Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
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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.
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!
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 Turkey. Sweet 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
- 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.
- 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.
More delicious sauce recipes to try:
Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
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
- Bring sugar, water and orange juice to a boil in a medium saucepan.
- Add cranberries and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and cook stirring occasionally for about 10-15 minutes, until sauce thickens.*
- 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.
Originally published November 18, 2014.
I think I’ll try making my own this year! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Yes, you should! It’s so easy. It’s almost like cheating.
Love this! So easy and it’s so fresh and pretty!!!
Aren’t cranberries so vibrant? They’re color always amazes me.
My mom e-mailed me this morning to ask if I had a homemade cranberry sauce to recommend and then BAM! this arrives in my feed. Perfect! Easy and sounds sooo delicious.
It was meant to be. 😉 I hope y’all enjoy it. I had it with greek yogurt for a snack, and whoa, it was fabulous.
A homemade cranberry sauce is a must for Thanksgiving! I love making and eating it! Gorgeous photos, Amy! Pinned!
Add some orange peel and fresh vanilla bean
how much vanilla bean
How much orange peel and vanilla bean
Yumm, love homemade cranberry sauce!!
Making this for a friendsgiving this weekend! Hopefully stores well in the fridge! Anything I can make ahead of time is well worth it with my 6 month old baby!
Happy Friendsgiving, Jessica!
Mine isn’t thickening?? What can I do?
mine wasn’t thickening either after about 25 mins. i mixed 1/2 teaspoon of corn starch with a bit of orange juice and added that in. it thickened up 5 minutes after that. hope this helps! 🙂
You didn’t recook it on the stove did you
Oh my gosh, it smells amazing as it simmers!
Can this be canned and stored for later use??
I’m not sure as I have never canned this sauce.
Ok I canned it so I’ll keep you posted! Lol
Yes, please do, Leah!
So how did it do canning it?
Hi there!!!
Does this sauce do well with freezing??
Thanks for sharing, love the flavour!
– Katelyn
How long can you keep this cranberry sauce in the fridge?
This was a terrific recipe. It came together quickly and tastes better than anything I’ve eaten from a can. This will be a new family tradition. Thank you!
Making this right now! Smells divine!
I hope y’all enjoyed it!
Thank you for the easy UNCOMPLICATED recipe. It’s just what I was looking for! Going to try it right now!
I found this to be suuuuper sweet last year. How much would you suggest to reduce the sugar or oj if any?
Great recipe for cranberry sauce! Definitely a winner!
Having trouble getting it to thicken, even after 20 min. (yes on the stovetop) Any suggestions for next time? I am very sure there will be a next time! It smells divine
Love this each Thanksgiving. I used my little bit of left over on my homemade buttermilk waffle with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of maple syrup and it was fantastic. Dreaming of it ever since.
I want to make this recipe but I would like to
Know if you can or freeze it. I want to make a big enough batch for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
While I have never frozen cranberry sauce, I have read that it freezes well in an airtight container. Use within a couple of months and defrost the night before in the refrigerator. I hope that helps, Donna.
Am allergic to orange orange juice only, but can do other citric juices. It there an acceptable substitute?
I wanted to make cranberry sauce from scratch so I tried your recipe. I made it on the weekend as a trial run before Thanksgiving and it was so easy (I was surprised). Because you said it was good on other foods, we ate it that way. The kids loved it on pancakes and it was good over ice cream too. I just can’t believe how easy this recipe is. I’m going to make it again the day before we need it. Thanks for such a successful recipe. This one’s a keeper.