Cranberry Sauce
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Ready in 15 minutes with just five ingredients, this homemade cranberry sauce is brighter, fresher, and infinitely better than anything from a can.
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’s so easy to make! Simply boil fresh or frozen cranberries with sugar, water, orange juice and zest, and in just 15 minutes, you’ll have a sauce bursting with bright, sweet flavors.
The best part? It’s a true make-ahead dish. This cranberry sauce recipe keeps beautifully in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for two months, so you can knock it out well before the Thanksgiving rush and forget about it until you need it.
Serve it up alongside your favorite Thanksgiving turkey and turkey gravy—or check out my best Thanksgiving side dishes for more ideas to round out the table. Then give your post-feast turkey sandwiches a gourmet twist by mixing the leftover sauce with mayo for an irresistibly delicious spread.
“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 (roughly October through December), but frozen works just as well and doesn’t need thawing first; just add them straight to the pot. Avoid dried cranberries here; they won’t break down the same way and will throw off the sauce’s texture entirely.
- Orange juice and zest: Juice adds sweetness and flavor that balances the cranberries’ natural tartness, while the zest layers in a more concentrated orange flavor that juice alone can’t provide.
- 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, but it 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
Step 1: Zest and juice the oranges. Start by zesting one of the oranges. A rasp grater works best, but any fine grater will do. Just avoid the white pith, which can be bitter, and always zest before juicing; once the orange is squeezed, there’s no going back!
Step 2: Start the sauce. Heat the orange juice, water, and sugar until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is bubbling, then add the cranberries, zest, and salt.
Step 3: Cook until the berries burst. As the cranberries cook, they’ll begin to pop and release their juices, turning the mixture into a ruby-red sauce. After about 10 minutes, most should be burst, though leaving a few whole gives the sauce nice texture.
Step 4: Finish and store. Once most of the cranberries have burst, mash them lightly with a spoon to reach your desired texture—more mashing for a smoother, jammier sauce, less for a chunkier one. 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.
Pro Tip: The sauce needs at least 2 hours in the fridge to fully set, so if you’re serving it same-day, make it first thing in the morning—or better yet, the day before.
Cranberry Sauce Variations
Cinnamon-Orange: Add a cinnamon stick along with the cranberries and remove it before serving, for a warm, spiced version that pairs beautifully with turkey.
Cranberry-Apple: Stir in one peeled, diced apple during the last 5 minutes of cooking for extra body and a natural sweetness boost.
Cranberry-Walnut or Pecan: Fold in ½ cup toasted, chopped nuts after the sauce has finished cooking, for crunch and richness.
Boozy Cranberry Sauce: Stir in a splash of port, bourbon, or orange liqueur once the sauce is off the heat, for a warm, grown-up kick.
“For the fun of it I added in some Fireball whiskey. The cinnamon flavor was good.”
Video Tutorial
More Cranberry Recipes 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.
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Is it suppose to be soupy
Hi Hannah, It should not be too soupy but keep in mind it thickens up a lot as it cools.
It looks soupy at first, but as it cooks it will thicken.
I have made this recipe now for many years. I used to be the one that would never go near cranberry sauce…until this recipe! As I’ve grown more comfortable making it I”ve adulterated it in all kinds of ways and its always amazing. Sometimes I put figs in it (so yummy, plus fun texture), sometimes I put in ruby port, sometimes I put in ginger, sometimes red wine, and sometimes I combine many of these! A very flexible recipe to say the least and it is always spectacular. Something to note; when I used figs and red wine, I also put in a couple cranks of fresh cracked pepper- you might cringe at this but it was SO good.
Where I live they don’t have fresh cranberries but they have the dried ones, how do I calculate how much I would need for this recipe? or how can I make this recipe?
Unfortunately, dried cranberries won’t work here, Lorena- I’m sorry! You can use frozen cranberries if they carry them in your store.
Hi Lorena, Having lived abroad I had to make a cranberry sauce from dried ones and succeeded! I recommend soaking the cranberries in orange juice for as long as possible (1 day ideally or a few hours). Then cook them as you would normally in this recipe. You’ll still be able to make a sauce but because this is way off from using fresh, monitor your pot closely and adjust the liquids until you get the consistency you want. Good luck.
I’m curious about adding a bit of booze to this. Brandy, whisky, rum? Thoughts?
Sure, Casey – I think that’d work.
I add an orange liquor called Gran Marnier. It’s awesome!
Rosemary I’m going to follow your suggestion but use some Gran Gala I already have on hand. About how much would you say you add, a teas.? Or tables.? Or more? 🙂 Thanks!
I agree. I always add a liqueur to this recipe, and Grand Marnier is my favorite.
I’m a cointreau guy, it’s an orange liqueur that I like better than gran marnier. Give it a try you won’t regret it.
I have a similar recipe and I add a splash of Grand Marnier to the “adults ” serving bowl. It takes it over the top!
What is the serving size? How many servings can I make?
Hi Catherine, This recipe makes enough for about 16 servings.
I brought this to Thanksgiving dinner with friends who don’t like cranberry sauce. They didn’t even taste it, but I left some at their house anyway. The next day I got a text: “OMG this cranberry sauce is amazing! We had no idea!” Yep. Now they request it every year. It’s especially good on turkey sandwiches. 🙂
Just made this and it is the most flavorful and fantastic recipe I have ever had!! I did add a cinnamon stick to it while in the second boil. Fabulous!!!!
Just made this…..
It is now chilling….
The flavor while warm is amazing.
Can’t wait to taste it chilled!
It was very easy to make.
I Love this simple recipe! So easy to make and everyone Loves it! So much better than the canned stuff! I also put the left over in a pie with cherry pie filling. It was tangy and very good!