goat cheese into these Pillsbury canned crescent rolls.

The pop of fresh cranberry would bring welcome fruity texture to a bowl of greek yogurt or oatmeal for a tasty seasonal breakfast. Use a spoonful or two instead of fresh cranberries in these fluffy cranberry cinnamon rolls to smother with cream cheese icing. And finally, you could top cheesecake or pound cake with this fresh cranberry sauce for a pretty holiday dessert.