Cranberry Sauce
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Bright, tangy, and just sweet enough, this easy cranberry sauce recipe comes together in just 15 minutes.
I’ll admit, the jiggly, can-shaped cranberry sauce has a certain nostalgic charm, but homemade cranberry sauce is truly in a league of its own—and it couldn’t be easier to make. This cranberry sauce recipe combines fresh or frozen cranberries with orange juice and zest for a bright, sweet-tart flavor that’s perfect with roast turkey. Best of all, it can be made well ahead of time, which is one less thing to think about on Thanksgiving Day.
“This is my go-to cranberry sauce…I am now passing it on to my children and grandchildren. A treasured family recipe.”
What You’ll Need To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Fresh or frozen cranberries: Fresh are ideal when in season, but frozen work just as well and don’t need to be thawed first. Avoid dried cranberries; they won’t break down properly or give the sauce the right texture.
- Orange juice and zest: The juice balances the cranberries’ tartness, while the zest adds concentrated orange flavor. Be sure to zest the oranges before juicing them.
- Sugar: Cranberries are extremely tart, so sugar is needed to balance the flavor.
- Water: Helps dissolve the sugar and gives the cranberries room to boil and burst without scorching.
- Salt: Just a pinch rounds out the sweetness and keeps the sauce from tasting flat.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Combine the water, orange juice, and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cranberries, orange zest, and salt, then simmer gently until most of the berries have burst and the sauce has thickened. Mash a few berries with a spoon if needed. The sauce will look looser than you might expect when it comes off the heat. It thickens considerably as it cools and even more once refrigerated.
Cranberry Sauce Variations
- Cinnamon-Orange: Add a cinnamon stick along with the cranberries and remove it before serving.
- Cranberry-Apple: Stir in one peeled, diced apple during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Cranberry-Walnut or Pecan: Fold in ½ cup toasted, chopped nuts after the sauce has finished cooking.
- Boozy: Stir in a splash of port, bourbon, or orange liqueur once the sauce is off the heat.
Video Tutorial
More Holiday Side Dishes You’ll Love
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup fresh orange juice, from two oranges
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 (12-oz) bag fresh or frozen cranberries (do not use dried)
- Zest of one orange, about 2 teaspoons
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan over high heat, bring the water, orange juice, and sugar to a boil. Add the cranberries, orange zest, and salt and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and boil gently for 10 to 12 minutes, until most of cranberries have burst open. (You may need to mash them a bit with a spoon.)
- Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you’re following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Hello Jen. Just made this recipe for our Thanksgiving dinner. Followed the recipe exactly. The sauce/gel is too thin. I noticed some cooks reduce the amounts of water, OJ. Please advise how I can THICKEN the sauce. Thank you, Cathy
Hi Cathy, I would let it sit out for a bit — it should thicken up nicely once it reaches room temperature. If not, I would try cooking it for a bit longer.
Thank you for your prompt reply. The ‘first’ attempt never did set up/thicken; I’m not sure what went wrong! Back to grocery store, and remade the recipe without water, and just a bit more OJ, and it came out perfect. My entire family loves your recipes!
Simple, lip-smackingly tart, and delicious. I was lazy and used 6 wide strips of orange peel instead of zesting my huge orange, then fished them out before chilling. Still redolent of orange and absolutely lovely. Thank you, Jenn! And Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve made this recipe literally for decades, always wonderful. But, for the last few years I’ve made a tweak. I use no water, 3/4 cup of orange juice and 1/2/cup of brandy. The alcohol will boil off but leaving a great flavor. I also don’t mash it as everyone in our family loves the varied texture. I never told anyone when I made this change and immediately everyone said this was the best batch ever.
oooh, I read this just in time. I’m trying this Bob!
I hope you tried it and enjoyed it. We started our Thanksgiving grocery list and I just checked to see if I had brandy!
Hi Jenn!
Can I use “regular” orange juice instead of fresh oj?
Thank you. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
Sure, Suzanne, that’s fine. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
So yummy! Anxious to serve it on Thanksgiving.
Thank-you for the simple cranberry sauce recipe. For longer-term storage , it’s also possible to preserve the sauce in a jar : but going through the process of filling a clean , warmed jar and filling with sauce while hot.
Hi Anna, I didn’t develop this recipe for canning so I can’t say for sure that it would be safe. Sorry!
I made this cranberry sauce tonight to freeze for Thanksgiving. I followed the recipe exactly as written. It turned out great. Quite delicious. I can’t wait to see how it tastes after freezing it. Thanks for the recipe!
I made the cranberry sauce and I love the combination of orange and cranberries. Sooo good. Thank you.
Thank you for the most delicious cranberry sauce. I opted for the 1/2 cup orange juice with 1/2 cup of water. It sure will be enjoyed today.
Not one for commenting. I am not a big cranberry sauce fan. This will definitely become a main staple in my house. Not just for the holidays either.
I did tweak the recipe a little. I added some whole clove and cinnamon. Next time I am going to try a stick of cinnamon instead ground.