Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce (With 7 Flavor Variations)
It’s so easy to make homemade cranberry sauce that once you try it, odds are you’ll never buy canned sauce again.
We’ll answer some common questions and walk you through a super easy recipe with cranberries, water and sugar. Then we’ll share some creative flavor variations to brighten any holiday meal.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce Q&A
You can pop open a can of the infamous jellied cranberry sauce, release it with a “plop” into your serving bowl. There it will sit, largely ignored, on the holiday table.
OR – you can take advantage of the fall cranberry sales, and make up a homemade cranberry sauce that your family loves. It’s your kitchen, so you can try different flavors until you find a favorite.
How do you thicken the sauce (why does it gel)?
Cranberries are loaded with natural pectin. Pectin is a gelling agent. The longer your sauce is cooked, the more pectin is released from the cranberries. If your sauce is too sloppy, try a longer cooking time.
How many cups are in a 12 oz bag of cranberries?
A 12 ounce bag of cranberries holds about 3 cups of raw cranberries. This cooks down to about 2 1/2 cups of sauce.
Can cranberry sauce be frozen?
Yes, both the cranberry sauce and the fresh cranberries can be frozen. This recipe works with fresh or frozen cranberries.
It’s a great item to make ahead, because you can store it in the refrigerator for several weeks. For longer storage, use the freezer or can the sauce.
Canning Instructions
Fill 8 ounce or pint jars, allowing 1/4 inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes.
See “How to Can Food at Home” for more detailed canning information.
Should the sauce be served hot or cold?
There’s nothing wrong with serving your sauce warm, but in most cases it’s served at room temperature or cold. As the sauce cools, the natural pectin in the cranberries thickens it.
But what do you eat cranberry sauce with?
Traditionally, we pair cranberry sauce with a holiday turkey, but we also enjoy it with chicken and pork. It’s amazing how it brightens up a meal as a side dish to chicken and broccoli casserole.
If there are leftovers, include some sauce as a topping for your turkey sandwich.
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For an easy appetizer, spread cranberry sauce over a brick of cream cheese, sprinkles with some nuts, and serve with crackers. If you have a little more time, try baked phyllo shells stuffed with a mix of cream cheese and crabmeat, topped with cranberry sauce.
If you like cheesecake, puree the sauce until smooth and swirl it into your favorite no bake cheesecake recipe. Alternatively, use it as a topping for your favorite plain cheesecake or vanilla ice cream.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce from Scratch
Before you start cooking, rinse your cranberries and pick out any damaged fruit.
To make a basic cranberry sauce recipe, combine sugar and water (1 cup each). Bring to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cranberries, and cook on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce starts to thicken.
Remove from heat and allow to cool completely, or serve warm. Transfer to a sealed container for storage in refrigerator or freezer.
Flavor Variations
- Cranberry Orange Sauce – Substitute orange juice for water, and add 1 tablespoon orange zest.
- Maple Cranberry-cherry sauce – Add 1 cup tart cherries (fresh or frozen) and 1/2 cup maple syrup.
- Apple-cranberry sauce – Substitute apple juice for water, add one diced fresh apple.
- Pineapple-cranberry sauce – Drain juice from 16 ounce can of pineapple chunks. Add enough water to make one cup. Cook juice/water, sugar and cranberries as above. Stir pineapple chunks into cranberry mixture.
- Red wine cranberry sauce – Add 1/2 cup dry red wine and a dash of black pepper (optional).
- Spiced cranberry sauce – Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon each salt, allspice, nutmeg and cloves
- Gingered orange cranberry sauce – Grate in 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest. Substitute 1/2 cup orange juice for 1/2 cup water.
Need Low Carb Cranberry Sauce?
Instead of sugar, sweeten with Swerve sugar replacement or other no calorie sweetener. Swerve measures one for one and works well for many ketogenic recipes.
Print Friendly Recipe
PrintThe Easiest Cranberry Sauce (With 7 Flavor Variations)
A super easy cranberry sauce recipe with just 3 ingredients, plus creative flavor variations including cranberry-orange, maple cranberry-cherry, cranberry-apple, pineapple-cranberry, red wine cranberry, spiced and gingered cranberry-orange.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 20 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 12 ounce (3 cups) cranberries, fresh or frozen
Instructions
- Before you start cooking, rinse your cranberries and pick out any damaged fruit.
- To make a basic cranberry sauce recipe, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add cranberries, and cook on low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce starts to thicken. (Watch out for splatters from popping berries.)
- Remove from heat and allow to cool completely, or serve warm. Transfer to a sealed container for storage in refrigerator or freezer.
Notes
Flavor Variations
- Cranberry Orange Sauce – Substitute orange juice for water, and add 1 tablespoon orange zest.
- Maple Cranberry-cherry sauce – Add 1 cup tart cherries (fresh or frozen) and 1/2 cup maple syrup.
- Apple-cranberry sauce – Substitute apple juice for water, add one diced fresh apple.
- Pineapple-cranberry sauce – Drain juice from 16 ounce can of pineapple chunks. Add enough water to make one cup. Cook juice/water, sugar and cranberries as above. Stir pineapple chunks into cranberry mixture.
- Red wine cranberry sauce – Add 1/2 cup dry red wine and a dash of black pepper (optional).
- Spiced cranberry sauce – Add 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon each salt, allspice, nutmeg and cloves
- Gingered orange cranberry sauce – Grate in 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, 1/2 teaspoon orange zest. Substitute 1/2 cup orange juice for 1/2 cup water.
More Cranberry Recipes
We have over 100 recipes on the site, all listed on the Recipes and Kitchen Tips page.
They include:
- Indian Pudding Recipe with Cranberries and Maple Syrup – gluten free
- Cranberry Chestnut Bars – gluten free, grain free, dairy free
- Cranberry-Apple Pie to Brighten your Holiday Table!
- Easy Cranberry Walnut Pie with Cookie Crust
- Cranberry-Orange Bread Recipe (Plus Quick Bread Baking Tips)