We received so many requests for a Cranberry sauce recipe Last year I finally wrote mine down and photographed it! It’s simple and completely homemade.
Puberty is meant to avoid the cranberry sauce around the holidays. My mom wasn’t a huge fan and my dad liked it straight out of a can, so she opened one every year to please him, but neither of us ate that tough mass of canned fruit. In other words, I didn’t even think cranberry sauce could be delicious until a random sandwich shop in town served up a leftover Thanksgiving sandwich that sent me on the most wonderful journey ever. I have since been sold.
It doesn’t matter if you go with smoked turkey or roasted turkey, cranberry sauce goes with them all and is a Thanksgiving must for our family! Forget the cans and make it from scratch! We use whole fresh cranberries, orange juice and a little sugar to make the most delicious Homemade cranberry sauce.
It can be prepared weeks ahead Time to get ready for the big day.
Ingredients for homemade cranberry sauce
You just need to 6 ingredients For this homemade cranberry sauce and I’m sure you have 4 of them at home already…maybe 5! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cranberries – best fresh, but you can use frozen
- White sugar – adds sweetness and cuts the tartness of the cranberries
- Brown sugar – I love the richness of flavor that a little brown sugar adds
- Fresh orange juice – this is the key to the whole recipe, it wakes up the whole dish!
- Cinnamon – adds warmth and flavor
- Clove – Just a hint of clove adds so much flavor
The measurements for each are listed on the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make a recipe for homemade cranberry sauce
Recipes just don’t get any easier than this! Mix all the ingredients in a pot over medium heat and let it cook until it reduces and the berries start to pop.
Allow the sauce to cool completely before serving. It will thicken a bit more as it cools.
What cranberry sauce do you eat with?
Cranberry sauce is usually eaten in combination with meat. You can eat with chicken, pork, turkey or ham. In the United States, it is most popular for Thanksgiving and Christmas eaten with turkey.
How to thicken cranberry sauce
The sauce will thicken as it cooks on the stove. It will also thicken as it cools, so don’t worry if it’s a little runnier than you’d like while it’s still boiling.
Can I use frozen cranberries?
Yes, you can definitely use frozen cranberries and you can cook them straight from the frozen.
Is it possible to make cranberry sauce in advance?
One of the best things about cranberry sauce is that it can be made up to two weeks in advance. One less thing to prepare on Thanksgiving Day! Just store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Can you freeze cranberry sauce?
It freezes very well and will keep in the freezer for a long time up to 12 months. Make sure it’s in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
Full Thanksgiving menu
Go to our Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup for all of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes. We also have a complete Thanksgiving guide that will give you all the information you need to prepare and execute a complete Thanksgiving meal.
This Cranberry sauce recipe Easy to make ahead of time (which may be my favorite part)! It’s so easy to make from scratch and it’s better day and night than canned!
More extras for Thanksgiving:
Dishes: 6
- 1 Bag cranberries 12-16 oz
- 1/2 Goblet White sugar
- 1/2 Goblet Brown sugar
- 3/4 Goblet Fresh orange juice
- leap cinnamon
- leap cloves
Can be prepared up to two weeks in advance and frozen for 12 months
Nutrition facts
Classic cranberry sauce
Amount per serving (0.5 cup)
calories 174
Calories from fat 9
% daily value*
Fat 1 gram2%
Saturated fat 1 gram6%
Polyunsaturated fat 1 gram
monounsaturated fat 1 gram
sodium 7 mg0%
potassium 135 mg4%
carbohydrates 45 grams15%
Fiber 3 grams13%
Sugar 39 grams43%
protein 1 gram2%
vitamin 96IU2%
Vitamin C 23 mg28%
calcium 23 mg2%
iron 1 mg6%
* The percentage of daily values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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