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Sweet Cranberry Sauce

Featured in Recipes for Every Season and Celebration.

Cook this simple cranberry dish with three key ingredients: fresh cranberries, water, and your preferred sweetener (sugar, honey, or maple syrup). Simmer until the berries pop, creating a sweet yet tangy side. You can mix in flavors like lemon juice, orange zest, cinnamon, or dried cherries for an extra twist. Ready to serve in just 20 minutes, it's the perfect holiday addition for turkey or other savory dishes.

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Haya
Updated on Thu, 01 May 2025 22:52:24 GMT
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Bowl filled with red cranberries. | recipeown.com

This cranberry sauce turns ordinary berries into an amazing Thanksgiving side with barely any work. It's got that perfect sweet-tart balance that goes so well with turkey, and once you try this homemade stuff, you'll never want the canned kind again - the flavor is just too fresh and vibrant.

I whipped up this cranberry sauce when I hosted my first Thanksgiving after getting married, and we've kept making it for over ten years now. Even my kids who usually avoid berries always ask for extra spoonfuls with their turkey.

Ingredients

  • Fresh or frozen cranberries: They give that perfect tangy base and pop wonderfully while cooking to create that just-right sauce thickness
  • Granulated sugar or natural options like maple syrup: Cuts the cranberries' sourness while adding deeper flavor notes
  • Water: Gets the consistency just right and lets the berries cook down nice and evenly without burning
  • Optional extras: Try citrus peel, lemon juice, orange juice, dried cherries, or a stick of cinnamon to make it your own

Easy Preparation Steps

Mix sweet stuff and water:
Put sugar or your favorite natural sweetener with water in a big saucepan over medium heat. Stir now and then until sugar totally dissolves into a simple syrup. If you're using maple syrup or honey, just skip ahead and throw everything in together.
Toss in cranberries and cook:
Dump your fresh or frozen cranberries into the sweet mixture and let it come to a gentle boil. Turn heat to low and let it bubble uncovered for 12-15 minutes. Give it a stir sometimes so nothing sticks, and watch those cranberries start to burst and release their natural thickener.
Check flavor:
When most berries have popped and your sauce looks thick enough, give it a taste. Add more sweet stuff if it's too sour. Just remember it'll keep thickening as it cools down.
Let it rest:
Take the pan off the heat and let your cranberry sauce cool down to room temp before serving. This cooling time lets all the flavors mix together and helps the sauce reach just the right thickness.
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A spoon is in a bowl of red jello. | recipeown.com

Maple syrup's become my go-to ingredient in this recipe. It adds this rich warmth that regular sugar just can't match. At our last Thanksgiving, my grandma who always swore by her canned cranberry sauce had two servings of mine and quietly asked how to make it before heading home.

Delicious Variations

Adding some citrus really takes basic cranberry sauce to another level. Orange zest and juice naturally complement cranberries, creating bright flavors that cut through heavy Thanksgiving foods. The zest adds amazing scent while the juice brings both sweetness and tang. For something fancier, try lemon zest and juice - they add brightness without making things sweeter.

Prep Ahead and Storage Options

Cranberry sauce actually tastes better after sitting a while, so it's perfect to make before Thanksgiving day. Once it's cooled down completely, put it in a sealed container and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. The flavors will blend and deepen, making it taste even better. You can also freeze this sauce for up to three months! Just let it thaw in your fridge overnight before you want to use it. Thanks to the natural pectin, it'll still have that perfect thickness even after freezing.

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A spoon is in a bowl of red jam. | recipeown.com

Uses Beyond Turkey

While we mostly think of cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving turkey, you can use it for so many other things. Try leftover sauce on vanilla ice cream or cheesecake, where the tartness perfectly balances the creamy sweetness. Spread it on turkey sandwiches or mix it into plain yogurt for breakfast. It also makes a killer glaze for pork tenderloin - just mix it with a bit of Dijon mustard and brush it on during the last few minutes of cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

→ Is it okay to prepare cranberry sauce early?

Absolutely! Make it up to a week before and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge.

→ What are my sweetener options?

Use sugar, maple syrup, or honey, adjusting how sweet you want it.

→ How does the sauce get thicker?

It thickens naturally because cranberries have pectin. Let it cook until you like the consistency.

→ Can I mix in other flavors?

Sure, try adding in dried cherries, a splash of lemon, orange zest, or a cinnamon stick to boost the taste.

→ Can leftover cranberry sauce be stored in the freezer?

Yes, put it in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Let it thaw in the fridge when needed.

Best Cranberry Sauce

Tangy and sweet cranberry sauce that's ideal for festive meals.

Prep Time
~
Cook Time
20 Minutes
Total Time
20 Minutes
By: Haya

Category: Seasonal & Holiday

Difficulty: Easy

Cuisine: American

Yield: 8 Servings (Makes roughly 2 cups of cranberry sauce)

Dietary: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free

Ingredients

01 12 oz of fresh or frozen cranberries
02 3/4 cup water, preferably filtered
03 1 cup white sugar (or 3/4 cup maple syrup or honey)—adjust sweetness as desired

Instructions

Step 01

Pour water into a large pot, then add sugar, maple syrup, or honey. Place on medium heat and stir until the sweetener completely dissolves.

Step 02

Toss in your cranberries. Let it come to a gentle boil before lowering the heat. Cook uncovered on low until the cranberries pop open and the sauce thickens, which should take 12 to 15 minutes. Give it an occasional stir while it's cooking.

Step 03

Taste the sauce, and if it’s not sweet enough, add a little more sugar, honey, or syrup. Take the pot off the heat and let the sauce cool to room temp before serving it.

Step 04

At the beginning of cooking, you can throw in 2 big strips of lemon zest and a tablespoon of its juice, or 2 strips of orange zest and 1/4 cup orange juice. Another idea? Add 1/2 cup of dried cherries or half a stick of cinnamon for extra flavor.

Step 05

Once the sauce is completely cooled, move it to a container with a tight lid and keep it in the fridge for up to a week. If you want to save it longer, freeze it in a container that’s okay for the freezer—it’ll stay good for up to 3 months.

Notes

  1. If you’re using honey or syrup instead of sugar, you can just combine everything in the pot at once and bring to a boil.

Tools You'll Need

  • Big cooking pot
  • Sealable storage container

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving)

It is important to consider this information as approximate and not to use it as definitive health advice.
  • Calories: 116
  • Total Fat: ~
  • Total Carbohydrate: ~
  • Protein: ~