A simple recipe for fresh and easy homemade cranberry sauce. Made with real whole cranberries and just 3 other ingredients, this is an easy traditional must-have for your next holiday dinner.
This cranberry sauce is a holiday classic (like my roasted sweet potatoes) and deserves a place on your table. Be sure to check out the brief how-to video at the bottom of the post if you’re more of a visual learner!
Who here is hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year?
Don’t look at me, while I’d love to someday, my biggest contributions to holiday get-togethers usually land on the dessert table. Pecan pie , chocolate pie (with a side of homemade whipped cream!), these are my usual contributions, but recently I’ve branched out. This year, I’m on a mission to replace canned cranberry sauce everywhere with homemade cranberry sauce.
Do you know how easy it is to make homemade cranberry sauce? Just one saucepan and 4 ingredients (5 if you count water, does water count??), this recipe is easy.
No can necessary.
How Do You Make Fresh Cranberry Sauce
- Bring sugars (use a combination of brown and white for the best flavor!), water, and orange juice to a boil
- Add cranberries and return to simmer
- Cook until berries have burst and desired thickness has been reached.
- Transfer to a serving dish and chill for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Some cranberry sauce recipes use just water, and no orange juice, but I strongly recommend using both. The juice adds a nice bright flavor that really makes this cranberry sauce shine.
How do You Make Cranberry Sauce Thicker?
When cooking your cranberry sauce, you can simmer it as long as needed after your berries burst until the desired thickness is reached. Do keep in mind that your sauce will seem runnier while it’s hot and will thicken as it cools and sets.
Can Cranberry Sauce Be Made in Advance??
Yes! Cranberry sauce requires a minimum of 2 hours in the refrigerator in order for it to thicken and set properly. However, you can make this holiday side dish up to a week in advance. Just be sure to store it in an airtight container.
And that’s all there is to making homemade cranberry sauce, no can required!
If you prefer a more visual guide you can check out my cranberry sauce video at the bottom of the post. If you enjoy these videos, please consider subscribing to my YouTube Channel! <3
Enjoy!
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup (133 g) sugar
- ⅓ cup (67 g) light brown sugar, tightly packed
- ⅓ cup (78 ml) water
- ⅔ cup (157 ml) orange juice
- 12 oz (340 g) cranberries rinsed and picked through -- bad/bruised cranberries removed
Instructions
- Combine sugars, water, and orange juice in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until sugars are dissolved, and bring to a boil.⅔ cup (133 g) sugar, ⅓ cup (67 g) light brown sugar, tightly packed, ⅓ cup (78 ml) water, ⅔ cup (157 ml) orange juice
- Add cranberries and return to a boil.12 oz (340 g) cranberries
- Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook cranberries, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes or until all or most berries have burst (careful, there is some splatter) and the mixture is slightly reduced. The longer you cook your cranberries the thicker your mixture will be, but it will also thicken up after standing.
- Transfer mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally published this Cranberry Sauce recipe 11/20/2017, post has been updated to include tips and more information.
Rona Swann
Replaced half of the water with a mixture of orange juice and Grand Marnier. Also added finely grated orange rind and a teaspoon of mustard. You can use any kind of mustard, but I used regular prepared yellow mustard. Used some of the sauce as a glaze for my baked ham during the last 10 min of baking and served the rest warm at the table. Absolutely delicious!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
That sounds amazing, Rona! Thanks for sharing 🥰
Abi
I haven’t tried the recipe yet, but my mother probably won’t like it too sweet, is there any way I could lessen the sugar. (I should probably try it to see how sweet it is first. He, He😊) Thank you!❤
Sam
Hi Abi! You could lessen the sugar but I’m not sure how it would turn out.
Lisa
This is delicious! I prefer it over the recipe I used to use. I made it the first time strictly following the recipe. It was great! But the next time I made it, I added one teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. OMG, so good! I have now stocked up on cranberries to keep in the freezer for whenever I might want more cranberry sauce throughout the year. They supposedly keep in the freezer for 18 months. This will now be my permanent cranberry sauce recipe!
Siengtha
Quick and easy recipe. I zested my orange peels, grated fresh ginger, and put them in also. I halved the sugar. Minimizing my sugar intact for better health. Everyone enjoyed it. It was perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy it was a hit, Siengtha! Thanks for the review 🥰
Lin K
Yum !!
Kelsey
I didn’t know I liked cranberry sauce, but I eat this by itself with a spoon. There is never any left at Thanksgiving. It has become one of the most anticipated dishes for the last 4 or 5 years. So simple, so delicious. I’ve used it on brie pull apart bread as well. I loved the way the berries pop on the stove too It’s fun. Thank you!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We are so happy you discovered our recipe, Kelsey! Thanks so much for the review 🩷
Deb
This is a great recipe and super easy!
After I let the sauce cool a bit, I added some orange zest as a simple garnish. Thanks for sharing!
AR
Simple and delicious
Kathy
This turned out perfectly and tasted so good. Will make again. No doubt!
Shelly H
I had no idea fresh cranberry sauce was this easy to make. I only bought fresh cranberries because Aldi was out of the cans and I didn’t feel like looking elsewhere. I followed your recipe as written and it came out delicious! No more canned cranberry sauce for me. Many thanks!
CHRISTina
Easy to make and tastes like candy
Jeanie Rae
This turned out perfectly! I used sugar as suggested, used two 10 oz bags of frozen cranberries and all orange juice and simmered till it started to thicken and was perfect by dinner time.
Alex A.
Made this using Orange Mango juice. It came out fantastic.
Nicholas Schiarizzi
Excellent Cranberry Sauce recipe and easy to follow…
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving 🦃
Paul Kim
Added a shot of good scotch (Aberlour 16) and a couple dashes of cinnamon, my god it’s amazing!!!!
Jb
I don’t understand why you need both granulated sugar and brown sugar. brown sugar is granulated sugar with molasses. You’re just doubling the sugar content basically. it’s still good but are those 2 really necessary together?
Sam
The brown sugar is added for flavor. When adding in the sugars, instead of using all granulated sugar, I reduced the granulated sugar and added some brown sugar. This is done intentionally to make a nice balance. If you use all brown sugar the flavor may be overwhelming, if you omit the brown sugar the flavor will be lacking. 🙂
Tom
I’ll try the brown sugar next time. I’ve made this twice with just a cup of sugar and they are amazing regardless. I don’t understand why people do the canned sauce when this is so incredibly easy to make and it can be done ahead of time!