Homemade Cranberry Sauce

You are going to love how easy it is to make this classic Thanksgiving recipe.  With only six ingredients and less than 30 minutes, you can whip up this perfectly sweet and tart sauce.  

Nothing says holiday like a beautiful, garnet-colored, cranberry sauce.  It adds so much to the holiday meal. The tart, acidic cranberries cut through the fat of the other dishes, like gravy.  This sauce brings a fresh and bright flavor to all of the heavier dishes. Its a must-have in my house.

Bowl of homemade cranberry sauce flavored with orange and cinnamon.

WHAT DO I NEED TO MAKE THIS CLASSIC THANKSGIVING RECIPE?

This recipe is foolproof!  If you can boil water, you can make homemade cranberry sauce.  You need sugar, orange juice, water, cranberries, cinnamon, and orange zest.  Pretty simple, huh?

Want to jazz it up a bit?  You can adapt this recipe so easily.

  • Add a finely minced jalapeno pepper to the cranberries while cooking for a spicy, sweet heat in the sauce.
  • Raspberries, strawberries, or blueberries will bring additional sweetness.
  • You can add crunch by stirring in chopped nuts after cooling the sauce to room temperature.
  • Warm spices, such as nutmeg, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Apple Pie Spice can be used instead of plain cinnamon.

EQUIPMENT USED TO MAKE HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE:

Bowl of homemade cranberry sauce flavored with orange and cinnamon.

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HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE

This classic Thanksgiving recipe is surprisingly easy to make.  Forget about the jelled stuff in the can, this homemade cranberry sauce is the perfect combination of sweet and tart.

  • Author: Eats By The Beach
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes + chilling time
  • Yield: Serves 8
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Boil
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Orange juice

½ cup Water

4 cups (about 12-ounces) Fresh or frozen cranberries

¼ teaspoon Cinnamon

½ teaspoon Finely grated orange zest

Instructions

If using fresh cranberries, rinse them well under cold, running water.  Pick out any bruised berries.

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, orange juice, and water.  Bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve the sugar.

Add the cranberries, cinnamon, and orange zest.  Return the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.

Remove the sauce from the heat and allow to cool completely.  Once it is room temperature, transfer the sauce to a covered bowl to chill in the refrigerator.

Serve cool or cold.

Notes

The sauce can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Keywords: classic Thanksgiving recipe, cranberry sauce, homemade cranberry sauce, Thanksgiving side dish recipes, orange cranberry sauce