Easy classic cranberry sauce with orange and cinnamon flavors. Using just 4 simple ingredients, and ready in about 20 minutes, you’ll never want store-bought again! Be holiday-ready with this easy homemade cranberry sauce.
Looking for other holiday recipes? Check out my Ultimate Dinner Rolls, Copycat HoneyBaked Ham, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Cheesy Brussels Sprouts!
CRANBERRY SAUCE
Can you believe it’s less than a month until Thanksgiving?! I’m equal parts excited and freaking out with how quickly this holiday season is passing.
When it comes to Thanksgiving food, do you have a favorite? I’m a sides gal… the turkey or ham is great, but I load my plate up as much as possible with allllll the delicious sides!
One side/condiment that tends to get overlooked is cranberry sauce, which is such a shame. So sweet and tart, and perfect on top of turkey/ham, on dinner rolls, and fantastic as a jam in leftover Thanksgiving sandwiches!
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Once you see how easy it is to make homemade cranberry sauce, you’ll never want to go back to the canned stuff again!
- Add cranberries and sugar to saucepan.
- Add orange juice and zest.
- Stir, add cinnamon stick and cook until cranberries burst and sauce thickens.
COOKING TIPS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
- The berries – I prefer to use fresh cranberries, but frozen will work as well (just thaw them overnight in the refrigerator).
- The sugar – feel free to adjust the sugar amount to your tastes. I feel the amount listed is what was needed to balance out the tartness of the cranberries.
- The texture – I like a more rustic texture to my cranberry sauce, but if you prefer a smoother texture, you can use a potato masher or the side of a wooden spoon to mash the berries after they’ve cooked and are soft.
- Watch the spatter – as the berries begin to burst, there can be some spatter. Feel free to use a spatter-screen if you have one, a lid, or lower the heat slightly.
VARIATIONS OF CRANBERRY SAUCE
- Plain – omit the orange, and add 1/2 – 2/3 cup of water to cook the cranberries down.
- Apple Cider – omit the orange, add 1/2 – 2/3 cup of apple cider. You can also add 1 peeled and finely diced apple to the sauce.
- For an extra orange flavor, add a peeled and diced second orange to the sauce.
- Herbs – a sprig of rosemary can be added to the sauce as it cooks to give it some extra herb-y flavor.
MAKING CRANBERRY SAUCE AHEAD OF TIME
When it comes to holiday recipes, the more you can make ahead of time, the better!
This cranberry sauce can be made up to 3-4 days ahead of time. I think it actually tastes better when it’s made ahead of time, since the flavors have more time to combine!
STORING THIS RECIPE
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for about a month.
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Ingredients
- 16 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 orange
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Add cranberries and sugar to a saucepan and stir.
- Zest orange, then juice, and add both to the saucepan.
- Add cinnamon stick and cook over MED-LOW for 15 minutes, or until the cranberries burst and mixture thickens to your liking.
- Remove cinnamon stick and serve at room temperature or chilled.
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Chef Tips
- Frozen cranberries can be used instead of fresh. Thaw before using.
- Additional orange zest or peel can be added as a garnish.
- Feel free to adjust the sugar amount to your tastes. I feel the amount listed is what was needed to balance out the tartness of the cranberries.
- If you prefer a smoother texture, you can use a potato masher or the side of a wooden spoon to mash the berries after they've cooked and are soft.
- As the berries begin to burst, there can be some spatter. Feel free to use a spatter-screen if you have one, a lid, or lower the heat slightly.
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Laura Redhawk says
I made this last year and it was not only simple as anything, but it was also freaking AWESOME tasting. We will NEVER have canned sauce for such a day as THANKSGIVING again!
I also did it as a combination with Maple syrup instead of sugar, that too, was outrageously scrumptious.
The maple syrup MUST BE the real thing out of a maple tree… NOT the fake stuff some folks use on their pancakes. I used one cup of maple syrup for one bag of cranberries.
This recipe is SOOO GOOD I am making a double batch this year.
Susan says
Really good recipe for fresh cranberry sauce
Liza says
So easy and delicious! Beats canned any day and I can’t believe I’ve never done this before…never going back to the can!! THank you
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This cranberry sauce is a delicious idea.
Beth says
I really love the added flavors of the orange and cinnamon to this classic dish!
Taylor says
So easy with the best flavor. Yum!
Catalina says
This sauce is so delicious and looks so good! Yummy!
Sara Welch says
This will look outstanding on my Thanksgiving table this year! Looking forward to serving this; looks amazing!