Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2024)

Table of Contents

CRANBERRY SAUCE HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CRANBERRY SAUCE RECIPE HELPFUL TIPS AND FAQ'S FOR MAKING THE BEST CRANBERRY SAUCE RECIPE HOW TO BUY & STORE FRESH CRANBERRIES CAN FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER CRANBERRY SAUCE ingredients: instructions: How to cook Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe NOTES: Products I Use (Paid Links): FAQs References

The BEST Cranberry Sauce Recipe is fresh, homemade, and make-ahead. With just 3 ingredients and 15 minutes of your time, you can enjoy the absolute best homemade cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving.

Make this recipe a few days before Thanksgiving to save time and have one less thing to do on the big day!

Check out mySmall Thanksgiving Dinner Menuwith Recipes and a Printable Grocery list. I show you step-by-step how to make Thanksgiving dinner.

CRANBERRY SAUCE

Cranberry Sauce is one of those foods the picky kid in me would never eat, but the adult in me LOVES! It really was love at first taste, and now I put fresh cranberry sauce on just about everything.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving leftovers is a roasted turkey grilled cheese with cranberry and brie sandwich. I love it dripping with cranberry sauce! yummmm I can't wait for Thanksgiving!

If you've never made a FRESH homemade cranberry sauce recipe because you thought it would be too difficult - think again! It's super easy! All you need is fresh cranberries, orange juice, sugar, and about 15 minutes! You can even make this up to a week ahead of time and store in the fridge until Thanksgiving!

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CRANBERRY SAUCE RECIPE

In a saucepan set over medium heat, dissolve 3/4 cup of sugar in 3/4 cup of orange juice and then add 12 ounces of fresh cranberries. After several minutes the cranberries will start pop, pop, popping! Cook until the sauce gets juicier and the berries burst and break down, about 10-15 minutes.
Remove from heat and add a pinch of salt. Give the cranberry sauce a little taste and adjust the flavor to your liking. If the sauce is too tart, add about a tablespoon or two more sugar at a time until the sweet/tart balance is just right for you. Smoosh the cranberries if you like or leave them chunky. It's totally up to you! Cranberry Sauce is delicious warm or cold, so serve it how you like it and enjoy!

HELPFUL TIPS AND FAQ'S FOR MAKING THE BEST CRANBERRY SAUCE RECIPE

HOW TO BUY & STORE FRESH CRANBERRIES

Cranberries are only harvested in the fall and usually show in grocery stores in November. Only a small percentage of cranberries harvested are sold fresh, so when I see fresh cranberries in the grocery store, I stock up. Fresh cranberries can be frozen for up to a year!

Fresh cranberries are typically sold in bags in the produce section of your grocery store. When buying fresh cranberries, I recommend giving the bag a thorough check to make sure there aren't any soft or mushy berries. Also, look to make sure liquid hasn’t collected inside the bag, as that is a sign of rotten cranberries - nobody wants that!

Store fresh cranberries in their bag in the refrigerator up to a month. Or freeze them in their bags up to a year. I always buy extra bags of fresh cranberries to store in the fridge for use throughout the year. Also, because I have this irrational fear there will be some crazy cranberry shortage and I want to be prepared just in case.

CAN FRESH CRANBERRY SAUCE BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME

YES! Cranberry sauce is one of those Thanksgiving recipes I always recommend to make ahead of time. I usually make it the day before Thanksgiving and store it in the fridge, but it can be made up to a week ahead. Store fresh cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.

WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER CRANBERRY SAUCE

Leftover cranberry sauce can be used in a variety of ways. Here are some of my favorite ways to use leftover cranberry sauce:

Leftover Thanksgiving Casserole is a delicious recipe made from all your favorite Thanksgiving recipes and my best cranberry sauce recipe makes it taste even better!
Have you ever tried my Cranberry Pinwheel Cookies? If not, you're missing out! You'll want to make extra cranberry sauce just to have enough to make these cookies!
BBQ Cranberry Chicken is a delicious dinner recipe that's easy to make using leftover cranberry sauce.
Whip up some cranberry butter to spread on bagels or toast. Use it to top pancakes, waffles, or french toast for a special treat. Also makes a great sandwich spread.
Mix fresh cranberry sauce into yogurt and top with homemade granolafor a delicious breakfast. It makes a great addition to smoothies and oatmeal too!

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Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Side dish

American

Yield: 6

Author: Life Tastes Good

The BEST Cranberry Sauce Recipe is fresh, homemade, and make-ahead. With just 3 ingredients and 10 minutes of your time, you can enjoy the absolute best homemade cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving.

prep time: 5 Mcook time: 10 Mtotal time: 15 M

ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup orange juice
12 ounces of fresh cranberries
salt to taste

instructions:

How to cook Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe

In a saucepan over medium heat, dissolve 3/4 cup sugar in 3/4 cup orange juice. Add 12 ounces cranberries and heat for about 10-15 minutes until the berries burst and break down. Add a pinch of salt and adjust flavors to your liking.
Allow to cool
Garnish with orange zest if you like

NOTES:

Article last updated on 10/23/2019
When buying fresh cranberries, I recommend giving the bag a thorough check to make sure there aren't any soft or mushy berries. Also, look to make sure liquid hasn’t collected inside the bag, as that is a sign of rotten cranberries
Store fresh cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week

Products I Use (Paid Links):

Saucepan

Citrus Juicer

Zester

Calories
136.78

Fat (grams)
0.14

Sat. Fat (grams)
0.01

Carbs (grams)
35.01

Fiber (grams)
2.10

Net carbs
32.90

Sugar (grams)
29.97

Protein (grams)
0.48

Sodium (milligrams)
98.59

Cholesterol (grams)
0.00

Nutrition label disclaimer: Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and food preparation. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.

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FAQs

What takes the bitterness out of cranberry sauce? ›

If you don't have maple syrup (pancake syrup WILL NOT do, y'all), try honey or a more neutral sweetener like agave syrup, brown rice syrup, or even simple syrup. All of these syrupy ingredients are a perfect quick fix for bitter cranberry sauce.

Get More Info ›

How to enhance cranberry sauce? ›

Always Add Orange Zest to Cranberry Sauce

While the sugar softens the blow, it doesn't do much to complement the natural, sweet flavor of the cranberry, especially when it comes to cranberry sauce. I've found the best way to boost the flavor of cranberries is with orange zest.

Know More ›

Is canned cranberry sauce better than homemade? ›

While there are some editors who prefer homemade cranberry sauce, the canned variety also has quite a following. "There's something so beautifully perfect about the texture of canned cranberry sauce, and none of those homemade mess will ever compete," says Senior Digital Food Editor Kimberly Holland.

Learn More Now ›

How long does homemade cranberry sauce last? ›

When to Toss Cranberry Sauce. Cranberry sauce will last for two hours at room temperature. Homemade cranberry sauce will last in the fridge for 10 to 14 days. Canned cranberry sauce that has been opened will last up to a week in the fridge.

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How do you cut the tartness out of cranberry sauce? ›

Sugar – you NEED sugar in this recipe to cut through the tartness of the cranberries. I use cane sugar here, but you can use any sugar of choice, from granulated, to coconut sugar, to maple syrup.

Can I freeze homemade cranberry sauce? ›

Yes, you can freeze homemade cranberry sauce—and it works well. It's best to store it in the freezer for up to 3 months; the taste may be affected due to its water content if frozen longer. Keep this in mind when putting away your leftover sauce and use it during this optimal period as part of an easy weeknight dinner.

Why did my cranberry sauce not set up? ›

Why won't my cranberry sauce gel? Boiling is critical to release pectin, the key gelling ingredient, from the cranberry. You must cook the sauce for at least 10 minutes at a full boil for the pectin to react with the sugar and create the proper gelled texture.

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How do you fix a sauce that is too bitter? ›

Tips to Remove a Bitter Taste

Pour in a fatty ingredient, like cream, cheese, or oil.
Mix in a little bit of sugar to hide the bitterness.
Add a pinch of salt to a bitter dish.
Sprinkle in a pinch of baking soda.
Add acidic flavors to the dish, like lemon juice or vinegar.

More items...

Jul 10, 2024

Get More Info ›

What can I add to counteract bitterness? ›

Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours.

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Why is my cranberry bitter? ›

Cranberries are generally considered safe whether they are cooked or raw. However, because of their notoriously bitter, sharp taste, most people prefer not to eat them raw or unsweetened. This bitterness is due to the high tannin content of cranberries.

Read The Full Story ›

How do you make cranberry juice less bitter? ›

mix half a cup of cranberry juice with 1/4 cup of water. then stir in 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.