This is an easy recipe for fresh homemade cranberry sauce with cinnamon and orange. Cranberry sauce is a classic for holiday dinners, just like my air fried roasted sweet potatoes and lamb roast. This recipe is simple to make in only 15 minutes and is so much better than store bought cans of jellied cranberries.
Table Of Contents
Cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving dinner staple. This recipe is made with fresh tangy cranberries, fresh oranges and a pinch of cinnamon to take it over the top. It's made quickly and easily on the stovetop but can be made in your Instant Pot. Check out my Instant Pot cranberry sauce here.
Aside from being served with your turkey, mashed potatoes and green beans, you'll find cranberry sauce along with tomato basil bread and mini baked potatoes on our Thanksgiving table. Our appetizer menu always includes a beautiful meat and cheese holiday charcuterie board and authentic Middle Eastern hummus and pita chips.
Ingredients
This cranberry sauce recipe uses only a few simple ingredients:
- fresh cranberries
- white sugar
- orange slice (optional, but recommended!)
- ground cinnamon (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan heat ½ cup of water and ¾ cup of sugar over high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk constantly.
- Add the cranberries, turn the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, until most cranberries pop. Stir occasionally, helping to mash them with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove pan from the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Squeeze in juice from the 1 orange slice and a pinch of cinnamon if desired. Use a hand masher or immersion blender to mash the sauce as smooth as you'd like it to be. Let cool before serving.
How To Store
Store in the fridge for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 6 months. For optimal freshness, use frozen cranberry sauce within 2 months. If using in other recipes, it's okay to freeze it for longer than 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
Homemade cranberry sauce can be made up to 10 days ahead of time if kept in the fridge and up to 2 months ahead of time if frozen.
To thicken the sauce, bring to a simmer over low heat and boil down until the liquid is reduced to your liking. Stir frequently so that it doesn't burn.
If the sauce is too thick for you, add water in 1 tablespoon increments until your desired thinness is achieved. Make sure to mix well between additions of water. Then taste, and add more sugar or orange zest as necessary.
Recipe
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- Large pot
- masher or immersion blender
- whisk
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ¾ cup sugar
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1 slice orange optional
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon optional
Instructions
- In a large saucepan heat water and sugar over high heat until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk constantly.
- Add the cranberries, turn the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, until most cranberries pop. Stir occasionally, helping to mash them with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Remove pan from the heat and transfer to a serving bowl. Squeeze in juice from the orange slice and a pinch of cinnamon if desired. Use a hand masher or immersion blender to mash the sauce as smooth as you'd like it to be. Let cool before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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Rose Lowrey
How far ahead can I make this before Thanksgiving and keep in the fridge for?
Kristina Tipps
Hi Rose. Great timing! I just updated this recipe to include that information. It can be stored in the fridge for about 10 days before Christmas and 2 months in the freezer. Enjoy!
Joe Reynolds
I Never cared for cranberry sauce before, but my relatives love it so I decided to make some homemade this year. I followed your simple recipe and added a couple of my own touches I added a shot of Jim Beam Honey to the mixture and let me tell you I became a cranberry sauce fan. I'm 66 years old and never ate it in my life except one time when I was a kid. Your recipe has changed my taste buds or maybe old age did LOL LOL
Kristina
That is wonderful to hear! And the addition of Jim Beam honey (which my husband loves) sounds amazing. Enjoy it for many years to come!
Kevin
I had a couple spoonfuls of the cranberries...you know, to give it a fair taste, ha ha! I liked them and would eat them again at any holiday party. I tend to like my cranberries extremely tart and these were more balanced so they would probably appeal to more people.
Pam
We love cranberry sauce. I usually make mine using orange juice and we’re kind of spoiled to that taste. Having said that, I really liked this. It’s more sweet, where mine is more tart. The preparation is simple. Anyone who doesn’t make fresh cranberry sauce needs to try this today!