This homemade cranberry sauce will become your new holiday staple side dish! It’s sweet and tangy with a hint of tropical citrus flavor. Made with only four ingredients, it’s the easiest dish you’ll make for the holiday season!
Hey, fam! It’s no secret that cranberry sauce is a must-have at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Today, I’m showing you how to make the easiest homemade cranberry sauce recipe. Tangy cranberries are cooked down with sugar to make a sweet and zippy sauce that is the perfect complement to just about every other classic holiday dish! It adds a pop of color to your plate, too.
You’ve likely seen cranberry sauce in two different forms – jellied and whole berry. What’s the difference?
- Jellied cranberry sauce is a smooth, gelatinous glob that comes squelching out of a can with ridges to match.
- Whole berry cranberry sauce is – you guessed it – made with whole cranberries that are burst open or crushed into small pieces. It cooks down with sugar, making it more of a jam or compote consistency.
You may have also seen whole-berry cranberry sauce referred to as “cranberry relish” before, as its texture is similar to that of a relish. You can find both kinds of cranberry sauce pre-made in cans… but nothing beats homemade.
A Classic Holiday Side Dish, Done Right
If you’ve only ever had jellied cranberry sauce from a can… you are missing out! I HATE cranberry sauce from the can. I can’t stand the texture, taste, smell, or even the look of it. The jellied consistency just grosses me out. I had always thought I hated cranberry sauce until someone introduced me to their own homemade version. In true Cousin Rosie fashion, y’all know I had to add my own twist to it!
Still to this day, no one in my house will eat cranberry sauce any other way. I think that tells you all you need to know about how delicious this easy cranberry sauce recipe is!
Ingredients for Homemade Cranberry Sauce
You only need FOUR simple ingredients (three, if you don’t count water as an ingredient) to make a flavorful cranberry sauce from scratch. Right around the holidays is when you’ll start seeing cranberries at your local grocery store, so all the ingredients are pretty easy to find! Here’s everything you need:
- Cranberries: you can use either frozen or fresh cranberries. I use frozen, but if your store ever has fresh cranberries on sale, go for it!
- Sugar: you will need plain granulated white sugar or a sugar substitute like Splenda.
- Orange Juice: to add a unique twist to my recipe, I use pineapple-orange juice concentrate. If you can’t find the frozen concentrate, look for the 100% juice version.
- Water: just a small amount of water is needed to get the cranberry sauce to the perfect consistency.
That’s it – all you need to make your very own citrus cranberry sauce! Bet you didn’t think it was THAT easy! Now you’re wondering why you’ve spent all these years putting up with that canned jelly nonsense, huh?!
How to Make Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce
You can see exactly how I make my homemade cranberry sauce with orange juice in the video tutorial below! (It’s an old video, so be nice, y’all!) Did you know I have a whole playlist of Thanksgiving recipe tutorials and Christmas recipe tutorials? Be sure to subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube to see all those videos, and so many more.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, bring the pineapple-orange juice to a light simmer over medium-high heat.
- Stir in the cranberries, sugar, and water.
- Turn the heat up to high and stir the mixture constantly until it begins to boil.
- Immediately turn the heat down to medium and continue to stir, simmering the cranberry sauce for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries begin to pop.
- Turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Transfer the cranberry sauce to a heat-safe bowl or container. Let it cool to room temperature, then place it in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results.
With this simple four-ingredient recipe, you’ll have a sweet and tangy homemade citrus cranberry sauce in under 30 minutes. Cooling the cranberry sauce overnight allows it to set to the perfect consistency – and also makes it a great make-ahead holiday dish to get out of the way so you have one less thing to cook day-of.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce Tips, Tricks, and Recipe Variations
Years of reviews have proven that this is the best cranberry sauce my family has ever had. Over the years, I’ve tested out different ways to make it, and it always turns out delicious! Let’s take a look at some tips and tricks for this classic Thanksgiving side dish.
- For a heavier kick of citrus flavor, add fresh orange zest to your cranberry sauce while it cooks.
- Feeding a crowd? Make a double batch if you plan to serve more than 6-8 guests.
- Just like warm spices work in other fruit-centered recipes (think peach pie, apple butter, or a warm hot toddy), the same is true for homemade cranberry sauce! Toss in a bit of cinnamon, clove, ginger, or nutmeg, or simmer a whole cinnamon stick in the pot (but remove it before serving).
- You can use brown sugar instead of white sugar, which will give the recipe a deeper, warm sweetness (a good idea if you plan to make spiced cranberry sauce).
- If you want your cranberry sauce to have a more relish-like consistency, mash it with a fork, potato masher, or other tool to break up the cranberries.
- Leftover cranberry sauce keeps for up to 2 weeks when stored in an airtight container in the fridge, and up to 2 months when frozen.
What can I use instead of orange juice in cranberry sauce?
Believe it or not, you don’t have to use orange juice (or pineapple orange juice) in your homemade cranberry sauce! The simple replacement is just plain ol’ water. However, adding juice gives the cranberry sauce so much more flavor, so here are some alternatives if orange juice doesn’t work for you:
- Pomegranate juice
- Pure cranberry juice
- Cherry juice
- Port wine
- A full-bodied red wine like Merlot or Shiraz
Note that if you choose to make your cranberry sauce with wine, it will contain alcohol, so keep it away from the kiddos.
What are some ways to use leftover homemade cranberry sauce?
In my opinion, the best part of holiday leftovers is what you can whip up the next day! Cranberry sauce makes the perfect topping for ham or turkey sandwiches. Serve it as an appetizer paired with brie cheese on a crostini. One of my favorite ways to use it is as a topping for my White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake recipe. You’d be surprised at how many creative and delicious ways there are to use leftover cranberry sauce.
More Must-Have Dishes for Your Holiday Meal
Cranberry sauce is a holiday staple, but it doesn’t mean you absolutely have to wait until the holidays to enjoy this easy recipe. Next time you find yourself with a bag of cranberries, whip up a big batch of homemade cranberry sauce and treat yo’self! What are some other holiday table staples? Try these recipes!
- Stovetop Bourbon Candied Yams
- Roasted Apple Glazed Chicken
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
- Soul Food Cornbread Dressing Recipe
- Baked Ham with Pineapple and Brown Sugar Glaze
- Easy Thanksgiving Turkey Recipe
- Pecan Pumpkin Pie Recipe
Don’t forget to tag and follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, subscribe to I Heart Recipes on YouTube, and check out all my cookbooks for more holiday recipe inspiration!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- 12 oz pineapple orange juice concentrate
- 1 cup white sugar or sugar substitute of your choice
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Pour the partially thawed juice concentrate into a medium size pot. Turn your stove on medium high. Wait for the concentrate to completely melt.12 oz pineapple orange juice concentrate
- Add the cranberries, sugar, and water to the pot. Stir to combine.16 oz fresh or frozen cranberries, 1 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup water
- Turn your heat to high. When it starts to bubble, Turn it down to MEDIUM. Make sure you constantly stir to prevent it from sticking to the bottom.
- Cook until your cranberries fall apart or burst. Once they do, turn your heat to low, and let cook for 5 minutes
- Remove the cranberry sauce from the heat and transfer it to a heat-safe bowl. Let it cool until it's no longer steaming-hot, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving!
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