There’s nothing inherently wrong with canned cranberry sauce, but I figure that if I’m going to go to all the trouble of making a sprawling turkey dinner with all the fixings, I might as well put in the effort to make a cranberry sauce worthy of the rest of the meal. Especially since homemade cranberry sauce is so quick and easy to make!
Related: 8 Instant Pot Recipes That Will Make Thanksgiving Dinner So Easy
When you’re out shopping for your Thanksgiving dinner, skip the canned stuff and pick up a bag of fresh cranberries instead. Then follow the recipe below to turn those fresh berries into a flavorful homemade cranberry sauce that will take your meal to a whole new level!
How To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients:
- Fresh cranberries
- Water
- Sugar
Directions:
Pour the contents of a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries into a saucepan. Add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar to the cranberries and stir to combine.
Turn the heat up to High to bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering, then allow it to continue simmering for 10 minutes.
Remove the finished sauce from heat and allow it to cool before transferring it to an airtight container for storage. Store it in your fridge where it will keep for 1-2 weeks. That’s all there is to it!
BONUS: 5 Cranberry Sauce Tips And Tricks
Although the basic recipe for homemade cranberry sauce above is fantastic as written, there are plenty of ways you can jazz it up or make things easier for yourself. Here are some extra tips you might find useful!
Related: “Why Didn’t I Think Of That?” – Thanksgiving Edition
1. Add Some Citrus
Sweet and tangy citrus can bring an additional dimension to the flavor of your cranberry sauce. Try swapping half of the water for orange juice, or adding a teaspoon or so of fresh lemon or orange zest to the cranberries, water, and sugar before simmering.
2. Make It Ahead
The flavor of cranberry sauce, like many other foods, evolves over time, so making it ahead of time will make your life easier and give your sauce a better flavor. Make your cranberry sauce 2 or 3 days ahead of time, then refrigerate it in an airtight container until needed.
3. Try A Different Sweetener
Cranberry sauce is traditionally made with white sugar, but you can use a different sweetener to switch things up if you like. You could use brown sugar, honey, or even maple syrup as the sweet element in your sauce.
4. Add Some Spice
Make your cranberry sauce more flavorful by adding a couple cloves, a cinnamon stick, or a small chunk of fresh ginger to the simmering mixture of cranberries, water, and sugar. Fish them back out of the finished sauce before storing it in your fridge.
5. Give It Texture
Some cranberry sauce recipes call for chopped pecans, walnuts, or even raisins. If you like a bit of crunch or chew, stir a handful of any of these options into your finished cranberry sauce for taste and texture.
Do you serve cranberry sauce with Thanksgiving dinner?
Homemade Cranberry Sauce (Recipe)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Pour cranberries into saucepan.
- Add the water and sugar and stir.
- Bring to boil, then reduce heat and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve warm or chilled.
That’s pretty close to my Mom’s cranberry sauce recipe, only she does it in the microwave since the stove is full w/ other things.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.1 bag of cranberries
1 cup of sugar
In a 2 QT glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap & microwave on HI for 8 minutes.
Remove plastic wrap – be careful of the steam! – and stir in a 1/4 cup of sugar & 1/4 cup of brandy.
YUM!
I have made the jellied sauce for years and actually made 2 recipes of it last night. For the first time, I normally press mine through a strainer. I am just wondering if the blender pulverized the skin well enough that it is completly jelled? Would appreciate some feedback on this. I used a potato ricer last night and it worked great and was easier to clean than a strainer.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.BEWARE: Once you ever make the homemade, your family will never let you go back to the canned stuff. So, if you don’t want to make this every year for all the holidays, etc.; don’t ever start. LOL
We add orange juice, orange zest and some chopped walnuts. It’s a treat all by itself, anytime! Tis year, I’m trying stevia instead of sugar. For my diabetic dad.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do any of you like Cranberry Relish? I know that’s the favorite for me! It is SOOO good! I cannot STAND the sauce or the jelly, but my mom like the other stuff :) I will let her know about this recipe! But here is my grandmother’s old fashioned recipe for Cranberry Relish! All you need is:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.2 apples (any variety)
2 oranges (any variety)
1 bag of cranberries (the regular size that you usually see)
1 1/3 cup of sugar
INSRUCTIONS-
Blend up all ingredients in a blender until the texture of relish. Pour all contents in a bowl, and stir. YUM YUM!
HA!! My mom has that ‘vintage’ cranberry dish. And she INSISTS that at least 1 family member cannot survive without the canned crap. So, every year out comes the special serving dish and a can. I’m a homemade cranberry sauce girl but I’m not gonna argue with her. =)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Gotta admit it. We LOVE the canned jellied sauce. Love it so much we have it all year, LOL. Not gonna fix what isn’t broken, I guess. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.When my son was around 10, his best friend (who was Iranian) had Thanksgiving dinner with us. Arash had never had cranberry sauce before (or apparently a Tgiving dinner). He inhaled the food and when we were finished & having coffee, he came over and politely asked if he could have the rest of the cranberry jelly (canned, ribs and all). We said yes, and he got a spoon and the bowl over and ate the rest of the can. That funny little face hovering over the cranberry jelly in America….made the entire day for me.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.That has to be one of hte best thanksgiving stories I’ve read this year, oh so perfect!
I ditched the sauce for Cranberry Butter a few years ago, and now Cranberry Butter is a holiday favorite,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’ve made it with frozen cranberries at other times of the year…just make sure the butter is very soft
3/4 cup fresh cranberries
6 Tbl. powdered sugar
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1 cup (2 sticks) butter- no substitutions
Spread it on homemade rolls and you will be hooked, too!
Susie – I’m assuming you boil this all together?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m not certain, but it sounds like Susie is talking about making a compound butter – butter with other flavors simply mixed in. So all you’d have to do is soften the butter enough to mix in the other ingredients. Yum! Really wanting to try this recipe — it sounds like it would be fantastic on scones or muffins, or even plain toast!
Yum, that sounds so good…and yes, is it all boiled together?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.How funny, I just made some last night and canned it! I haven’t used the bought canned version in years!
I used two recipes, one from the Joy of Cooking that uses half water and half orange juice, plus 2 tsp grated rind, and the other from Splenda’s site:
http://recipes.splenda.com/recipes/1397122-Cranberry-Orange-Sauce
My experience was that I had to just about double the Splenda, and even then, I couldn’t get rid of the bitterness of the cranberries until I finally caved and added about half a cup of sugar. Not too much sugar considering, but I was trying for a completely sugar-free version. That helped, though I still wasn’t completely satisfied. When I went to taste it this morning, however, it was perfect. So, something to keep in mind when making it!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Perfect timing!! I make a home made cranberry sauce but it called for the can stuff. Everything else this thanksgiving will be from scratch and now the cranberry sauce will be too!!! Thanks so much!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.LOOOVE making my own, and part of the fun is the ‘pop’ when the berries build up the steam inside, and it smells heavenly! I sometimes put just a hint of cinnamon and a little orange zest ~ thank you Jillee! LOOOOVE your site, much love and many blessings to you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Too Funny Jillee!!! I actually received one of those sets as a wedding gift back in 1987!!! And as much as I hate the can variety….I have a son that just loves it!! Go figure – he’s my picky eater though and you know how they are! LOL!! I make my own for the rest of us but I make it with orange juice also. I prefer the real stuff too, but will keep the college age son happy with the jellied can variety served in its own special dish! Happy Thanksgiving!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.If you have a stick blender, just blend your cranberries up in the pan until they are smooth, then they’ll gel in the jar as they cool. I did 4 bags of cranberries last night, and made some whole berry sauce, and some gelled sauce. I water bath canned them and now I have enough cranberries for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Canning your own–now that’s an idea I can get behind! From the other comments it sounds like there is no need for pectin–did you use any? Did you add orange zest? I made orange marmalade for the first time this year and added a couple of dried cranberries to each jar to add a little burst of color. Looked and tasted awesome. Maybe I’ll add some strips of orange rind to the cranberry. Couldn’t hoight (hurt, I’m from NJ originally).
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I attempted these earlier this week as a test run, and I have one note to add…don’t overcook. If you cook too long they release too much acid and you will have a very bitter aftertaste to your sauce and trust me no amount of sugar will fix it, I tried. Going to give it another try tomorrow.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I know it’s bit late now…but try adding like a teaspoon of baking soda. Should take the bitter right out.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Wonder how it would work sub. splenda for the sugar. Always looking for diabetic recipes that taste REAL! Have a wonderful holiday and thank you for all the fabulous ideas. Blessings.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I TOTALLY make this sugar free all the time now! Get yourself some XYLITOL, the granular kind, I get mine at the health food store in a big bag, not the little packages! Use 3/4 cup Xylitol and 3 packages Splenda and VOILA! Yummy sugar free cranberry sauce! :) I use a little less of the water, just under 1 cup instead of the full cup, seems to thicken a bit better. Good luck! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Whoa! I got a serving utensil from one of my husband’s grandparents when they died. It looks exactly like the spoon/slicer thing in the picture! I never knew that was it’s original function. I don’t have the matching dish, though. I’m so tickled to find out what it was originally used for.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Use 1 cup orange juice instead of water and they are even better!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I just got home from school and was dreading the thought of looking up a new receipe for cranberries…Thank You for reminding me there is no better way to prepare cranberries….and I use the leftovers for scones the next morning…new receipe…what was I thinking? Thanks again!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Homemade is definitely better. For those who like the jellied variety, you can easily make it yourself! Just make the sauce as noted above, and puree the mixture in the food processor or blender. Once it is chilled, it’ll have the jelly consistency.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you. I always read that you had to push the pulp thru a fine mesh strainer. Never thought of the blender…I will next time though. Wish I knew this Sunday though…first time making my own jellied cranberry sauce didn’t turn out as planned (possibly because my 10 year old did most of the work while I was prepping something else for the early ‘friends’ thanksgiving we had last night.) next time though :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Muy, Muy, I LOVE you!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I LOVE the jelly, can’t stand the chunks in it. Don’t know why I didn’t think about pureeing it myself. So, cranberries are now on the very short list of things still to be picked up.
Thanks, Connie for that tip…it’s a texture thing with me–I love the smooth jelly type & I’m sure the homemade version is much tastier. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Add a little orange zest and fresh juice for an even more amazing taste!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make it with orange juice and honey. So good!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Do any of you like Cranberry Relish? I know that’s the favorite for me! It is SOOO good! I cannot STAND the sauce or the jelly, but my mom like the other stuff :) I will let her know about this recipe! But here is my grandmother’s old fashioned recipe for Cranberry Relish! All you need is:
Please log in or create a free account to comment.2 apples (any variety)
2 oranges (any variety)
1 bag of cranberries (the regular size that you usually see)
1 1/3 cup of sugar
INSRUCTIONS-
Blend up all ingredients in a blender until the texture of relish. Pour all contents in a bowl, and stir. YUM YUM!
This is a delicious recipe and one which I had misplaced. Thanks so much for posting this. Happy Thanksgiving!
we made this at home when I was a youngster but back then there were no food processors. Some of you may remember the old fashioned food grinder that fastened to the edge of a table or something. We used the pull out bread board. The grinding was the fun part, didn’t know it was ‘work’ then. LOL I didn’t like the relish tho or any kind of cranberries.
Wanda, your recipe reminds me of mine – I don’t use apples, but I DO use the WHOLE orange, zest, pith, and all (get rid of the seeds if there happen to be any). Just chunk the whole thing up before blending it. Oh, and I find a food processor works better than a blender because the relish is so thick it won’t stay in the blades and you keep having to shut the thing off and push it back down in there.
One more thing – wash and sort through the cranberries before any of these processes – I like to look through the berries and get rid of any that are mushy or bad looking before preparing them!