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 freezes very well, and thaws quickly. It tastes fresh made when thawed. I do some in small containers for when my husband and I are just having dinner for two.
One thing I love doing with cranberry sauce is topping a nice hot bowl of oatmeal! Sooooo good!!
That sounds delicious!
Perfect every time. I also like to add 1 single serve portion cup of mandarin oranges (like for lunch boxes) juice included. Gives it that perfect orange taste and I always have some in the cabinet. They breakdown pretty well so no giant chunks of orange. The recipe also cans really well! Made about a dozen jars last holiday season for family and friends. Thank you Natasha for the perfect recipe 💕
You’re very welcome, Jessi! Thanks for sharing.
If you don’t mind sharing, will you tell us how you canned your cranberry sauce?
Hi Jessi, do you have to waterbath the cranberry sauce for canning? I would love to give as gifts. Thank you
Super easy dish to make! I added the orange peel and juice like you mentioned. Used maple syrup and added at the end 1 Tablespoon Bourbon! Very tasty. Can’t wait to have it with a smoked turkey breast. Thank you for the recipe!
That sounds great, Tammy!
This is delicious 🤤 I made it for some cranberry spritzers. Thanks 🙏 for sharing your recipe with us.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Shannon!
Hi Natasha. It’s a cold day in mid-March. I defrosted a turkey and I want to make your cranberry sauce. I know real maple syrup is ideal. Do you have any thoughts on using Aunt Jemima maple syrup instead? I really want to use it up since no one uses it.
Hi Mary, that may work, you can use honey or maple syrup. My favorite is maple syrup because it adds a nice layer of maple flavor.
Hi could I use dried cranberries if I can’t find fresh or frozen cranberries?
Hi Fran! I’m not sure how to advise on doing that. They would need to be rehydrated. You may research online to see if you can find instructions.
I love this easy cranberry sauce recipe! It took me 12 minutes and it looks and tastes amazing! Thanks, Natasha!
I just love this recipe. I make it with maple syrup, orange juice and zest and cinnamon stick. It’s fantastic. I give it in fancy jars for holiday gifts. It keeps a long time. I mix it with oatmeal for breakfast. Put it on toast. Use it with poultry, fish and pork. Occasionally just eat it with a spoon. We are going to try it with lamb tonight.
That sounds delish!
Natasha, you are a genius! I just made the cranberry sauce with filtered water and MAPLE syrup. OMG, it is absolutely delicious. For years I’ve made it with granulated sugar but no more. The maple syrup seems to make it more mellow and not too sweet. Perfection!
I’ve loved all the recipes of yours that I’ve tried both on this website and your cookbook. Keep those recipes coming.
Hi Barb! That makes me so happy to hear. Thank you so much for the feedback. I will definitely keep them coming!
I made this today for our Christmas dinner. I’ll never buy canned cranberry sauce ever again. I only added sugar, sweet enough for my adult children, daughter in law and granddaughters. Makes for an after Christmas lunch on brioche buns, turkey and dressing
I loved it. Made the Christmas dinner complete.
Hi Natasha, I wonder if I can use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar? TIA
I imagine that will be fine. Hope you enjoy it!
Delicious!! Easy to make and very tasty! Thank you for sharing your recipe, I added my own touch to this sauce a little cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and a splash of lemon. Your recipes are always easy & delicious.
Hi Denise! Thank you for the wonderful feedback. I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipes.
Super simple and tasty. Used left over sauce to make muffins.
Love all things. Natasha’s kitchen. However, tried this for Thanksgiving and was very disappointed with the aftertaste.
HI Miranda, did you use something different to sweeten it? This shouldn’t have any after-taste unless an artificial sweetener was used or if there might have been some spoiled berries in the batch?
This was great. I’ve never made cranberry sauce before. It was super easy. I’m betting this would be great on I’ve cream 🙂
Oh yes! Delish!
OMG! This was wonderful! I cheated and added a splash of Hennessy, just because I had it, but was fantastic with out it.
Best cranberry sauce ever ., it was super easy to make
Easy and delicious! I made it as directed and it was amazing! I added a cinnamon stick while cooking. I had no idea how easy this would be. Thank you Natasha!
You are so very welcome! Glad you loved it.
Just made this for tommorrow. I cut back a bit on the sugar and added a bit of raw natural honey I had along with the juice of one lemon and zest. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!. Thank you for the recipe. Super easy, definitely became my favorite. It’s hard not to just eat it by the spoon full.