This homemade cranberry sauce is one 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries simmered with 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water (or half orange juice), orange zest and a cinnamon stick. It takes about 17 minutes and makes about 2 cups, enough for 8 people at a holiday table.
The one thing to get right is when you stop. Take the pot off the heat while the sauce still looks a little loose, because it keeps setting as it cools. Wait until it looks finished in the pan and you will be slicing it by dinner.
Following a special diet?
Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
Try the Recipe Converter →Before You Turn On the Stove
- Ratio: 12 oz cranberries to 1 cup sugar to 1 cup liquid
- Time: 5 minutes prep, 10 to 12 minutes at a simmer
- Yield: about 2 cups, eight ¼ cup servings
- Liquid: all water for a sharper sauce, half orange juice for a rounder one
- Make ahead: up to 3 days before the meal
Rinse the berries and pick out any that are soft, wrinkled or brown. A few pale ones are fine; they cook the same. Frozen cranberries work too. Do not thaw them, just tip them into the hot syrup and give them a minute or two longer.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce on the Stove
Stir the sugar into the water (or water and orange juice) in a medium saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Dissolving the sugar first gives the berries a smooth syrup to cook in, so you do not get sugary clumps stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Add the cranberries, the zest and the cinnamon stick, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Within a few minutes you will hear them pop. That sound is the skins splitting, and it matters: cranberries are full of pectin, and it only gets into the syrup once the skins break.
How Long to Cook Cranberry Sauce
Cook it for 10 to 12 minutes once the berries are in, stirring now and then. It is ready when most of the berries have burst, a few still hold their shape, and the syrup coats a spoon and slides off in a thick sheet instead of dripping. It will look looser than you expect. Pull it anyway.
Take out the cinnamon stick and let the sauce cool in the pan, then move it to a bowl or jar. It thickens noticeably within an hour and sets to a soft, spoonable jam in the fridge. For a smoother sauce, stir harder for the last 2 minutes so more berries break; for a chunky one, leave it alone.
Water or Orange Juice?
I have made it with only water and with all orange juice, and they are different sauces. Water keeps the cranberry tartness up front, which is what you want next to a rich plate of turkey, stuffing and gravy. Orange juice softens the edges and makes it sweeter and fruitier.
Half water and half orange juice is the version I come back to. It is bright enough for the savory table and mellow enough to spoon over dessert the next day. Go all orange juice only if your crowd finds cranberries too sour.
If Your Sauce Is Too Thick, Thin or Tart
- Set too firm after chilling: it cooked a few minutes too long. Stir in 1 tablespoon of water or orange juice at a time until it spoons again, or warm it gently.
- Still runny the next day: it came off the heat before enough berries burst. Simmer it 2 to 3 minutes more and cool it again.
- Too tart: stir in more sugar, a tablespoon at a time, while the sauce is warm so it dissolves.
- Tastes flat: the pinch of salt was skipped. Add it, plus a little more orange zest.
Canned jellied sauce is sweetened with corn syrup and cooked smooth so it slices. This one keeps whole berries, takes less time than a trip to the store, and you decide how sweet it is.
Cranberry Dessert Sauce for Cheesecake and Cake
The same pot makes a very good dessert sauce. Spoon it cold over a plain cheesecake or cranberry orange cheesecake, or onto mini cranberry cheesecake tarts. For a smooth, glossy topping, blend it or press it through a sieve while warm, then chill.
As a filling between cake layers, cook it 2 to 3 minutes longer than for the table and chill it completely. The thicker sauce stays put instead of soaking into the sponge. Warm a few spoonfuls and it turns back into a pourable sauce for vanilla ice cream or pound cake.
More Ways to Use the Leftovers
A spoonful on top of cranberry orange muffins or a warm slice of cranberry orange bread sharpens the whole bite. It goes next to pumpkin blondies or apple dumplings as a tart contrast, and it belongs on a Thanksgiving charcuterie board beside brie. One guest even spooned it into phyllo cups with brie. It also works stirred into yogurt or oatmeal the morning after.
Storing and Freezing Cranberry Sauce
Cool the sauce completely before you put a lid on it. A warm, sealed jar collects condensation that drips back in and thins the sauce. Make it up to 3 days before the meal; leftovers keep about 1 week in a sealed jar in the fridge.
To freeze, pack it into a container or freezer bag with a little headspace and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and stir before serving. I take it out of the fridge about 30 minutes before the meal so it softens and spoons easily.
For the rest of the table, the cranberry salad and cranberry dump cake use the same fall berries. Pin this one to your Thanksgiving board, and tell me in the comments whether you went with water or orange juice.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
This homemade cranberry sauce is a fresh whole-berry sauce made with one 12 ounce bag of cranberries, granulated sugar, water or half orange juice, orange zest and a cinnamon stick. It takes about 17 minutes on the stove and makes about 2 cups, eight ¼ cup servings, thick and glossy with some berries left whole. The cranberries simmer until most skins burst and release their pectin, so the sauce sets on its own as it cools; take it off the heat while it still looks a little loose. Serve it with turkey and stuffing, or use it as a cranberry dessert sauce over cheesecake, as a cake filling, or warm over ice cream. Make it up to 3 days ahead; it keeps about 1 week in the fridge and 3 months frozen.
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries, rinsed
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water (or substitute half with orange juice)
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
PREPARE THE CRANBERRIES: Rinse the cranberries under cold water and discard any that are soft or bruised.
COMBINE THE BASE: In a medium saucepan, combine the water (or half water, half orange juice) and sugar. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat.
ADD THE CRANBERRIES: Once the sugar has dissolved, add the cranberries, orange zest, and cinnamon stick if using. Stir to combine.
COOK THE SAUCE: Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10–12 minutes. Listen for the cranberries to pop as they cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens.
FINISH AND COOL: Remove from heat, discard the cinnamon stick, and allow the sauce to cool completely. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
SERVE OR STORE: Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl or airtight container and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Stop cooking when most berries have burst and the syrup coats a spoon; the sauce thickens a lot as it cools. If it sets too firm, stir in 1 tablespoon of water or orange juice at a time. Frozen cranberries can go in straight from the bag; add 1 to 2 minutes of cooking. For a deeper, sweeter flavor, replace the water with all orange juice. Make up to 3 days in advance. Store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for about 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 125Total Fat 0gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 19mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 2gSugar 28gProtein 0g
