This Cranberry Sauce Recipe is simple, delicious, and will have yourself asking why you didn’t ditch the canned stuff sooner. Serve it at your next holiday meal to add a pop of color and undeniable flavor to your plate.
The Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Homemade cranberry sauce is the perfect addition to any thanksgiving or holiday spread. It’s got the perfect combination of sweet and natural tart flavors of fresh cranberries. This easy homemade cranberry sauce is the perfect compliment to any holiday table. We love serving it at Christmas dinner or with the Thanksgiving Turkey. Plus, the leftover sauce can be used the next day in these delicious cranberry turkey wraps or on leftover turkey sandwiches.
What You Will Need
- fresh cranberries – A simple berry that has a depth of flavor ranging from sweet to tart and they offer a healthier version of sauce compared to the canned stuffed. A bag of cranberries from your local grocery store will work great!
- water – A simple way to cook down the cranberries.
- granulated sugar – To help balance out the natural tart flavors of cranberries. We actually like a bit less sugar in our cranberry sauce, but scroll down to the recipe card for directions on if you like your sauce on the sweeter side.
How To Make Cranberry Sauce
Start by gathering your ingredients.
Next, place all of the ingredients into a medium saucepan.
Stir to combine everything together, then bring it to a boil and then reduce to low heat to bring the ingredients to a simmer.
Let all those gorgeous flavors simmer for 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once your cranberries have cooked down and have that perfect texture, remove them from the heat, place in a serving bowl, and while the sauce cools to room temperature, you can get some dishes done, leaving you one less thing to think about after dinner.
Recipe FAQs
This will depend on how sweet you want your cranberry sauce to be. If you like things on the sweeter side, you can add up to cup of sugar.
Yes! This is a perfect recipe to make a day or two before when you plan on serving it.
Store leftover cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
We’ve got a whole slew of easy sauce recipes with great flavor combinations using orange, bourbon, and apple cider!
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Other Cranberry Recipes You Might Like
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is the classic cranberry sauce you always wanted! Super simple and easy to make and you can control how sweet you like it!
Ingredients
- 10oz fresh cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar*
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
- Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. Let simmer 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove and let cool before serving.
Notes
- *Sugar: you can actually add up to 1 cup of sugar, but it depends upon how sweet you want your cranberry sauce. I liked it with 1/2 cup sugar (it was a little sweet, but still tart), but you can always add more even after it is fully cooked – so taste and adjust according to your personal preferences.
- Make Ahead: this is a great recipe to make ahead of Thanksgiving or any holiday dinner.
- Storage: store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Variations: we have a couple variations of this on the site: Bourbon Cranberry Sauce, Apple Cranberry Sauce or Cranberry Orange Sauce!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 oz
- Calories: 105
- Sugar: 25.5 g
- Sodium: 2.1 mg
- Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 27.9 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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