Cranberry Sauce

Making homemade cranberry sauce is such an easy thing to do and it always tastes great. No need to crack open a can when you can whip this up in just a few minutes.

What You’ll Need for This Recipe

Cranberries: You can use fresh or frozen. 

Orange: The peel and juice add a lovely bit of dimension to the flavor but you can skip this and just use more water instead if desired.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

1. Use a sharp knife to cut a thin piece of orange peel and then juice the orange. You’ll use about 1/4 cup although you can use all orange juice and no water if desired.

2. Rinse the cranberries off and reserve a handful then transfer the rest to a large pan. Add the water, orange juice and peel, and sugar.

3. Place over medium-low heat and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes then increase temperature to medium-high.

4. Stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or until the cranberries will burst and the juice thickens to the desired consistency. Add the reserved cranberries in toward the end of the cook time.

Pro Tips for this Recipe

• Fresh or frozen cranberries work equally well. Fresh likely won’t be available in stores until mid-October.
• If you’re using fresh orange peel then go ahead and use fresh orange juice as well. Your sauce will taste all the better.
• When you increase heat for the final cook down look at the consistency, not the time. You can have a sauce with a thinner or thicker consistency, it’s really up to you.
• Store your cranberry sauce in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What can I add to this recipe?

You can add cinnamon and any of your favorite fall spices or try subbing some of the sugar out for honey or maple syrup. More orange juice will bring some added depth of flavor.

Is cranberry sauce served cold or hot?

It gan be served either way although I prefer to warm it before placing it in a serving dish. It can cool to room temp and be fine but cold is not my favorite.

Can you make it in advance?

Definitely. Your cranberry sauce will last for about four days in the refrigerator so it’s a really easy dish to make ahead.

What should the consistency be? 

This is totally up to you! You can make this more of a loose syrup by cooking it less or adding more liquid. If you want a thicker consistency then just cook the liquid down more. 

If you’ve tried this Cranberry Sauce recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!