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This quick and easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe uses fresh whole cranberries and cooks in just 20 minutes! Flavored with fresh orange juice, maple syrup, and cinnamon, enjoy this perfectly sweet, tart, and festive side dish with your next Thanksgiving dinner.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Cranberries are tart—like, SUPER tart. And, if I’m being honest, they’re not my favorite. But they are good for one thing—cranberry sauce! And I love all cranberry sauce. Yes, even the canned jelly-like stuff that everyone loves to hate. Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving requirement. It balances all the savory, herby flavors of turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and gravy with its beautiful tart sweetness.
Today, I’m sharing how to make a super yummy homemade cranberry sauce using fresh cranberries. It’s easy to make, and you can even make it up to a week in advance!
Cranberry Sauce Ingredients and Substitutions
Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Cranberries: You’ll start to see fresh cranberries sold in grocery stores around late October. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. Do not use dried.
- Sweetener: Cranberries are shockingly tart and need sugar to balance their tartness. This recipe uses both granulated sugar and maple syrup as sweeteners. Feel free to use only granulated sugar or maple syrup if that’s easier. Brown sugar will also work.
- Fresh orange juice: Fresh orange juice adds natural sweetness and acidity. It also serves as part of the liquid needed to cook down the cranberries into a sauce.
- Orange zest: Orange zest intensifies the orange flavor. If you’re not a fan of citrus flavor in your cranberry sauce, feel free to omit the zest.
- Water: We’re using half water and half orange juice as the cooking liquid.
- Cinnamon stick: Cinnamon adds warmth and pairs well with cranberries and oranges.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce
1. Rinse the cranberries: Transfer the fresh cranberries to a colander and rinse them under cold water. Discard any damaged or bruised cranberries.
2. Combine the ingredients and boil: Add all of the ingredients to a medium saucepan set over high heat and mix well. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until most of the cranberries have popped. Remember to stir occasionally.
3. Rest and thicken: Add additional sugar or sweetener to taste, then remove from heat and let the cranberry sauce rest for 15 minutes to thicken.
Did you know?
Cranberries contain pectin, a naturally occurring gelling agent (aka thickener). When pectin combines with sugar and acid (like orange juice), it binds together to create a gel-like structure that gives jams and sauces their unique texture.
To thicken your sauce, simply cook it longer, stirring occasionally, or allow it to cool. The cooler it becomes, the thicker it becomes.
How to Serve Cranberry Sauce
- With your next Thanksgiving turkey or roast turkey breast.
- Pair it with savory roasts like beef tenderloin or pork tenderloin.
- Serve it with classic cornbread or cornbread dressing.
- Enjoy it with warm baked brie and buttery crackers.
- Serve as a dipping sauce for meatballs.
Make-Ahead and Freezing
Cranberry sauce is one of the best sides to make ahead of time.
- To refrigerate: Allow your cranberry sauce to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container—place in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- To freeze: Homemade cranberry sauce can be frozen for up to 2 months. Transfer it to a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag with most of the air removed. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries, frozen cranberries may also be used
- 1-2 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- pinch of salt, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Transfer the fresh cranberries to a colander and rinse them under cold water. Discard any damaged or bruised cranberries.
- Add all the ingredients to a medium saucepan set over high heat and mix well. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until most cranberries have popped. Remember to stir occasionally.
- Add additional sugar or sweetener to taste. Then remove from heat and let the cranberry sauce rest for 15 minutes to thicken.
Notes
- To thicken your sauce, you may continue simmering it over low heat until the desired consistency is reached or allow it to cool. The cooler it becomes, the thicker it will be.
- Transfer leftover cranberry sauce to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to one week or in the freezer for up to two months.
- If your cranberry sauce is still too tart, add additional sugar or other sweetener in small amounts until the desired sweet-to-tart balance is reached.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
