Cranberry sauce is a classic side dish that often steals the show at holiday dinners. Its tangy, sweet flavor perfectly complements the richness of roasted turkey, dressing, and other traditional holiday dishes. While many people rely on the canned version, this homemade cranberry sauce recipe is incredibly easy to make, and the fresh, vibrant taste is unbeatable.
I’ve been preparing this cranberry sauce recipe for years, and it continues to be our family’s favorite. I usually make it two to three days ahead of Thanksgiving and store it in the refrigerator. If you’ve never made cranberry sauce from scratch, now’s the perfect time to start. This simple and delicious cranberry sauce recipe will add the perfect touch to your holiday spread.
- Cranberries– Fresh cranberries that have been sorted and washed.
- Water
- Orange Juice– Freshly squeezed orange juice for the best flavor. You can substitute with store-bought juice if needed.
- Sugar– Plain granulated sugar or honey to sweeten the cranberry sauce.
Making cranberry sauce from scratch is simple, and the process takes less than 30 minutes. Here’s how you can prepare this fresh, flavorful sauce:
STEP 1
Combine the water, orange juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat low and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
STEP 2
Stir in the cranberries and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not cook longer than 15 minutes.
STEP 3
Cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to the container that you want to store the cranberry sauce in. Refrigerate overnight before using. Enjoy!
- Add spices like cinnamon and cloves, or other spices like nutmeg or star anise for a unique twist on the classic recipe.
- Adjust the sweetness to your liking. You can also swap the sugar for honey or maple syrup.
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Cranberry Sauce Recipe
If you’ve never made cranberry sauce from scratch, now’s the perfect time to start. This simple and delicious cranberry sauce recipe will add the perfect touch to your holiday spread.
Ingredients
Instructions
-
Sort and rinse the cranberries. Combine the water, orange juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce the heat low and continue cooking for 5 minutes.
-
Stir in the cranberries and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not cook longer than 15 minutes.
-
Cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to the container that you want to store the cranberry sauce in. Refrigerate overnight before using. Enjoy!
Note
Transfer the cranberry sauce to a wide mouth canning jar that has been lined with plastic wrap or parchment paper. Once the sauce has completely set up overnight you can pull the cranberry sauce out using the plastic wrap or parchment paper and slice the sauce.
Or just serve it from your container.
