Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe

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The best Homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe you will ever make, and a must-have recipe for your holiday celebrations! This cranberry sauce with orange juice is made with only 5 ingredients in under 30 minutes, and it can be prepared ahead of time! You’ll never buy canned cranberry sauce in a can again!

a bowl of homemade cranberry sauce


I know it’s a bold claim, but this truly is the best cranberry sauce recipe. I have been making it for almost 20 years and usually make a triple batch on Thanksgiving (check out our Thanksgiving recipes) because everyone in my family loves it so much.

This year, I implore you to ditch the gelatinous canned sauce that masquerades as cranberry sauce, and make your own homemade cranberry sauce.

And there’s no need to be intimidated, because this cranberry sauce recipe is easy to make with 5 ingredients in under 30 minutes.

a bowl of Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice with a spoon

Cranberry Sauce Recipe Ingredients & Substitutions 

overhead view of the labeled ingredients in this best cranberry sauce recipe
  • Fresh cranberries. This cranberry sauce recipe tastes best when it’s made with fresh cranberries. I have used frozen cranberries and while it still tastes great, it is a little “seedy” meaning the seeds don’t break down as well during cooking. If using frozen, I would recommend blending the sauce in a high-powered blende.r
  • Orange Juice. choose a pulp-free variety for the best texture.
  • Brown Sugar. Both light and dark brown sugar work well in this recipe. Dark brown sugar will impart a slight molasses taste. 
  • Granulated Sugar. white sugar or organic cane sugar are good choices. (or try this healthy cranberry sauce).
  • Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon really takes this cranberry sauce from good to phenomenally great. I don’t recommend omitting it, but it can be left out with delicious results. 
  • Water. you can substitute water with more orange juice, or apple cider.

I have tried playing with the ratio of orange juice and water, decreasing the amount of sugar, etc. and have landed on this recipe every. single. time. I do have a healthy cranberry sauce recipe (with a video) here that uses no refined sugar.

a spoon scooping homemade cranberry sauce in a bowl

How to make Cranberry Sauce

Let’s walk through how to make cranberry sauce together, and be sure to watch the video for additional help.

The first step in this cranberry sauce recipe is to whisk the water, orange juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon together in a saucepan over medium-high heat.

two photos showing how to make cranberry sauce - whisking sugar, orange juice and water
two photos showing How to Make Cranberry Sauce - adding cinnamon

Once the mixture is boiling, add the cranberries and stir to combine.

Turn the heat down to simmer and simmer the mixture uncovered for 10 – 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to pop. (You will hear popping noises and the berries will burst open).

two photos showing How to Make Cranberry Sauce - stirring in cranberries

One of my favorite parts of making this Homemade Cranberry Sauce is that the cranberries “talk” to you as they cook. As they warm up they start popping and snapping. Keep cooking until most of the berries have burst.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce - a wooden spoon stirring as the cranberries cook in a pot

Mash or Blend Sauce

Next, you can make a chunky or smooth sauce in one of these two ways:

  1. Mash the cranberries with a potato masher. As pictured, this is how I make cranberry sauce with orange juice because we like our cranberry sauce a little chunky!
  2. Use a Blender. If you enjoy your homemade cranberry sauce extra-smooth use a blender! Simply put the mixture into the container of a blender (Vitamix) after it’s fully cooked, and blend to your desired consistency.
a potato masher mashing cranberry sauce

Mash the cranberries until you reach your desired consistency.

a potato masher mashing cranberry sauce

This cranberry sauce recipe thickens as it cools. So Let it cool to room temperature in a pan, then transfer it to an airtight storage container to chill completely in the refrigerator.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe after mashing

Make-Ahead

I suggest making this homemade cranberry sauce at least one day in advance so it can chill overnight.

I make this recipe a day or two before Thanksgiving and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You might even argue that it tastes better after siting for a couple days because the flavors become richer as they have time to blend.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe in a saucepan after cooling

Store/Freeze

Store cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 2 months.

a spoon taking a scoop of cranberry sauce out of a bowl

Serve

Serve this homemade cranberry sauce chilled with your favorite holiday recipes (try all of our delicious Thanksgiving Recipes). Here are my top suggestions:

cranberry sauce on a plate with turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and stuffing

Cranberry Sauce Recipe FAQs

How to serve homemade cranberry sauce (Hot or cold)? 

We prefer to server our cranberry sauce cold! But really it’s up to you! I do recommend serving it cool or room temperature, but not heating it up!

What to do with leftover cranberry sauce. 

Other than just eating it with a spoon – our favorite way to enjoy leftover sauce is making this Turkey Cranberry Sandwich. It’s also great to spoon over pancakes, waffles, OR on top of ice cream!

How do you thicken homemade cranberry sauce?

Let the mixture simmer with the lid removed until it’s thickened. The sauce also cools as it thickens.

How long is homemade cranberry sauce good in the refrigerator?

This recipe lasts for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

What if my cranberry sauce is too runny?

Continue cooking it over medium-low heat until the water is cooked off.

a bowl of homemade cranberry sauce garnished with fresh cranberries, orange peel and cinnamon sticks

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Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Laura
The best Homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe you will ever make, and a must-have recipe for your holiday celebrations! This cranberry sauce with orange juice is made with only 5 ingredients in under 30 minutes, and it can be prepared ahead of time! You'll never buy canned cranberry sauce in a can again!
5 from 68 votes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 16 Servings
Calories 65
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

  • In a medium sauce-pan, whisk together water, orange juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon over medium-high heat.
  • Once the mixture comes to a boil, gently pour cranberries into the saucepan and reduce the heat to a simmer.
  • Simmer the mixture uncovered for 10 – 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries begin to pop. (You will hear popping noises and the berries will burst open).
  • Once most of the berries have popped, use a potato masher to gently mash the cranberries. The more you mash, the smoother the mixture will be. If you prefer extra-smooth cranberry sauce, blend the mixture in a blender until smooth. 
  • Simmer for another 3 minutes and then turn off heat but leave the pot uncovered on top of the burner to cool and thicken for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Transfer the cranberry sauce to an airtight container to chill overnight (or for at least 6 hours).

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions: 
  • Fresh cranberries. this recipe tastes best when it’s made with fresh cranberries. I have used frozen cranberries and while it still tastes great, it is a little “seedy” meaning the seeds don’t break down as well during cooking. If using frozen, I would recommend blending the sauce in a high-powered blende.r
  • Orange Juice. choose a pulp-free variety for the best texture.
  • Brown Sugar. Both light and dark brown sugar work well in this recipe. Dark brown sugar will impart a slight molasses taste. 
  • Granulated Sugar. white sugar or organic cane sugar are good choices. (or try this healthy cranberry sauce).
  • Cinnamon. Ground cinnamon really takes this cranberry sauce from good to phenomenally great. I don’t recommend omitting it, but it can be left out with delicious results. 
  • Water. you can substitute water with more orange juice, or apple cider.
Make-Ahead 
I always make this recipe a day or two before Thanksgiving and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. You might even argue that it tastes better after siting for a couple days because the flavors become richer as they have time to blend!
Store
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freezer for up to 2 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 2Tablespoons | Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.004g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 36IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Recipe Rating




58 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious. My first time making cranberry sauce for thanksgiving. Will use this recipe every year from now on 10/10

  2. 5 stars
    I make cranberries ever year! My family never eats it. Last night I made your recipe and everyone ate it and also today on our sandwiches 👏🏻👏🏻🫶🏽

  3. 5 stars
    I was not a big fan of cranberry sauce until I made this recipe. Absolutely delicious! Plus it’s super easy to make! I want to get some more cranberries ASAP so I can make it again. You’re right, I will never buy canned cranberry sauce again.

  4. 5 stars
    I would like to start with, I never leave reviews on recipes I make… but this recipe for cranberry sauce is absolutely delicious! I’ve already share the recipe with several people and I’ve made this 5-6 times now. I love making larger batches and also sharing too. It’s so delicious! I didn’t grow up eating cranberry sauce during the holidays, it came about when I tried my MILs cranberry sauce that was from a can. I thought to myself, I’d rather have homemade. It’s sooo easy to make, my 10 year old son loves to help me. My favorite way to eat jt is with homemade bread, smothered in butter and warm cranberry sauce. I also, substitute the sugar for stevia and I believe it gives it more of that tart flavor, I also feel less guilty when I’m eating by the spoonful!