This Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe is made from 5 ingredients and ready in just 15 minutes! Spiced with cinnamon, fresh cranberries and a splash of orange juice, this favorite Thanksgiving side dish is the perfect combination of tart and sweet.
Forget grabbing that can of jellied cranberry this holiday and make your own homemade cranberry sauce instead.
Why? Why go through the trouble of making homemade cranberry sauce when it’s BOGO on aisle 7 this week? Snatching up that can of cranberry jelly means there’s one less thing to cook.
Ugg.. I feel ya! But trust me, this easy cranberry sauce recipe is pulled together in just a few minutes and tastes so much better than that BOGO can. While the canned stuff works in a pinch, it doesn’t even come close to comparing to homemade sauce.
However, there is no one single item that will start a full blown war at the holiday family gatherings more than those two words. The wiggly cranberry blob that you have to oh so carefully dislodge from its aluminum can holds a vicious place in many peoples hearts.
For these faithful followers, no matter how amazing the homemade version of their beloved cranberry sauce comes out, they will always choose the blob. Stop trying to convert those people, it’s quite impossible. Let them have their can…
WHY HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
This family favorite side dish is unbelievably easy to make. You simply boil fresh cranberries in some water and orange juice with a few spices and simmer until the cranberries pop. Done!
Everyone goes all out when it comes to holiday dinners and easy side dishes are no exception. Serve up a sweet and tart bowl of cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries, some spices and the added zing of orange juice.
With so much heavy food served up at holiday dinners, this homemade cranberry sauce is bright and tart and sweet and cuts through and contrasts against all of those heavy, bready, carby bites.
WHY THIS EASY CRANBERRY SAUCE IS THE BEST
- This family favorite recipe takes only a handful of ingredients and only needs 15 minutes to cook.
- This cranberry side dish is not just for Thanksgiving and Christmas… serve this all year round!
- You can make this days ahead of time so you have more time on The Big Day to drink wine and eat cheese balls.
- You control the texture of this homemade cranberry sauce. Want it smooth? Want it chunky? You decide!
- This is the perfect dish to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. Easy, impressive and impossible to mess up!
To make this Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce, you will need:
- Cranberries: I prefer to use fresh cranberries but it comes out lovely using either fresh or frozen cranberries.
- Water: We are using a combination of water and orange juice for this recipe to simmer the cranberries.
- Fresh Orange Juice: Add in the juice of a fresh orange. Add in the orange zest from the orange and you have the perfect balance of orange and cranberry flavor.
- Sugar: With tart you need sweet and adding sugar to this cranberry sauce is just enough to keep that balance.
- Cinnamon: Add a dash of cinnamon to bring together these amazing holiday flavors.
HOW TO MAKE EASY HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Start by combining sugar, orange juice, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine.
Add cranberries (reserve 1 cup), a dash of salt and cinnamon to the pot. Stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Continue cooking, for about 10 minutes, or until all or most of the cranberries have popped.
Remove from heat, stir in the reserved whole cranberries and orange zest. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
USES FOR LEFTOVER CRANBERRY SAUCE
- Serve on stuffing waffles the day after Thanksgiving
- Add to your cheesecake batter
- Swirl into an orange cranberry bundt cake
- Add cranberry to BBQ sauce
- Use it to top off vanilla ice cream or apple cranberry pie
- Add leftover cranberry sauce to fresh fruit or in yogurt
- Swirl it into baked oatmeal
- Definitely slather it on your leftover turkey sandwiches for the next week!
- Replace the raspberry with cranberry in these almond bars
CAN YOU FREEZE CRANBERRY SAUCE?
Heck yeah, you can! Simply move your cooled homemade cranberry sauce to a tightly sealed container or zip top bag, seal it up with no excess trapped air and move to your freezer. It will keep for up to 3 months. Let it thaw on the counter or in the fridge until ready to use then warm on the stove or in the microwave before serving.
PRO TIPS FOR PERFECT CRANBERRY SAUCE
- Experiment with flavor by adding a pinch of nutmeg, clove or allspice to bring out even more warm holiday flavors!
- You can freeze the cranberry sauce for up to 3 months so you can always have this easy cranberry sauce on hand. Follow my instructions above.
- You can make this holiday side dish up to 3 days in advance of when you need it. Total time saver!
- Stir in your reserved whole cranberries after you remove them from the heat. You want your cranberries to soften but not pop. The whole berries added to the cranberry sauce adds a great contrast.
MORE HOLIDAY DISHES YOU WILL LOVE
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing
- Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
- Cranberry Apple Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf
Enjoy!
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Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice and zest of one orange
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- dash of salt optional
Instructions
- Start by combining sugar, orange juice, and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine.
- Add cranberries (reserve 1 cup), cinnamon and a dash of salt to the pot. Stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Continue cooking, for about 10 minutes, or until all or most of the cranberries have popped. - Remove from heat, stir in the reserved whole cranberries and orange zest. Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes
PRO TIPS FOR PERFECT CRANBERRY SAUCE
- Experiment with flavor by adding a pinch of nutmeg, clove or allspice to bring out even more warm holiday flavors!
- You can freeze the cranberry sauce for up to 3 months so you can always have this easy cranberry sauce on hand. Follow my instructions above.
- You can make this holiday side dish up to 3 days in advance of when you need it. Total time saver!
- Stir in your reserved whole cranberries after you remove them from the heat. You want your cranberries to soften but not pop. The whole berries added to the cranberry sauce adds a great contrast.
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Update Notes: This post was originally published in December of 2016 but was republished with an updated recipe, new photos, step by step instructions and tips in December of 2019.
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