Easy Cranberry Sauce

This Easy Cranberry Sauce is the perfect addition to your holiday table! Skip the canned stuff and make this in just about 15 minutes!

When I was growing up cranberry sauce wasn’t a big thing in our immediate family. And if we had other people joining us, it was always the canned stuff that made an appearance. It is what my mom grew up with, so it is what she gravitated towards. Then I got married and my mother in law was a big cranberry sauce fan. So I quickly learned how to make a homemade version, and it is just so gosh darn easy!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Cranberry Sauce

• Easy – as the recipe title even says, this is EASY. It is just 5 ingredients, and really just 3 because if you use an orange for the zest and the juice that is 1 thing, and water barely counts!
• Fast – this is ready in about 15 minutes, and mostly hands off. So you don’t have to babysit it while you are working on the rest of the big meal.
• Make Ahead – you can make this ahead and have it ready and waiting for you on the big day. So if you want one less thing to worry about, make it a day or two ahead of time.
• Pick The Texture – If you like super chunky cranberry sauce you can do that, if you like smooth, you can do that. When you make it yourself you get to pick and make it to your liking! Just a matter of cooking for a minute or two different.

What You’ll Need

Be sure to scroll down to the recipe card to get the measurements and full instructions!

• Cranberries – you can use fresh or frozen to make this, just don’t use dried cranberries
• Brown Sugar
• Orange Juice
• Orange Zest
• Water

How To Make Easy Cranberry Sauce

• Add the cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice and water to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat to simmer.
• Cook for about 10 minutes and the berries will start to burst. Continue cooking for about 5 minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed and it starts to thicken.
• Carefully mash and stir the cranberries to get your desired texture. If you want is super smooth, you could use an immersion blender.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the orange zest.

Recipe Tips & Suggestions

• Want it chunky? If you like your cranberry sauce on the chunky side, reserve about 1/2 cup of cranberries and stir in after the first 10 minutes, once the berries start to burst. They will cook down a little, but still keep most of their shape and give the sauce a chunky texture.
• Make Ahead. Save time on the big day and make this ahead of time. You can make up to 3 days in advance. Cool completely and store in an airtight container. You can then reheat slowly on the stove to serve.
• Adjust sweetness. I only used 1/2 cup of sugar in this recipe, so you still get a relatively tart sauce. If you like it sweeter start with 3/4 cup and adjust from there.

Storage

Store cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Freezing. Cranberry sauce is very easy to freeze. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let the sauce thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating to serve.

More Thanksgiving Recipes

• Roasted Turkey
• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Pecan Pie Cheesecake
• Sausage Stuffing
• Cheesy Mashed Potatoes
• Roasted Squash & Goat Cheese Salad
• Green Bean Casserole

Continue to Content

Yield: 6

Cranberry Sauce

Print

This Easy Cranberry Sauce is the perfect addition to your holiday table! Skip the canned stuff and make this in just about 15 minutes!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 oz cranberries (fresh or frozen)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup water
• zest of 1 orange

Instructions

1. Add cranberries, brown sugar, orange juice and water to a saucepan. Heat over medium heat to boil.
2. Let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring ocassionaly, until the berries start to burst.
3. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring and gently mashing to get your desired consistency.
4. Once the mixture has thickened remove from heat and stir in the orange zest.
5. Serve or store in the fridge until ready to use.

Notes

If you like your cranberry sauce on the chunky side, reserve about 1/2 cup of cranberries and stir in after the first 10 minutes, once the berries start to burst. They will cook down a little, but still keep most of their shape and give the sauce a chunky texture.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 105Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 7mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 3gSugar 21gProtein 1g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

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Erin S

Welcome to Dinners, Dishes, & Desserts where my love of food meets my busy life. My name is Erin and I’m a casual home cook who loves to feed people. On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of quick and easy recipes made mostly from scratch. My days are spent in the kitchen, creating new recipes to share with family and friends.

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