HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
If you’ve never made homemade cranberry sauce because you thought it was too complicated, I’m going to show you just how easy it is to make. This simple cranberry sauce recipe is perfect! All you do is add fresh cranberries, orange juice, and sugar (both brown and white) to a pan and cook the berries until the break down into a beautiful vibrant red cranberry sauce.
Served alongside roasted turkey an gravy, cranberry sauce is a favorite Thanksgiving recipe that is so easy to prepare and happens to be amazing! Only 15 minutes to cook, I love this sauce because it is not overly sweet and the combination of cranberry and orange give it a subtle citrus, sweet tang that makes a regular turkey dinner go from ordinary to extraordinary.
The vibrant deep red color and texture of the cranberry sauce is in stark contrast to the Ocean Spray canned cranberry sauce so many of us remember in its jellied molded form. One cannot even put them in the same category on many levels of comparison. From color, taste, texture, and overall pleasantness, homemade cranberry sauce wins by a landslide.
Trust me after you try this sauce, you will never buy canned cranberry sauce again. Be prepared when friends and family “Ooooh and Awwww” over the mere fact you made fresh cranberry sauce from scratch. They will call you “Martha” and hate you for it. But that’s okay.. your secret is safe with me.
I won’t tell how you didn’t spend hours over a hot stove making this. In all honesty, if the world only knew how easy this was cranberry sauce was to make, no one would ever buy canned again! Do yourself a favor and leave that good-for-nothing sauce in the can on the grocery store shelf and for this Thanksgiving make your homemade cranberry sauce.
For those of you wondering if you can make this in advance – YES!!! Up to two weeks sealed in a container and stored in the refrigerator!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is cranberry sauce?
Cranberry sauce is a popular condiment made with fresh cranberries, sugar, and water. It is most commonly served alongside turkey on Thanksgiving at room temperature but can also be served slightly warmed up.
Because cranberries are naturally low in sugar and tart in flavor, most cranberry sauce recipes include sugar to make the sauce both sweet and tart.
How long will the cranberry sauce keep?
Cranberry sauce will last two weeks in the refrigerator or up to two years if properly preserved and canned.
What can I do with leftover cranberry sauce?
- Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on sandwich bread followed by a layer of cranberry sauce when making turkey sandwiches like this Turkey Cranberry Sandwich recipe. The combination of cream cheese and cranberry sauce makes regular turkey sandwiches taste dull in comparison.
- Mix in a tablespoon or two into plain Greek yogurt along with granola, like my favorite Perfect Granola recipe, for a nice breakfast parfait.
- Add a spoonful to your favorite cocktail using vodka.
- Add a dollop of sauce to cottage cheese or oatmeal for breakfast or a snack.
- Replace cranberry sauce for any recipe calling for jam.
- Cranberry sauce over oven baked brie makes a great appetizer when served alongside crackers for your holiday gathering.
- Top off your favorite cheesecake recipe (like my Black Tie Cheesecake recipe) with cranberry sauce instead of the more common varieties of blueberry, cherry, raspberry, or strawberries. The sweet and tart flavor of the cranberry sauce compliments the richness of the cheesecake for a winning combination.
Other Cranberry Recipes to Consider
Apple Cranberry Crisp
Honey Satsuma Cranberry Sauce
- 12 oz bag fresh cranberries
- ¾ cup orange juice
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- Optional: 2 oz gold rum
- Add the cranberries, juice, sugars, and optional rum to a sauce pan.
- Cook the sauce on medium-high for 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has reduced – stirring occasionally. You’ll hear the cranberries bursting open – don’t worry, that’s what you want them to do.
- Remove from the heat and serve. Cranberry sauce can be made days ahead and brought to room temperature or slightly heated before serving.
Tried it with a little orange zest. No rum this time.
Loved it. Thanks!
I have been making my own cranberry sauce for decades. I use 1 Cup water and 1 Cup Natra Taste Gold (like Splenda) and a 12 oz. bag of cranberries. It is the pectin in the cranberries that causes the mixture to thicken when the berries pop, more so than the sugar. This was my first year using a sugar substitute and the results were great. I used to gag on that brown-red stuff Mother used to get at the grocery store when I was a kid.
excellent recipe. the balance of sweet : tart seems right on to me, but i think the difference might be to convert the volume of the ingredients to weights and weigh them accordingly–can make a huge difference with brown sugar especially. i used my immersion blender on most of it, delicious over stuffing and hopefully with the squab we’ll be eating later! thank you for this!
Skipped the rum (too many kiddies…) but added a couple of green cardamom pods and a few star anise… yum!
just made it for Thanksgiving. Pretty good, but too much sugar. Next year I would make it with a lot less. Added the rum, adds a nice flavor.
I started making this in 09′ when it was first posted. Amazing recipe! I get asked to make it every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Try it! You’ll like it!
This recipe is wonderful! Made it last year and making it again this year:)
Happy Thanksgiving Joy. Once you go homemade, you never go back to can!
Sounds like a winning combination Lainey. Happy Thanksgiving!
Sounds great, and I’m impressed by your adaptation. Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh also added a little cornstarch to thicken it since I read dried cranberries have less pectin, which is what makes the jelly texture.
Great recipe!
I made this recipe with dried cranberries because that was all I could find at the supermarket near me. I had to add extra water in addition to the orange juice to help soften the dried cranberries, which I then boiled off. At first it didn’t have a sauce-like consistency – more like solid berries in a little juice, but I used a potato masher to smash them down a little and it is perfect. Also added a little orange zest.
It’s so yummy!! Really tangy and fruity and delicious. My boyfriend was cynical to start- he didn’t think it would be worth doing it from scratch when you can just buy the ocean spray stuff in a jar – but he is now well and truly convinced!
Hi Alice…I just wanted to say “thank you” for the simple yet amazing recipe – love it! First time adding brown sugar which I think added to the taste. I also added a cinnamon stick and then made a second batch and added some apples (no alcohol on either batch). Thanks to Victoria for her suggestion on taking some of the sauce out and giving it a few pulses in the food processor – it gave it a nice even texture. I can’t wait to share with my family tomorrow.
I just recently discovered the wonderful world of cranberry sauce thanks to an amazing hot turkey sandwich I get at the Tallyrand in Burbank, CA. (if you are ever in the neighborhood I highly recommend giving it a try!) Anyways, back to the cranberry sauce. I have never much cared for the canned version but when I tasted it homemade, I was a convert! I will be making it for the first time this Thanksgiving and from the raving reviews I am sure I will be making it for many Thanksgivings to come!
Ok so i tried the recipe with white wine and it was fantastic!! I’m sure It’ll be a hit tomorrow! Thanks again
Happy Thanksgiving to you too Alice!
I only have light rum in the house. Do I need to go get gold which it calls for? Or what about brandy instead?
Hi Krystal,
Yes, you could go either red or white wine. It will be slightly different undertone but I’m sure it will be good. You might want to do a 1/2 tablespoon and add more as you like. Happy Thanksgiving.
Hi Ellen,
Light rum works just fine. Happy Thanksgiving.
No rum on hands here, could i use maybe some white wine instead? What do u think…
Hi, you could try grapefruit, but it will not be the same. You are better omitting the juice completely or squeeze a couple tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
Do you think I could use grapefruit juice? I have no orange juice but I have at least five grapefruits sitting in a bowl…
Just finished making this recipe; did a batch with rum and one without. The RUM one wins hand down! Thanks
Hi Karen,
The cranberries will pop on their own and break down. No need to cut in half. And yes, the sauce does thicken from the sugar, like jam. Hope this helps.
Debbie, when you said your Italian Grandmother put oranges in it; did you actually mean sliced oranges or the orange juice?
Will try this recipe for first time…Should I cut cranberries in half or leave whole before cooking? Does the sauce thicken from the sugar?