Cranberry Sauce
Homemade Cranberry Sauce is an iconic Thanksgiving side dish made with just 3 ingredients. You can sweeten it with sugar or use a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup (our favorite!). The sweet and tangy flavors pair perfectly with savory turkey.
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
*Substituting Sweetener: If You are using a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup, you can just combine everything in the saucepan all at once and bring to a boil.
*Optional Add-ins: Add any of these at the start of cooking:
- 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 Facts
Cranberry Sauce
Amount per Serving
Calories
116
% Daily Value*
Fat
0.1
g
0
%
Saturated Fat
0.004
g
0
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.02
g
Monounsaturated Fat
0.01
g
Sodium
2
mg
0
%
Potassium
35
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
30
g
10
%
Fiber
2
g
8
%
Sugar
27
g
30
%
Protein
0.2
g
0
%
Vitamin A
26
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
6
mg
7
%
Calcium
4
mg
0
%
Iron
0.1
mg
1
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
