Homemade Cranberry Sauce is a sweet, tart and colorful addition to any holiday meal. And when it comes to preparing the traditional holiday meal, Homemade Cranberry Sauce has got to be the easiest, if not most colorful, dish to prepare. It only requires five ingredients and comes together in no time.

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe | shewearsmanyhats.com

This homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe only requires five ingredients (and one of them is water) to make this perky festive dish to perfectly complement your holiday turkey, rib roast or ham. But I have to say, even though it is traditionally meant to be one of turkey’s favorite partners (along with gravy) this Cranberry Sauce is an excellent addition to ice cream, pound cake, or drizzled over pancakes. Talk about the perfect use for all of those Thanksgiving leftovers!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce 

Like I said, this homemade Cranberry Sauce is incredibly easy to make. It is also a bit of fun as you hear the cranberries pop, pop, pop! I remember the first time I made this sauce from scratch and wondered what the sound was as I was washing dishes nearby. I kept returning to the stove to figure out if something was wrong with my stove or pan, until it finally dawned on me that it was the cranberries heating up. So be sure to have the kids (safely) close by so they can hear the cranberries talk!

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe | shewearsmanyhats.com

What to Serve With Cranberry Sauce 

With it’s sweet and tart flavors, Cranberry Sauce is a lovely compliment to a savory meal. Our family enjoys it during the holiday season especially with beef and poultry. For a Thanksgiving celebration this delicious sauce pairs well with my Mayonnaise Roasted TurkeySweet Potato Casserole, Cheese Broccoli Casserole, Southern Green Beans and Sausage and Mushroom Stuffing round out the menu for a meal our family looks forward to each year.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

As I mentioned before, Cranberry Sauce is super easy to make and can easily be made ahead of serving time by up to a week, then kept refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve. It sure does make holiday meals easy when any dish can be prepared ahead of time to cut down on preparation the day of the big gathering. Cranberry Sauce may be enjoy chilled, at room temperature or rewarmed before serving.

Ingredients for Cranberry Sauce

  • granulated sugar
  • water
  • orange juice
  • fresh cranberries (frozen may be substituted)
  • ground cinnamon

Instructions for Cranberry Sauce

  1. To make this colorful sauce, bring sugar, water, and orange juice to a boil in a saucepan. Add the cranberries and a bit of cinnamon, then bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken up nicely as it cooks and even more once it cools. If a smoother consistency is desired, use a potato masher or a heavy flat-bottomed glass to mash the cranberries even more.
  2. Allow the sauce to cool completely before serving or refrigerating. Once cooled, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Cranberry Sauce can be made up to 7 days ahead of time and kept refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to enjoy.

See how easy it is? It’s so easy I don’t know why we don’t make Cranberry Sauce all year long! As I mentioned before, try this sauce over ice cream, pound cake or pancakes, or as a bright addition to a sandwich. 

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe | shewearsmanyhats.com

More delicious sauce recipes to try: 

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe | shewearsmanyhats.com

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe in a bowl with spoon inside

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Yield: 8
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

This colorful traditional holiday side dish is quick to make with only a few simple ingredients.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
  • 12-ounces fresh cranberries (frozen may be substituted)
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Bring sugar, water and orange juice to a boil in a medium saucepan.
  2. Add cranberries and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally for about 10-15 minutes, until sauce thickens.*
  3. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Makes about 2 1/4 cups.

This homemade Cranberry Sauce can be made up to 7 days ahead of time and kept refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve.

*If a smoother consistency is desired, use a potato masher or a heavy flat-bottomed glass to mash the sauce to preference.

Did you make this recipe?

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Originally published November 18, 2014.