Homemade Cranberry Sauce (Way Better Than the Can)

Name: Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 cups fresh cranberries; ½ cup water; ¼ cup orange juice; ½ cup granulated sugar; Pinch of salt

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My homemade cranberry sauce will make you ditch the can asap when Thanksgiving comes around. It’s legit the MVP of the dinner table. Flavored with fresh orange juice and sweetness that’s just right, it is guaranteed to be the best homemade cranberry sauce recipe you will try, and it couldn’t be easier to make!! Get into it!

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A spoon in a white bowl of homemade cranberry sauce.

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They’re Lovin’ It! Here’s what They’re Sayin’:

“This homemade cranberry sauce is so much better than the canned kind and it’s almost as easy as opening up a can! We love it!”

—CHENEE

Listen boos, I’m not knocking the canned option, I’m just not gonna deny that homemade cranberry sauce is so much better. And it only takes a few ingredients and a little time to pull it off. It’s basically fool-proof y’all. I can guarantee it will be the simplest thing you make for your holiday table.

Table of Contents

The Lowdown of the Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe

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Cuisine Inspiration: Classic American Holiday Staple

Primary Cooking Method: Stovetop Simmer

Dietary Info: Naturally Vegan and Gluten-Free

Key Flavor: Citrusy, Sweet and Tart Cranberries

Skill Level: Easy y’all (No Sweat Fam!)

No-Fuss Y’all!

This recipe comes together in as little as 20 minutes boos. So even if you forget to make it for your holiday, you can pull it together faster than it would take for you to run to the grocery store and grab a can.

Quality Flavor

You aren’t gonna get any of that artificial congealed flavor when you make it from scratch. This sauce bursts with fresh cranberry flavor that elevates your turkey and dressing to new heights.

Beyond Versatile

Want to mix it up or add in some additional ingredients to spice it up? Do you boos! You can take this classic sauce and turn it into whatever your imagination comes up with.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients to make cranberry sauce recipe in small bowls on a white surface.

Fresh Cranberries: Fresh is gonna give you that bright, tart flavor and wonderful texture you can’t get enough of.
Water: This just helps thin out the sauce!
Orange Juice: This gives a wonderful sweet and citrusy vibe by adding a unique zesty flavor to the cranberries.
Granulated Sugar: Cranberries have a large amount of pectin in them that combines with acid and sugar to thicken the sauce up. The sugar helps get that jelly-like texture set up.
Salt: Just a little enhances the overall flavor.

How To Make Cranberry Sauce

Orange juice in a saucepan ready to make cranberry sauce recipe.

Add water and orange juice to a medium pan over high heat and bring to a boil.

A wooden spoon in a pot of sugar and juice to make cranberry orange sauce.

Add sugar and salt and whisk in allowing them to dissolve into the liquid.

A wooden spatula in a pot of whole berry sauce.

Rinse cranberries thoroughly then add cranberries and bring liquid back to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for 12 minutes allowing the cranberries to burst.

A wooden spatula in a pot of sauce with cranberries close up

Turn off heat and allow cranberry sauce to cool to room temperature and serve.

How to Serve Cranberry Orange Sauce

Easy Thanksgiving Meal: Go low-key and avoid a whole turkey and instead make roasted turkey legs or turkey wings along with turkey gravy, seafood dressing, green bean casserole, and honey cornbread.
Festive Holiday Feast: Get a honey glazed ham in the oven along with scalloped potatoes, balsamic brussels sprouts, candied yams and potato rolls.
Unexpected Dessert Topping: Add to scoops of vanilla ice cream or serve along with whipped cream and slices of cranberry bundt cake or cranberry orange cake for a unique winter treat.

Fried turkey starts off this soul food menu right. It is the perfect recipe to mingle with cranberry sauce.

Casserole dish of southern cornbread dressing with a spoon scooping a serving up.

Southern cornbread dressing has to be on that table because nothing goes better with cranberry sauce like dressing.

Overhead of three white bowls filled with Southern Collard Greens with hamhock against gray background

Collard greens are the ultimate Southern veggie.

Mac and cheese being lifted from a white casserole dish on white background

Southern baked mac and cheese turns up the Southern vibes in your holiday menu.

Recipe Substitutions

Fresh Cranberries: You can swap in frozen cranberries. Just thaw them first boos! I actually recommend buying a couple extra bags of fresh cranberries at the store when they’re in season and sticking them in the freezer for when you can’t get fresh ones.
Orange Juice: Fresh juice is best but the store bought kind works just great in a pinch boos.
Granulated Sugar: Use light or dark homemade brown sugar instead of granulated sugar to add some depth to the mix.

Recipe Variations

Get Cherry With It: Add ½-1 cup of defrosted frozen black cherries to the cranberries before bringing them to a boil.
Add Apples: Add 1 peeled and diced apple to the cranberries and use apple cider instead of water and orange juice.
Zest It Up: Really punch up that orange flavor with some orange zest mixed in.
Booze It Up: Just a splash of brandy or liqueur can give additional depth and essence to the mix.

A whole of the best cranberry sauce with a silver spoon on a white countertop

Expert Tips and Tricks

Go Fresh: If you can grab fresh cranberries for this recipe and actually juice oranges, do it. The quality will improve so much y’all.
Let It Pop: You want to let this sauce cook until the cranberries pop and break down. It helps them soften and release more juices making the sauce a better texture overall.
Chill Out: Let that sauce cool down so it thickens and the flavors develop even more before you serve it.
Do You!: Make sure you taste before you serve so you can adjust based on your preferences. Want it sweeter? Add more sugar? Want more citrus? Add more juice. It’s your world boos!

How to Store Cranberry Sauce

Leftover cranberry sauce should be stored in an airtight lidded glass or plastic container.

When you want to reheat, add to a skillet or saucepan over medium heat until warmed through.

How long will homemade cranberry sauce last in the refrigerator?

Properly stored, homemade cranberry sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Can I freeze fresh cranberry sauce?

For sure boos! Homemade cranberry sauce can be frozen for up to one month. To freeze, store your cooled sauce in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container, trying your best to remove any excess air.

When you want to reheat, there will be a bit more water in the mix so your sauce will not be as thick as when it was originally cooked. Allow it to simmer for about 5-6 minutes to let some of the liquid evaporate off and let it get thick again.

A spoon in a white bowl of fresh cranberry sauce recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I strain the cranberry sauce to make smoother?

Yep boos. If you’re not a fan of the skins left behind by the cranberries, you can pass the sauce through a fine mesh sieve or strainer. Just be sure to do this while it’s still warm! The sauce thickens as it cools, which will make it harder to get through the sieve if you wait too long.

How should I pick great cranberries?

When buying fresh cranberries, look for ones that are perky and bright red. Pale or faded color is an indication of an under-ripe cranberry y’all.

Can I make this fresh cranberry sauce recipe ahead of time?

You can prep cranberry sauce up to 3 days before you plan to serve it. In fact, I like to make my cranberry sauce at least one day in advance because it gives the flavors more time to develop as they sit in the fridge.

Homemade cranberry sauce is such a vibe y’all. When you add it to the holiday table, folks will know you put time and care into creating something special instead of just opening up a can. What they won’t know is how easy it was for you to make the best cranberry sauce recipe online. Get into this recipe boos!

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