How To Make Cranberry Sauce: The Simplest, Easiest Method

Meghan Splawn
Meghan Splawn
Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.
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updated Oct 4, 2022
thanksgiving

Makes2 cups

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(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple and often the only spot of brightness on a table full of brown, orange, and tan. While canned cranberry sauce is available year-round, fresh cranberries come to market in October, making it an ideal time to whip up a batch of this sauce — which is actually an entry-level jam — and have it waiting for your Thanksgiving table.

Even if you love the canned stuff, making homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving is worth a go. It gives you control of how sweet or tart the final sauce is, and it’s remarkably easy to make.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

Sauce is a bit of a misnomer, as cranberry sauce is actually a fruit jam. Cranberries are naturally high in pectin. When cooked with sugar and acid (often lemon juice, but in our case orange juice), the pectin is released and gels the fruit. In order for pectin to gel properly, we need both sugar and acid. These ingredients help us get a sauce that has body and texture.

So, how do you make homemade cranberry sauce, exactly? It’s easy:

  1. Zest and juice oranges: Use Valencia or navel oranges for their fresh citrus flavor.
  2. Simmer with sugar: Add the orange zest, juice, and sugar to a pot. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring to help the sugar dissolve.
  3. Cook the cranberries: Add the cranberries, then simmer for at least 10 minutes or until they burst to release their full gelling power.
  4. Let cool and serve: For a looser cranberry sauce, the sauce can be served warm. If you prefer a thicker (canned-like) consistency, cover and refrigerate overnight.
(Image credit: Lauren Volo)

How to Serve Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce is a favorite at Thanksgiving since it’s a sweet-tart foil to a table filled with such rich flavor, but I have found that cranberry sauce is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day or even a few days after its made. The sauce will gel as it cools and become sweeter.

As for the leftover cranberry sauce post-Thanksgiving? Consider swirling it into oatmeal, using it to top pancakes, or blending it into a smoothie.

More Ways to Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce:

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Zest and juice the oranges: Use a vegetable peeler to remove a 1-inch thick strip of orange peel from one of the oranges set aside. Halve, then juice the oranges into a measuring cup. Remove any seeds from the juice. Two large oranges should yield about 1 cup of juice. If you do not have enough juice, add enough water to get to 1 cup. (Image credit: Lauren Volo)
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How To Make Cranberry Sauce

Makes2 cups

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 2

    large Valencia or navel oranges

  • 1/2 cup

    granulated sugar

  • 12 ounces

    fresh or frozen cranberries

Equipment

Instructions

  1. Zest and juice the oranges: Use a vegetable peeler to remove a 1-inch-thick strip of orange peel from one of the oranges; set aside. Halve, then juice the oranges into a measuring cup. Remove any seeds from the juice. Two large oranges should yield about 1 cup of juice. If you do not have enough juice, add enough water for 1 cup.

  2. Simmer the juice and sugar: Place the orange juice, sugar, and reserved orange peel in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

  3. Simmer the cranberries: Add the cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the cranberries are tender and pop open and appear glossy, about 11 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard the orange peel. Transfer the sauce into a bowl.

  4. Cool and serve: For a looser cranberry sauce, the sauce can be served warm. If you prefer a thicker (canned-like) consistency, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Recipe Notes

Make ahead: Cranberry sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Our Favorite Ways to Jazz Up Cranberry Sauce

Once you understand the basics of making cranberry sauce, the possibilities to customize are endless. You can replace some of the sugar with brown or maple sugar. You can substitute water or cranberry juice for some of the orange juice, as long as you have at least 1/4 cup of orange or lemon juice to make the pectin gel.

  • Add a vanilla bean while boiling or a teaspoon of vanilla extract at the end.
  • Whole spices, like cinnamon, anise, or cardamom, can be boiled with the sugar and orange juice. Remove before serving.
  • Finely chop a jalapeño and add at the end of cooking for a savory finish.
  • Add a tablespoon of freshly grated ginger with the cranberries.
  • Stir in a tablespoon of rum, brandy, or whiskey to the finished cranberry sauce.
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