Skip the canned cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving and make your own homemade cranberry sauce with just a few simple ingredients.
With a few simple steps, whole cranberries and just the right amount of sugar, this easy cranberry sauce recipe will keep that can of cranberry sauce far away from your holiday table.
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Perfect Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Thanksgiving dinner traditions vary widely from region to region, especially when it comes to stuffing.
But no matter where I’ve lived in the U.S., or whose house I’ve eaten at, most American Thanksgiving dinners involve a congealed can of red goo.
The problems with canned cranberry sauce
I’ve never understood canned cranberry sauce. How did we come to love this stuff?
Who thought it would be a great idea to take all the freshness out of the cranberry, strain it, mix it with high-fructose corn syrup, jellify it and package it in a tin can with ridges?
To serve it, you have to open the can and jump on one leg to wiggle it out. Then, if you’re lucky enough to remove it in one piece, it’s not pretty. You basically have a can-shaped red gelatin, ridges and all.
Stick that on a plate and carry it to the table, and it’s likely to roll right onto the floor.
To avoid that disaster and to dress it up, we slice it and serve it on lettuce leaves or in a fancy dish, but really? Does that truly make this stuff look any better?
And who eats it? Grandma, grandpa, your husband because he wants to make you happy? Think back to Thanksgiving’s past; how often does that cranberry sauce get tossed into the garbage disposal? Well, not this year!
The homemade alternative that’s easy
This year, cranberries will be the star of your holiday meal. They’ll be one of the dishes people will reach to for seconds because this year, you’re making fresh cranberry sauce from scratch.
Cranberries made it to our Thanksgiving tables because the sweet, tart flavor is the perfect complement to roasted turkey. So let’s go back to the basics.
You can find bags of fresh cranberries in the produce section, but don’t let these highly nutritious ruby gems fool you. If you eat a berry raw, they’re not so great. They do need some love and some sugar.
The type of sweetener you use is up to you. You can use white sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, honey or even agave nectar. I’ve included the basic recipe using white sugar, but feel free to mix it up.
The first step in making homemade cranberry sauce is cooking the berries to bring out their natural sweetness. This is a fun and messy process because the berries will pop as they cook.
The mixture will become syrupy once the cranberry juice breaks down with the sugar. That’s when you know it’s time to add the other ingredients.
I like to brighten the flavors even more by adding oranges, apricots and pineapple. I use clementine oranges because they are plentiful this time of year, and they are seedless and easy to peel.
Apricots and pineapples, on the other hand, are not in season, so I cheat and use apricot-pineapple jelly.
Lastly, I add a hint of autumn spice so that the aroma of fall drifts under your nose before you take a bite.
Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz. fresh cranberries, one bag
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 clementine oranges, chopped, about 1/2 cup
- 1/2 cup apricot-pineapple jelly
- 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
Instructions
- Cook: Place berries and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The berries will pop and break down into a delicious syrup.
- Chop: Peel the clementines and chop with a knife or in a food processor. Stir the oranges, jelly, cinnamon and salt into the cranberry sauce.
- Cool: Transfer sauce to a food container and let it cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to one week.
- Serve: Serve chilled cranberry sauce in a fancy bowl alongside your Thanksgiving turkey.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients for the best cranberry sauce recipe
- Fresh cranberries. Found in the produce section, but you may be able to find frozen whole cranberries as well.
- Sugar
- Clementine Oranges. You can use clementines or any other kind of orange or citrus fruit you have on hand. These are sometimes called Cuties or Halos.
- Apricot-Pineapple Jelly. Try to find one with as little refined sugar as possible. We don’t want to overpower the tartness of the cranberries.
- Ground Cinnamon
- Kosher Salt
Substitutions: Forgot to grab oranges? Fresh orange juice can be used in its place. Add it in slowly so that your cranberry sauce has the consistency you prefer. If you can’t find apricot-pineapple jelly, use apricot preserves or orange marmalade.
See the full recipe card for servings and a full list of ingredients.
How to make classic cranberry sauce
- COOK: Place berries and sugar in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. The berries will pop and break down into a delicious syrup.
- CHOP: Peel the clementines and chop with a knife or in a food processor. Stir the oranges, jelly, cinnamon and salt into the pot of cranberry sauce. Cook for a couple more minutes.
- COOL: Transfer sauce to a food container and let it cool.
How to serve homemade cranberry sauce
This sauce can be made up to a week in advance, so like its ugly cousin in the can, it won’t take you long to get it on the table Thanksgiving day. Just spoon it into a fancy dish and place it on your beautiful table – no need to jump on one leg.
Dip your bite of turkey breast into the sauce, and you’ll have a whole new appreciation for this side dish. It’s something to truly be thankful for.
If you do have leftovers, use them as a spread on turkey sandwiches or turkey and brie paninis.
You can also make amazing appetizers with cranberry sauce like Smoked Cranberry Brie Puff Pastry or smoked cream cheese smothered in sauce.
Storage
Whether you made it ahead of time or have extra after the holiday season, leftover cranberry sauce will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also freeze it for several weeks, but the texture may change a bit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Cranberries are naturally super tart, so you’ll need to balance it out with sugar, citrus and spices to get that famously sweet flavor you know and love.
If you follow this recipe, the consistency of your cranberry sauce should be perfect. But, if you do find your sauce too liquidy, continue to simmer it until it reaches your desired consistency.
Thanks for this beautiful display.
I am 80 yrs, going as 70 and really don’t get excited about recipes anymore. This time I can’t wait to make this wonderful looking sauce. In fact since I believe your fans I plan to make extra and give away some for Christmas.
This was fabulous! I used real pineapple & apricot preserves, blended them up & added it into the cooked cranberry sauce. We want it even for breakfast with biscuits!!
I made this recipe for Thanksgiving this year and everyone loved it. It was delicious. I’m not sure why it only received 3 stars. It was awesome.