Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2024)

This 3 ingredient homemade cranberry sauce will blow your mind with how easy it is to make and how perfectly it turns out every time! It is the perfect addition to your holiday menu and can even be made in advance to save time on Thanksgiving or Christmas you can enjoy your family!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (1)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Cranberry sauce is a staple at our house from Thanksgiving through Christmas. The holiday season just wouldn’t be the same without it! I grew up eating cranberry sauce out of a can, and admittedly, I do still love it, but as an adult I started making my own and love being able to adjust it to just how I like it! Plus, it is so easy, why not?!

I have tried many different types of cranberry sauces over the years. Basic, more spiced, chunkier, thinner, thicker, etc. My favorite, and this homemade cranberry sauce recipe, is just the classic though. It doesn’t have a lot of heavy spices or anything else, it is just the classic cranberry flavor that shines through. I am including instructions for making it more tart or more sweet. I like mine on the tart side, but I know most people including kiddos, like it on the sweeter side. Above all else, it goes absolutely perfectly with Thanksgiving Turkey (try my Instant Pot Turkey for another easy recipe!)

If you have never made cranberry sauce from scratch before, you are in for a treat. It is so easy and delicious, I think you may never make it another way again! So let’s get started!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2)

How do you prepare cranberries?

The great news about working with cranberries is that there is very little to do to prep them for the recipe. You can find fresh cranberries bagged in most grocery stores starting between the end of October and the beginning of November. They are often sold in 12 ounce bags which is what is used for this recipe. Once you get them home, just open the bag rinse them off and then pick any errant stems that might have gotten missed in the packing process. Then you are ready to get cooking!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (3)

How do you make Jellied Cranberry Sauce?

The great thing about making cranberry sauce is that cranberries naturally have a lot of pectin, the ingredient that creates the jelly like texture, in them which means that you can easily make jellied cranberry sauce without putting in extra additives to make it gel. By cooking the cranberries the pectin is released. The recipe below creates perfect jellied cranberry sauce.

How to Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This homemade cranberry sauce recipe is super simple and one I have been making for many, many years. You can follow along with me here to get the step by step along with my tips and answers to frequently asked questions, or if you want the quick version, feel free to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (4)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Ingredients

  • 12 oz cranberries- This is generally the size of the bag that they sell at regular grocery stores. You can also find them at wholesale clubs like Costco or Sams but they will be larger sizes you will either need to measure out the cranberries or double/triple the recipe based on the size if you want to use all of them.
  • 1 cup orange juice-I just use regular minute maid orange juice. You can use whatever your preferred brand/variety of prepared orange juice is. In a pinch you could just use water but you will lose a little flavor and need to add a bit of extra white sugar to make up for the natural sugar in the juice.
  • 1/2 – 1 cup white sugar– Use sugar amount based on preferred sweetness:
    • 1/2 cup for more tart cranberry sauce- this is my favorite! It isn’t overly tart but has much more of a zing than the others. This is also a great option for when you are using the cranberry sauce as an ingredient in something else like a sandwich or a topping on cream cheese, or brie. Since you get smaller amounts of the cranberry in those dishes this gives more of a flavor punch with every bite.
    • 1 cup for sweet cranberry sauce- This still has a bit of zing but is more universally sweet and how my kids prefer it.
    • 3/4 cup for mildly sweet cranberry sauce- This one is a nice compromise in between the more tart and more sweet sauce.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (5)

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Instructions

  • Combine cranberries, orange juice and sugar (amount based on your sweetness preference) in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook stirring frequently until the mixture begins to boil. You don’t need to stir constantly but do keep an eye on it and stir often to keep it cooking evenly.
  • Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for 3-5 additional minutes, or until it is the “chunkiness” you desire. The longer you cook it the more the berries break down so it become smoother and more jelly like in texture. For more whole berries cook less, and for more jelly like texture cook longer. I cooked the one pictured for an additional 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and cool in fridge until serving.Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. You can either put it in your serving dish and cover if you will be serving when cool, or if you have made it ahead and it will be sitting more than a couple of hours, I recommend storing it in a tupperware container and then transferring to your serving dish when ready to serve.
  • Serve chilled and ENJOY! You can also store leftovers in the fridge and eat through out the week on sandwiches or with cheese and crackers.

I hope that you enjoy this easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe as much as we do! Even if you have never made cranberry sauce, I know you will feel like a pro with this recipe. If you do get a chance to make it, I would love to hear about your experience in the comments below! It makes my day to know others are enjoying the recipes I share. And if you snap a pic, share it on Instagram and tag me @easyfamilyrecipes!

Hungry for more family-friendly recipes? Sign up for my free recipe club to get new family-friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (6)

5 from 3 votes

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe

This homemade cranberry sauce recipe is as easy as it is delicious with only 3 ingredients and taking as little as 15 minutes to make from start to finish. You can modify it per the instructions to make it more tart or more of a sweet cranberry sauce. It is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and can be made ahead to save time.

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Serves:10 servings

Hover over "serves" value to reveal recipe scaler

Calories:63

Author:Kimber

Print Review Recipe

Ingredients

  • 12 oz cranberries
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 - 1 cup white sugar

Use sugar amount based on preferred sweetness:

  • 1/2 cup for more tart cranberry sauce
  • 1 cup for sweet cranberry sauce
  • 3/4 cup for mildly sweet cranberry sauce

Instructions

  • Combine cranberries, orange juice and sugar (amount based on your sweetness preference) in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook stirring frequently until the mixture begins to boil.

  • Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook for 3-5 additional minutes, or until it is the "chunkiness" you desire. The longer you cook the more smooth it will be.

  • Remove from heat and cool in fridge until serving. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

  • Serve chilled and ENJOY!

Recipe Notes:

You can make this up to 1 week ahead of time and store in an airtight container until you are ready to use.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1/4 cupCalories: 63kcal (3%)Carbohydrates: 17g (6%)Fiber: 1g (4%)Sugar: 101g (112%)

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)

Course:Dinner

Cuisine:American

Did you make this recipe?Tag me on Instagram @thepinningmama! If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a review! It helps support my website and makes my day!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you take the bitterness out of homemade cranberry sauce? ›

Add A Splash Of Vinegar

While citrus is a natural pairing for cranberry sauce, bright, savory vinegars like sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar play well with the bitter-tart berries. Start with a little, then add more gradually. It's easy to overdo it when in comes to bold vinegars.

What is the difference between cranberry sauce and jellied cranberry sauce? ›

Cranberry sauce can be served either as a gooey liquid or as a solid jelly. The jellied version is solid enough to retain the shape of the container in which it's placed whereas the sauce version is much more fluid.

How long does homemade cranberry sauce last? ›

When to Toss Cranberry Sauce. Cranberry sauce will last for two hours at room temperature. Homemade cranberry sauce will last in the fridge for 10 to 14 days. Canned cranberry sauce that has been opened will last up to a week in the fridge.

How to thicken up homemade cranberry sauce? ›

Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.

How to enhance cranberry sauce? ›

Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.

How do you fix bland cranberry sauce? ›

Maple syrup, brown sugar and even honey can make your cranberry sauce more dynamic. And don't forget the spices! Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, citrus zest and star anise all work well with cranberries and can be added while the sauce cooks to infuse your sauce with flavor.

Can I freeze homemade cranberry sauce? ›

Yes, you can freeze homemade cranberry sauce—and it works well. It's best to store it in the freezer for up to 3 months; the taste may be affected due to its water content if frozen longer. Keep this in mind when putting away your leftover sauce and use it during this optimal period as part of an easy weeknight dinner.

Should you make cranberry sauce the day before? ›

Make It Ahead

Cover it well and store it in the fridge. Don't be tempted to freeze cranberry sauce; the structure will break down, and you could lose the gelling. A raw sauce has a shorter shelf life than a more stable cooked one. You can make it a day or two ahead.

Why is my cranberry sauce watery? ›

The longer you heat the sauce, the more water is going to evaporate out of it, and the thicker it's going to be, according to Eating Well. Cooking it also releases pectin, which NPR explains is used for gelling. There's another ingredient that can help thicken up your sauce, and that's to add sugar.

How to tell when cranberry sauce is done? ›

Add the cranberries, cook until they burst: Add the cranberries to the pot and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.

Why didn t my cranberry sauce set? ›

Why won't my cranberry sauce gel? Boiling is critical to release pectin, the key gelling ingredient, from the cranberry. You must cook the sauce for at least 10 minutes at a full boil for the pectin to react with the sugar and create the proper gelled texture.

What if I put too much water in my cranberry sauce? ›

If you inadvertently added too much water, simply bring the cranberry sauce back to the stove top and bring it to a low boil, cooking it down just a bit to help thicken it up.

How do you get the bitter taste out of sauce? ›

Add Some Baking Soda

If your tomato sauce is too acidic and verging on bitter, turn to baking soda, not sugar. Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

How do you get the bitter taste out of cranberry juice? ›

Add 1/4-1/3 cup sugar depending on preference.

Why are my cranberries bitter? ›

Cranberries are generally considered safe whether they are cooked or raw. However, because of their notoriously bitter, sharp taste, most people prefer not to eat them raw or unsweetened. This bitterness is due to the high tannin content of cranberries.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Allyn Kozey

Last Updated:

Views: 6722

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (43 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Allyn Kozey

Birthday: 1993-12-21

Address: Suite 454 40343 Larson Union, Port Melia, TX 16164

Phone: +2456904400762

Job: Investor Administrator

Hobby: Sketching, Puzzles, Pet, Mountaineering, Skydiving, Dowsing, Sports

Introduction: My name is Allyn Kozey, I am a outstanding, colorful, adventurous, encouraging, zealous, tender, helpful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.