Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Freshly made cranberry sauce in a white bowl.

This homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe is the perfect addition to holiday meal spreads, made with five simple ingredients and bursting with festive flavor.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings servings / 2 cups

Calories 100kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

1 cup sugar (granulated, light brown) (200g)
¼ cup orange juice (1 orange) (60ml)
¼ cup water (60ml)
1 (12-ounce/338g) bag cranberries fresh or frozen
2 teaspoons orange zest (1 orange)

Instructions

If using fresh cranberries, rinse the cranberries and discard and shriveled or brown ones. Reserve a handful of cranberries and place the rest in a medium saucepan. (If using frozen cranberries, you don’t need to rinse or thaw them.)
Add the sugar, orange juice, water, and orange zest. 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.) Stir in the reserved berries. Remove from the heat. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Notes

Adjust the texture. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, reserve a handful of whole cranberries to stir in after cooking. For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender or potato masher to break down the berries further after cooking. For a thinner sauce, add more water, orange juice, or cider to thin it out.
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.
Balance the flavor. Add a pinch of fine salt to balance the flavors if you find the sauce is too tart for your taste.

Nutrition