Easy Holiday Cranberry Sauce

5 from 1 vote

This 3 ingredient cranberry sauce has the classic Thanksgiving cranberry flavor! Made with just fresh cranberries, orange juice and sugar, this recipe is super easy and always turns out perfect! Try it with a sandwich!

Prep Time2

Cook Time15

Servings: servings

Calories: 119kcal

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. For a smoother consistency, make sure to cook the sauce for longer.
Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Chill in fridge until serving. Cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Optional: If you prefer an even smoother cranberry sauce, you can use a hand blender to blend until smooth.

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.

Nutrition