This Amazing Cranberry Sauce Recipe comes together in under 15 minutes and only uses a handful of simple ingredients.
It’s perfect for topping some juicy Thanksgiving Turkey, spreading on Sweet Cornbread or my personal favorite – pouring over a block of cream cheese for snacking with crackers!
I especially love fall because of the changing colors of leaves, the cool crisp mornings and of course all the yummy flavors like pumpkin, cranberry and sage.
No Thanksgiving table is complete without a dish of this Amazing Cranberry Sauce. With hints of orange, brown sugar and cinnamon, it’s perfectly tart, sweet and delicious.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Believe it or not, making homemade cranberry sauce is actually VERY easy to do.
It’s basically just combining all the ingredients in a saucepan and letting it simmer for about 10 minutes. Seriously!
Ingredients For Cranberry Sauce:
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need in order to make this simple cranberry sauce at home. As always, you can find the full, printable recipe located below in the recipe card.
- Brown Sugar – light or dark brown
- Orange Juice – use fresh for best flavor
- Orange Zest – I love this Zester!
- Fresh Cranberries – rinsed
- Salt – just a pinch
- Cinnamon
- Water
How To Make Cranberry Sauce
You’ll never go back to the canned stuff again once you try this homemade version of cranberry sauce. The flavors are just not comparable.
COMBINE SAUCE INGREDIENTS
Combine the brown sugar, orange juice, water, salt and cinnamon in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer, until the sugar is dissolved throughout.
ADD FRESH CRANBERRIES
Stir in the fresh cranberries with the sugar mixture and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 to 12 minutes.
OPTIONAL – MORE CRANBERRIES
Stir in remaining cranberries and orange zest and let simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
I like to keep about 1/2 cup of fresh cranberries till the very end, then I’ll stir them in and let them simmer just a bit. This gives the cranberry sauce an amazing consistency. If you’re not a fan of the larger berries at the end, go ahead and just add them all into the sauce at the beginning.
How To Thicken Cranberry Sauce?
Cranberries are naturally high in pectin, which, when cooked properly, will result in the perfect sauce consistency.
There is no need to add any additional thickeners to cranberry sauce. Follow my recipe for a sauce that’s spreadable but not runny.
How Is Cranberry Sauce Supposed To Be Served?
Cranberry sauce is great when served warm over poultry (turkey, chicken) or even pork or beef!
It can also be served at room temperature or chilled.
How Long Does Cranberry Sauce Last?
Most importantly, How early can you make Cranberry Sauce before Thanksgiving?
We all know time is important on Thanksgiving, so getting anything prepared ahead of time is always a big bonus. This Amazing Cranberry Sauce Recipe can be cooked up to 5 days ahead of time.
PRO TIP: I like to pour it into a mason jar and store it in the fridge until I’m ready to use it.
More Delish Cranberry Recipes
If you’re looking for more ways to use up those fresh cranberries, check out these tasty recipes…
I can’t wait for you to give this homemade sauce a try! You’ll never go back to the canned stuff again!
Amazing Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
- ⅛ tsp cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 12 oz cranberries, fresh; rinsed
Instructions
- Zest the orange first and set the zest aside for later use.
- Combine the brown sugar, water, orange juice, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan and bring mixture to a simmer, until brown sugar dissolves. Add in all but ½ cup of cranberries (reserve these for later). Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 to 11 minutes.
- Once the cranberries have popped and the mixture is starting to thicken, add in the remaining cranberries and cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest.
- The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled. Let cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN THIS IMAGE TO SAVE THE RECIPE:
Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole
Dennis
To much orange flavor next time won’t use the zest and a little more sugar to take more tart away
Sandra
Can this be frozen?
Shawn
Yes! Definitely!
Susan
I make almost the same recipe. Same ingredients with the exception of using cinnamon, I use 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom. I use 1/2 cup of orange juice with 1/4 cup of water. When the cranberries have opened and the mixture has reduced, I remove it from the heat and stir in the zest of one large orange (about 2 teaspoons) and add 3 Tablespoons of Grand Marnier. YES, it is only for adults and it is amazing! (Of course you can light up the Grand Marnier and burn the alcohol off and then incorporate it into the cranberry sauce).
Shawn
Thanks for sharing Susan!
Samantha Chattom
This sounds amazingly delicious