This homemade cranberry sauce recipe tastes better than the canned version, and you can make it ahead of time for an easy holiday side dish. All you need is 15 minutes of effort!
Fresh cranberry sauce tastes 100% better than the kind you’d buy at the store, and it’s surprisingly easy to make on the stovetop. There are no thickeners required!
Instead of using white sugar, this recipe is made with pure maple syrup. It adds a rich flavor you’ll love, without tasting too sweet.
Cranberry sauce keeps well in the fridge for up to 7 days, and since you can serve it chilled, it’s easy to grab and set on the table in time for your Thanksgiving meal.
Ingredients You’ll Need
All you need is 5 simple ingredients to make the best cranberry sauce ever. The maple syrup balances out the tartness of the fresh cranberries, and fresh ginger takes the flavor to the next level.
Feel free to add in some orange zest when you use fresh orange juice, for an extra boost of orange flavor. You can also add in any extra spices you like, such as a pinch of nutmeg or cloves.
How to Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Add the cranberries to a fine mesh strainer, and rinse them well. Remove any berries that look soft or bruised.
Transfer the cranberries to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and add the maple syrup, orange juice, cinnamon, and ginger.
Bring the liquid to a boil, then lower the heat and let the cranberries simmer, stirring often.
The cranberries will start to pop and burst as they cook.
After 5 to 10 minutes of cooking and stirring, the cranberries should be soft enough to mash against the bottom and side of the pot. Use the spatula to mash them as you stir. (Feel free to leave some whole, too. The texture is up to you!)
Important Note:Don’t let the cranberries cook for longer than 15 minutes, or the pectin that the cranberries contain may start to break down. This can prevent the sauce from thickening as it chills.
Once the cranberry sauce has thickened on the stove, remove it from the heat and let it cool. Let it rest in a serving bowl if you plan on serving it soon, or transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
The cranberry sauce will thicken even more when it’s cold. Serve the cranberry sauce chilled straight from the refrigerator, or let it come to room temperature for an hour on the counter before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze cranberry sauce?
Yes, cranberry sauce freezes well. Store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving again.
Spread extra cranberry sauce on leftover turkey sandwiches, turn it into a salad dressing, or use it as a filling for cranberry crumble bars. It would also make a delicious topping for pancakes, waffles, or peanut butter toast.
Can I use a different sweetener?
If you’d like to use granulated sugar, like brown sugar, replace the maple syrup with 3/4 cup brown sugar plus 3/4 cup water. Honey may also work as a swap if you have that on hand, but you might not need quite as much in that case, since it’s sweeter than maple syrup.
Need more Thanksgiving recipes? Try Wild Rice Stuffing, Sweet Potato Casserole, or my favorite Holiday Salad topped with apples and pecans.
Easy Cranberry Sauce
4.98 from 36 votes
Homemade cranberry sauce tastes a million times better than the kind you'd buy in a can. All you need is a few simple ingredients to make it!
In a 1 1/2 quart sauce pot, combine the cranberries, maple syrup, orange juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Bring the mixture to a boil.
The cranberries should burst as they cook, and the sauce will thicken. Be sure to stir often, to make sure nothing sticks to the pan, and press the cranberries against the side of the pan to help them break down and thicken the sauce.
Make sure you don't cook the cranberries any longer than 15 minutes, or pectin will start to break down and the sauce will not set as well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a storage container with a lid.
Store in the fridge and allow to chill for at least 6 hours before serving. You can make this sauce up to 5 days in advance, to make your holiday meal a little easier!
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Notes
Nutrition information is for 1 of 8 servings, about a 1/4 cup each. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
* If you use the juice from a fresh orange, you can also add in some of the zest for extra orange flavor. It’s delicious, either way!
Cranberry sauce can be served either as a gooey liquid or as a solid jelly. The jellied version is solid enough to retain the shape of the container in which it's placed whereas the sauce version is much more fluid. The difference between the fluid sauce and the jelly versions comes down to pectin.
Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.
When to Toss Cranberry Sauce. Cranberry sauce will last for two hours at room temperature. Homemade cranberry sauce will last in the fridge for 10 to 14 days. Canned cranberry sauce that has been opened will last up to a week in the fridge.
Jelling. Homemade cranberry sauce is meant to thicken, or “jell,” while cooking. If it stays soupy, that could mean a couple of things. One possibility is that you may not have used enough sugar: Sugar helps the sauce firm up, so be sure to use the full amount called for in a recipe.
The major variation you're likely to come across is "whole berry" versus "jellied." The only difference between them is that the jellied sauce is cooked until the berries have completely broken down. They both slide out of the can as a wobbly red cylinder.
One of the best foils for bitter flavors are acidic ingredients, like citrus juices or vinegars. Their sharp tang counteracts bitter flavors without having to add extra sugar.
"Resist adding granulated sugar—you won't get the full effect unless you reheat the sauce and the sugar dissolves," writes Kelsey Kloss. "Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine. Add more to taste.
Maple syrup, brown sugar and even honey can make your cranberry sauce more dynamic. And don't forget the spices! Cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, citrus zest and star anise all work well with cranberries and can be added while the sauce cooks to infuse your sauce with flavor.
You must cook the sauce for at least 10 minutes at a full boil for the pectin to react with the sugar and create the proper gelled texture. It is also important to let the cranberry sauce cool at room temperature. Moving it to the refrigerator too soon may also affect the gel.
Both fresh and dried cranberries are safe to feed to dogs in small quantities. Whether your dog will like this tart treat is another question. Either way, moderation is important when feeding cranberries to dogs, as with any treat, as too many can lead to an upset stomach.
Yes, you can freeze homemade cranberry sauce—and it works well. It's best to store it in the freezer for up to 3 months; the taste may be affected due to its water content if frozen longer. Keep this in mind when putting away your leftover sauce and use it during this optimal period as part of an easy weeknight dinner.
Add the cranberries to the pot and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst. Stir in the mix-ins, if using: Once the cranberries have burst you can leave the cranberry sauce as is, or dress it up with other ingredients.
The cans are "filled and labeled upside down with the rounded edge on top and the sharp can-like edge on the bottom to keep the jelly whole." This creates an air bubble vacuum on the rounded side (the top) so customers "can swipe the edge of the can with a knife to break the vacuum and the log will easily slide out."
Why is my cranberry sauce so seedy? Cranberries do have seeds inside them. Sometimes, when using frozen cranberries, if it does not cook long enough, the seeds may not break down. This can cause the sauce to taste seedy.
There are more than 100 cranberry varieties including Alfredo Compact, Baily Compact, Ben Lear, Bergman, Compactum, Crowley, Early Black, Howes, McFarlin, Pilgrim, Redwing, Searles, Stevens, and Wentworth.
There is an important difference between cranberry sauce and cranberry relish and that is that cranberry relish is made from raw ingredients blended in a food processor (it's more fresh and tart tasting) and cranberry sauce is cooked and often much sweeter than relish.
Cranberry juice is usually labeled "100% juice." Other fruits are sometimes added to balance the tart cranberry taste, but that label indicates that the product is made with 100% fruit juices. Cranberry juice co*cktail, meanwhile, has added sugars or high-fructose corn syrup for extra sweetness.
Cranberry sauce is supposed to be a balance of sweet and tart. The sauce acts as a cleansing port in a tumultuous storm of fat and salt, but the effect is lost if the sauce is too sweet. Luckily, there is a very easy way to fix an over-sugared homemade sauce: You just need a little citric acid.
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