Cranberry Sauce

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.

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 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.

Video Tutorial