This homemade cranberry sauce will blow your mind with how EASY and DELICIOUS it is! With only 3 ingredients and one pot it is loaded with cranberry orange flavor and the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving menu. This Cranberry Sauce recipe can be made in advance to save time, and it can be used through out the holiday season as an appetizer, spread, or dip!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce – The EASY Way!
I have tried many different types of cranberry sauces over the years. Basic, more spiced, chunkier, thinner, thicker, etc. My favorite is this classic 3 ingredient homemade cranberry sauce recipe.
This recipe doesn’t have a lot of heavy spices or anything else, it is just the classic cranberry flavor that shines through. You can adapt it to your preference by making it more tart or more sweet. Above all else, it goes absolutely perfectly with Thanksgiving Turkey (try my Oven Roasted Turkey Tenderloin for another easy recipe!)
What I love about this recipe
- Dump and go– literally fail-proof method!
- Insanely EASY– The fastest and easiest thing I make at Thanksgiving
- 3 ingredients– 3 very simple ingredients. Fresh cranberries, OJ and sugar. Nothing weird. Nothing fancy.
- Classic flavor– This is the classic cranberry sauce that you remember your grandma making!
- Easily adaptable– You want it more sweet? Less sweet? More spiced? There are lots of easy variations for this recipe (see section below!)
- Make ahead Cranberry sauce– You can make this cranberry sauce up to 3 weeks in advance!
Recipe Notes
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!
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks for how to make cranberry sauce to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients
- Fresh Cranberries– Fresh Cranberries are readily available in the produce section at grocery stores from mid-October through mid-December. Ocean Spray cranberries are the most common brand, but any fresh cranberries will work.
We use 12 oz for 1 recipe which 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.
Pro tip! If you love cranberries, you can purchase extra when they are in season and keep them frozen all year long to use as needed. - Orange Juice– You can use whatever your preferred brand/variety of prepared orange juice is. In a pinch you could substitute 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.
- 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.
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make fresh cranberry sauce.
Place the orange juice, fresh cranberries, and sugar in a pot. Bring to a boil.
Simmer the cranberry sauce until the fresh cranberries have popped and the sauce starts to thicken. Then let the sauce cool.
Recipe Tips
- 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! - 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.
- Smooth Cranberry Sauce or Chunky? People have some pretty string opinions on whether cranberry sauce should be smooth or chunky. There are two ways to to achieve this:
- Cook longer- The longer you cook the cranberry sauce, the more the berries break down and the smoother the sauce gets. Generally you will not get a completely smooth sauce just by cooking, but you can achieve a sauce that is very much jellied with a few chunks of cranberry here and there.
- Blend- To get a completely smooth sauce, you will need to use a hand held blender to process it after cooking. This can allow you to get the cranberry sauce as smooth as you want it.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Spiced Cranberry Sauce– To do a warm spiced version of this cranberry sauce, make the recipe as directed. When you reduce the cranberry sauce to a simmer, add in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, stir, and continue as directed.
- Apple Cranberry Sauce– Prepare recipe as directed adding in 1 cup of peeled and diced tart apple.
- Baked Cranberry sauce– All all ingredients to a baking dish and bake at 350˚F for 1 hour. Let cool and refrigerate until serving.
Can you freeze cranberry sauce?
YES! Fresh Cranberry sauce can be prepared and frozen both before and after cooking to make this dish even more quick and easy.
How to Freeze Cranberry Sauce before cooking:
- Combine cranberries, sugar, and orange juice in a freezer bag or freezer friendly container.
- Freeze.
- When ready to cook, you can cook per recipe directions. This can be cooked from frozen, no need to thaw prior to cooking.
How to Freeze Cranberry Sauce after cooking:
- Prepare recipe as directed.
- Allow cranberry sauce to cool to room temperature.
- Package in a freezer bag, or freezer friendly container.
- Freeze.
- Once ready to eat, thaw and serve chilled.
For the best flavor, this meal can be frozen for up to 6 months.
How to Serve Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry sauce is traditionally served with Turkey on Thanksgiving. It really shines on a holiday plate, but there are many other really delicious ways to use it.
- Side dish- The traditional way… Cranberry sauce makes a great side paired with turkey, chicken and ham.
- Appetizer– One of my all time favorite ways to use cranberry sauce is spread on top of cream cheese or baked on top of brie. Serve with crackers for a festive and delicious holiday appetizer.
- Spread– Spread this on bread when you make turkey, veggie, chicken, or ham sandwiches for a delicious fall twist.
- Dip– Mix with cream cheese or goat cheese for an amazing party dip!
Pairings
Traditional holiday pairings for cranberry sauce include:
- Turkey- Try my crockpot turkey tenderloin, or pressure cooker turkey breast for a quick way to make a Thanksgiving feast.
- Green Bean Casserole
- Rolls
- Maple glazed carrots
- Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Asparagus
Cranberry sauce goes well with all of your holiday favorites! Beyond just turkey, try it with:
Cranberry Sauce Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this easy cranberry orange sauce, then it is your lucky day! We have a comprehensive list of what to make with leftover cranberry sauce here, or see some favorites below.
Place the leftovers in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
- in the freezer up to 6 months
Leftover Recipes
What can you make with leftover cranberry sauce?! Here are a few ways to repurpose those leftovers and give them a delicious makeover!
- Cranberry Baked Brie– Slice the top rind off of a wheel of brie cheese. Smother the top in a thick layer of cranberry sauce. Wrap the entire wheel in crescent roll dough, or puff pastry. Bake per package directions for 25-35 minutes. Serve with crackers, apples, or baguette slices.
- Goat Cheese Cranberry Dip– Mix goat cheese with cranberry sauce in a 2:1 ratio. Serve with toast, crackers, pita, or apples.
- Thanksgiving Paninis– Layer sliced turkey, cranberry sauce and cheese (I like brie, provolone, or white cheddar) in between two slices of good bread. Lightly butter the outsides and either cook in a panini press or skillet over medium high heat until each side is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
- Leftover Turkey Subs– Lightly toast a sub roll. Spread each side of the bread with cranberry sauce. Layer on turkey, stuffing, and shredded lettuce. Add other toppings as desired.
More Easy Side Dish Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my Easy Side Dish recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite recipes below.
- BEST Corn Casserole Recipe
- Southern Squash Casserole
- Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 – 1 cup white sugar
Instructions
- Combine cranberries, orange juice and sugar (amount based on your sweetness preference- see notes) in a sauce pan over medium-high heat and cook until the mixture comes to a rolling boil.
- Once the mixture boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 5-15 additional minutes, or until it starts to thicken. The longer you cook the more smooth it will be.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature, then chill in fridge until serving. Cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Optional: If you prefer smooth cranberry sauce, you can use a hand blender to blend until smooth.
Recipe Notes
Sweetness variations
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
Make-Ahead notes
You can make this up to 3 weeks ahead of time and store in an airtight container until you are ready to use.Recipe Variations:
- Spiced Cranberry Sauce– To do a warm spiced version of this cranberry sauce, make the recipe as directed. When you reduce the cranberry sauce to a simmer, add in 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, stir, and continue as directed.
- Apple Cranberry Sauce– Prepare recipe as directed adding in 1 cup of peeled and diced tart apple.
- Baked Cranberry sauce– All all ingredients to a baking dish and bake at 350˚F for 1 hour. Let cool and refrigerate until serving.
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