Bright and flavorful cranberry sauce is always a welcome sight at Thanksgiving dinner or any holiday meal. Its sweet-tart flavor pairs just as nicely with your savory dishes as it does served over plain desserts like cheesecake. I tested several flavor options and ingredient swaps that really prove how adaptable cranberry sauce is. Plus, it’s a one-pot Thanksgiving side dish that cooks for just 15 minutes — a convenient, easy recipe for the busy holiday season!
A reader, Cathay, says: “I made this last week for Thanksgiving and it was great! My husband also made plain cheesecake, and it was wonderful with this served over the top.” ★★★★★
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
My easy cranberry sauce is set to become one of your family’s favorite holiday sides. Here’s why:
- Super easy and quick to make: All of the ingredients go in the pot together, simmer for 15 minutes, and you’re done!
- No added thickeners: Cranberries are naturally super high in pectin, so you don’t need to add anything to them to make a thick cranberry sauce. This pectin is activated by heat during simmering, so the sauce will thicken up as it cools.
- Limitless flavor possibilities: You can swap out the sugar, spices, liquid, and citrus for so many flavor combinations that enhance the taste of the cranberries. I have a big list of ideas for you below!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
These are the main ingredients you need to make this easy cranberry sauce recipe. You can find the full list of ingredients and measurements in the recipe card below.
Cranberries — you can use fresh or frozen cranberries to make this homemade cranberry sauce recipe. If using fresh cranberries, rinse them well and throw out any brown or shriveled berries. If using frozen, use the bag of cranberries from frozen — no need to thaw, as the cranberries will warm up quickly in the hot saucepan.
Sugar — granulated sugar or light brown sugar works well, with white sugar being more neutral in flavor and brown sugar adding hints of molasses to the sauce. Or you can swap them for ¾ cup of maple syrup or honey. The cooking time may increase by a few minutes since you’re adding more liquid ingredients.
Orange — you need orange juice and orange zest from 1 large orange for a bright, citrusy flavor in the best cranberry sauce. Feel free to swap the juice for pomegranate juice, cherry juice, or grapefruit juice for a twist!
Spices (optional) — while I don’t add spices to my cranberry sauce as I prefer to let the cranberry and orange flavors shine, you can add warm spices like a few dashes of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cloves. Or add a whole cinnamon stick or star anise, simmer them in the sauce, and remove before serving.
Easy Cranberry Sauce Flavor Swaps
Cranberry sauce is incredibly versatile! I tested several flavor combinations to show you how easily you can swap the sugars and liquids in the recipe. Plus, add other flavorings like spices or liqueurs, or stir in chunky additions like fruit and nuts. Here are a few of my favorite flavor ideas to get you started:
- Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce: cranberries, brown sugar, red wine or port, orange juice and zest, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon, a few dashes of ground cloves
- Rosemary-Apple Cranberry Sauce: cranberries, 1 cup diced apple, brown sugar, apple cider, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, 1 rosemary sprig
- Brandied Cranberry Sauce: cranberries, brown sugar and honey, water, brandy, 2 whole star anise
- Pomegranate-Walnut Cranberry Sauce: cranberries, maple syrup, pomegranate juice, water or Grand Marnier, lemon zest. Stir in ¼ cup finely chopped toasted walnuts after the sauce is cooked.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Cranberry sauce has a pretty long shelf life and freezes great, so it’s ideal to make ahead! Cranberries are naturally high in acid and phenolic compounds (which give cranberries antimicrobial properties). With added sugar and citrus juice, these preserve the sauce for quite a while if stored properly! The sauce will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a week before serving. The flavors will deepen as it sits.
Freezing: Place cooled sauce in an airtight, freezer-safe container and press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the sauce before sealing the lid. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw the sauce in the refrigerator overnight, a day or two before you plan on serving it.
Reheating: If you’d like to enjoy stored cranberry sauce warm, heat it in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (about 5-7 minutes). Add a splash of water if needed to thin out the sauce. It’s also delicious served cold, so this is totally optional.
Pro Tips For The Best Cranberry Sauce
If you prefer a chunkier sauce, reserve a handful of whole cranberries at the start and stir them into the sauce after cooking.
Avoid overcooking. The cranberry sauce will naturally thicken as it cools. Remove the saucepan from the heat once the cranberries burst and the liquid reduces. Overcooking the sauce can create a gummy or overly thick texture.
You can easily adjust the consistency of the sauce. If it is too thin after it cools, bring it back to a simmer and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes to thicken it. If it’s too thick, stir in a warm liquid of your choice, a tablespoon at a time, until it is the desired consistency.
How To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Below, I’ve highlighted portions of the recipe in step-by-step process images along with instructions for making homemade cranberry sauce. You can find the full set of instructions in the recipe card below.
1. Juice and zest an orange and keep it aside for the moment.
2. If you decide to use fresh cranberries, rinse them thoroughly and throw out any brown or shriveled ones. Place in a saucepan. If you use frozen cranberries, pop them straight into the pan, frozen. Add granulated sugar.
3. Then add water, fresh zest, and orange juice, and place over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring now and then, until the berries burst and the mixture thickens to your preferred consistency. (Keep in mind that it thickens more as the sauce cools.) Remove from the heat. You can serve it warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce/338g) bag cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup granulated or light brown sugar (200g)
- ¼ cup water (60ml)
- Zest of 1 orange (grated or in large strips)
- ¼ cup orange juice (1 orange) (60ml)
Instructions
- If using fresh cranberries, rinse them thoroughly and discard any shriveled or brown ones. Then, place the cranberries in a medium saucepan. (If using frozen cranberries, you don’t need to rinse or thaw them.)
- Add the sugar, water, orange zest and juice. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberry mixture starts to simmer, about 10 minutes.
- Decrease the heat to medium-low and stir occasionally, cooking until the berries burst and the liquid thickens the desired amount, 5 to 10 minutes. (Keep in mind the sauce will thicken as it cools.) Remove from the heat. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.
Notes
- Balance the flavor with salt. If you find your sauce is a little too tart for your taste, add a pinch (about ⅛ teaspoon) of salt to balance the flavors. This is an easy way to tamp down the tartness of the cranberries without adding more sugar!
- Feel free to adjust the sugar depending on your taste preference. Reduce the sugar by using up to ¼ cup less for a tarter flavor, or increase it by up to ¼ cup for added sweetness. Taste and adjust as you go to find your perfect sugar ratio.
Nutrition
How To Serve Cranberry Sauce (And Use Leftovers)
This is the best cranberry sauce to pair with Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner foods like roasted turkey and air fryer turkey breast, and classic sides like mashed potatoes and gravy.
You can also enjoy leftover cranberry sauce in a new way! Use it to top breakfast foods like waffles and gingerbread pancakes or desserts like a slice of classic cheesecake. It also makes a delicious alternative filling for apple turnovers or a replacement for raspberry jam in a Monte Cristo sandwich.
More Easy Thanksgiving Side Recipes To Try
Try these easy side dishes to serve alongside your homemade cranberry sauce!
Cornbread dressing is moist and fluffy on the inside with a golden crust and so much flavor from onion, celery, and sage.
All you need are 10 minutes and five ingredients to make my green bean casserole. Use fresh green beans for the best flavor!
Candied yams are ready in under an hour. Stir together a quick brown sugar sauce, pour it over sliced sweet potatoes in a casserole dish, and bake!
My fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes are a must-try to complete your holiday spread. Starchier potatoes like russets and Yukon gold potatoes make the best mashed potatoes.
Homemade creamed corn is a cozy comfort food that’s ready in about 30 minutes. You can use fresh or frozen corn kernels.
If you’ve tried this cranberry sauce recipe, then don’t forget to rate it and let me know how you got on in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Iris says
The best cranberry sauce, love it the only thing I would add is on the orange peel it’s a tiny piece of peel.
Cathy says
I made this last week for Thanksgiving and it was great! My husband also made plain cheesecake and it was wonderful with this served over the top.
Sandra says
Hi John,
we used your recipe as a substitute for lingonberries with a venison tenderloin and it worked beautifully. Thank you for the great recipe.
Love, Sandra
Yolanda says
literally 15 minutes, WHY haven’t I ever done this before this is amazing!