Cranberry Sauce
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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
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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.
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Good morning Jenn,
Our Canadian Thanksgiving is coming up… October 9th, and I have 2 questions for in 2 recipes I would like to make… One is the cranberry sauce, the other is your pecan pumpkin streusel torte.
I want to make as much in advance as possible, so, will the cranberry sauce hold, if I make it today(Saturday) for next Monday, obviously in the fridge, for that long and when it comes to the torte, I know you say it can be made a day in advance, but any chance you’ve made it a couple of days in advance? I also can’t remember if you stated how this should be stored when making it in advance, room temp or in the fridge.
Thank you
Hi Diana, Go ahead and make the cranberry sauce but I’d freeze it and then defrost the day before serving. For the torte, I think you could safely make it two days ahead and store, loosely covered, in the fridge. Just be sure to bring to room temp before serving. Hope that helps and happy early Thanksgiving! 🙂
Fantastic. I made this for thanksgiving and it was a hit. I also make every time I roast a chicken.
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was FANTASTIC! I’m guilty of opening the can however my son brought his New England girlfriend home and I felt guilty not serving fresh cranberry sauce. I have officially added this to my Thanksgiving repertoire. It’s easy and delish!
Jenn I just love all of your recipes! I made your fresh cranberry orange sauce for our Thanksgiving day dinner and I’m wondering why I’ve never made the fresh sauce before?! Your recipe is so simple, not too sweet and just perfect the way it is! I’ll be making more of this to use everyday on our breakfast toast and biscuits. It’s too good to only have it once a year! Thank you!
This was fun to make. My smaller oranges yielded less juice, so I needed two of them. For those who don’t like the orange flavor, try using cranberry or tart cherry juice.
I made this using a little bit of port wine as the liquid. It was a hit and I will make again for Christmas!
Made this for Thanksgiving. Wonderful balance of flavor. Added a splash of Grand Marnier. Thanks for another great recipe.
Just made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious! The simplicity of the cranberries and orange were a perfect way to brighten up the turkey dinner.
How long can this stay in the fridge for?
Hi Jerrika, this will be good in the fridge for several days.
I made this cranberry sauce for my thanksgiving and my family loved it. I doubled the recipe and used 350g of sugar.