This recipe for classic homemade Cranberry Sauce is so easy and made with just 3 ingredients. No matter how many batches of cranberry sauce I’ve made, I always come back to this one. It’s simple, it’s classic, and it’s the best. This is my go-to recipe for our family Thanksgiving dinner, and it never disappoints.
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Cranberry Sauce Video
Once you try my easy homemade cranberry sauce, there’s just no going back to store-bought canned versions. Fresh is better in taste, texture, and presentation. Pair this iconic holiday side dish with your Juicy Roast Turkey for a burst of sweet-tart flavor in every bite.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Homemade Cranberry Sauce is iconic for the holidays and a staple of my family’s holiday menu every year. It’s true what they say – the simplest recipes are the best! And, you’ll love that you can sweeten this recipe the natural way, without processed sugar.
I think cranberry sauce is underrated and should be enjoyed year-round, and not just during the holiday season. I stock up on cranberries when I see them at the grocery store (starting in October) and stash them in my freezer. Thankfully, homemade cranberry sauce also freezes beautifully (see make-ahead tips below), so go ahead and make a double batch if you’d like leftovers for a turkey cranberry panini the next day.
Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
You don’t need much to make a good cranberry sauce. You can change it up with the variations I shared below, but I love to keep this simple.
- Pick Your Sweetener – you have a choice of granulated sugar or a natural sweetener, like honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar (to make it paleo friendly!). My favorite is maple syrup because it adds a nice layer of maple flavor.
- Cranberries – This is best with whole fresh (or frozen) cranberries. Look for firm, plump, shiny berries with deep red color. If you see any that are bruised, discolored, soft or shriveled in your bag, pluck them out before using.
- Water – I always start with filtered water
Can I Use Frozen Cranberries?
Yes, this recipe will work with frozen cranberries, too. Frozen cranberries will take a little longer to come to a boil and simmer, but the texture always turns out just as delicious.
To freeze fresh cranberries – keep them in their original bag and put it into a freezer-safe bag to prevent freezer burn. They’ll keep frozen for up to a year, and I always have a stash in my freezer in case I’m craving Cranberry Bread or the store runs out. I rinse frozen cranberries before using them. You can rinse before freezing if you prefer, but make sure to dry fully before storing.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce from Scratch
We just love how quickly this recipe comes together on the stovetop. It’s just 3 steps:
- Rinse Cranberries – usually any bad cranberries will float to the top so you can easily discard them. Pluck out any shriveled, squishy or discolored ones and drain well.
- Dissolve the Sugar – In a saucepan, combine your sweetener of choice with water on the stovetop, and bring it to a simmer. Stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
- Add Cranberries and Cook – Add the cranberries to the pot and let them come to a low boil, then cook, uncovered, until the berries burst and sauce thickens. Remember to stir occasionally.
- Cool and Serve – Stir in additional sweetener to taste, then leave the cranberry sauce to cool. See below for easy serving suggestions.
Add Sweetness to Taste
If your cranberry sauce still tastes a bit bitter or too tart after it’s cooked, you can add more sweetener to taste. If you’re looking to use less sugar, start with ½ cup of your desired sweetener and add more to taste at the end.
Serve Cranberry Sauce With
We’ll often serve this homemade sauce cold or at room temperature. It’s not just for the Thanksgiving Turkey! Here are just some of the many ways to enjoy it:
- Roasts – Pair it with succulent roasts like my Spatchcock Turkey, Beef Tenderloin, Pork Tenderloin, or Baked Ham.
- Stuffing – it pairs great with Thanksgiving stuffing.
- Bread – Spread the sauce over fluffy Dinner Rolls or a slice of Sourdough Bread in the morning. It’s also great to spread in a Chicken Salad sandwich.
- Topping – Cranberries make a great topping for a dessert like Cheesecake.
My family loves cranberries for the holidays, from Sugared Cranberries (and you can use leftovers to make this sauce!) to moist and fluffy Cranberry Bread. If you are looking for a go-to cranberry sauce, this is it!
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar, or 3/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar, plus more to taste
- 3/4 cup water, preferably filtered
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
Instructions
- Rinse Cranberries – If you put them in a bowl of water, usually any bad cranberries will float to the top so you can easily discard them. Pick out and discard any shriveled, squishy or discolored ones and drain well.
- Melt Sugar – In a large saucepan, combine sugar (or maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar) and water. Set over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar.*
- Add Cranberries – Add cranberries and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 12-15 minutes.
- Sweeten to Taste – Add more maple syrup, honey, or sugar to taste if needed, then remove from heat and cool sauce to room temperature before serving.
Notes
- 2 wide strips of lemon zest, plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 wide strips of orange zest, plus 1/4 cup orange juice for Cranberry Orange Sauce
- 1/2 cup dried cherries
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
More Cranberry Recipes
Can’t get enough cranberries for the holidays? Check out even more easy cranberry recipes:
- Sparkling Cranberry Pineapple Punch
- Cranberry Orange Scones
- Cranberry Bundt Cake
- Sweet Potato Salad
- Apple Cranberry Danish
- Cranberry Cookies
- Pear Salad
This recipe turned out amazing! It tastes so much better than canned and super easy! The color was beautiful and it tasted delicious! Thank you!
This cranberry sauce came out amazing. How long can it be stored in the refrigerator?
Hi Linda, I have this note on the recipe card, To Store Cranberry Sauce: Once cranberry sauce has cooled to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
Good, simple recipe. Never made cranberry sauce before so I didn’t know what to expect. I think it turned out pretty good. I saw some reviewers thought it was too sweet, so I started with 3/4 cup of sugar then added as needed at the end. Sauce was super thick and jelly-like once cooled. I may up my water to 1 cup.
Thanks for sharing your experience trying out this recipe! Feel free to adjust the quantity of water next time, I’m glad you liked it!
I put mine through a food mill to remove skins.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Ann! This recipe doesn’t require the skin to be removed as it cooks down, but I hope you loved it as much as we did.
This was delicious. My sauce was very firm, like jello, when it cooled. Did I overcook it?
HI Melissa, when it cools, it does firm up a bit but it does sound like maybe it was cooked a bit too long. As the cranberries simmer, they release pectin which is what makes it thicken up nicely. I’m sure it was still just as delicious though!
Absolutely amazing!! 🥰🥰🥰 It’s SO delicious and simple to make. Seriously, 3 ingredients, follow the recipe, trust the process. I was sceptical at first because of how much sugar and little water but no, it’s PERFECT!
I’m so happy you loved my cranberry sauce recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!
Love this recipe!!! One note however. Good cranberries float! They are harvested by flooding the bogs and floating the berries to a vacuum machine. Bad cranberries can float. Cranberries have a fascinating history! Check it out. I usually pinch them to check for bad ones. If they pop with a gentle squeeze they are probably bad. Some of my people don’t like the “whole berry” sauce so I give it a pulse or 2 in the blender when it’s done.
THank you so much for sharing that with me, Holly! The more you know, right?
Natasha this was a greet recipe! Just a little too sweet for my taste I just added 6 more ounces of fresh cranberries and it was perfect. Next year maybe I’ll cut the sugar in half. I’m using it for my charcuterie board so I don’t need that much a little cranberry sauce on a cornbread cracker with Brie is like Thanksgiving in one bite 🥰😋
Another option…I use a jar of apricot preserves as a sweetener instead. Really gives it a nice flavor. I use one jar (8 oz) per bag of cranberries plus one cup of water. I do the same thing with applesauce.
THat’s an interesting take, thank you for sharing that, Walter.
Is it possible to waterbath can this for a prolonged shelf life?
Hi Skip! I haven’t tried canning this.
I put my piping hot cranberry sauce into little sterilized jam glasses with screw lids. Make sure to cover with towel, let cool and check the lids for a good seal just as you would making jam. My cranberry sauce lasts for months in the pantry this way.
Could you tell me if you can make this recipe witha can of cranberry sauce but if I can I’m trying to figure out how much cranberry sauce I need for each batch my husband had got a 7 pounds 5 ounce can of it
Hi there. This recipe was created to be made with fresh or frozen cranberries. Cranberry sauce in an can already has sugar added and would be ready to serve from the can.
You could probably freeze the leftovers in small bags.
12 to 14 ounces of cranberries per recipe