This Homemade Cranberry Sauce is made with fresh cranberries, warm spices, and a splash of orange juice. Ready in 15 minutes, it’s a must-make for your next holiday meal.
If you’re in need of a simple, low-effort side dish to take to the next holiday meal or you’re tired of eating canned cranberry sauce, this recipe is for you! I’ve made this homemade cranberry sauce for every holiday for the past few years and it’s always a hit. Even the people who “don’t like” cranberry sauce usually enjoy it. (It turns out what they actually don’t like is the bland canned sauce.)
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Here are a few reasons why you’ll love this recipe.
- WAY better than the canned stuff. I used to think cranberry sauce meant the jello-like stuff served out of a can, with the can indentations still on it. And while that’s certainly one option…this recipe offers a much more flavorful alternative made with real cranberries.
- Warmly spiced. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves add a lovely warmth to this dish. The warm spices pair beautifully with the tart cranberries.
- Easy to make. It takes just 15 minutes to prepare this cranberry sauce from scratch. All you need is a saucepan. It’s so simple!
- Prep ahead. This is one dish you can make a few days in advance so you have one less thing to do the morning of the holiday dinner. In fact, I recommend making it at least a day in advance so the flavors have more time to meld.
Love cranberries? Try my cranberry brie bites, cranberry bars, and cranberry pound cake too!
What You’ll Need
This side dish is made with just 3 ingredients plus a few warm spices. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- Cranberries – I like to use fresh cranberries for this recipe. Be sure to pick through and take out any that are bruised or don’t look great. If you need to use frozen cranberries, be sure to let them thaw first.
- Brown sugar – Sweetens the cranberry sauce.
- Spices – Cinnamon, cloves, and ginger add a warm festive flavor to the cranberry sauce.
- Orange juice – Brightens the dish with a bit of citrus flavor. Freshly squeezed orange juice is great but bottled will work too.
How To Make Cranberry Sauce
Homemade cranberry sauce is super simple to make. You can find the printable version of the instructions in the recipe card below.
- Combine the ingredients. Mix the cranberries, sugar, and spices in a saucepan. Pour the orange juice on top.
- Cook. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and softened. The liquid should have thickened as well.
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for making the best cranberry sauce.
- Adjust the consistency. You can choose how “chunky” you would like your cranberry sauce. I prefer to cook mine down for the full 15 minutes to turn it less chunky. If you would like the cranberries more defined and chunky, feel free to only cook it for 10 minutes or until the cranberries are just cooked through and still fairly intact.
- What if my cranberry sauce is too thin? If your cranberry sauce is thinner than you’d like, just keep simmering it for a few minutes. It will thicken more the longer it cooks.
- Add more orange flavor. If you love the brightness the citrus adds to this dish, feel free to add in a bit of fresh orange zest with the juice.
- Stir occasionally. Be sure to stir the cranberries every few minutes, to make sure they cook evenly. It also helps prevent the mixture from burning to the pan.
What To Serve It With
Cranberry sauce is obviously a staple on the holiday dinner table, next to the turkey or ham, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes.
Besides serving it as a holiday side dish, there are some other fun ways to serve homemade cranberry sauce. You can use it as a topping for ice cream, swirl it into yogurt, or use it to top pancakes, waffles, or crepes.
How To Store Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Fridge. This cranberry sauce will last for about a week in the fridge. Just keep it stored in an airtight container.
- Freezer. You can also freeze this for up to a month. Allow it to cool then store in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
- Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Meringue Pie
- Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup brown sugar lightly packed
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 cup orange juice
Instructions
- Mix the cranberries with the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and ginger in a small saucepan.
- Pour the orange juice over the cranberries and spices and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down and simmer on medium heat, uncovered. Stir occasionally.
- Simmer until the cranberries have popped and softened, and the liquid has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.
Last Step:
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4 comments on “Homemade Cranberry Sauce”
Wonderful!
Very good
Very nice, simple, tasty recipe that was easy to do last minute. Thanks!
Thank you Mel!