Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

With it's jam-like consistency, it makes a great filling for cream cheese danishes, a glaze for turkey and chicken, a topping for cheesecake and no-churn cinnamon ice cream or an addition to homemade yogurt. Use it as a spread on toast, a topping for pancakes, and even mix it into muffins, oatmeal or cranberry bread.

Prefer making your cranberry sauce on the stovetop? Check out my stovetop cranberry sauce recipe instead.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Cranberries: use fresh or frozen (cook time is the same!)
• Orange juice: freshly squeezed orange is best (save the peel for zesting!). Substitute with bottle orange juice in a pinch, and remember that you won't have a peel for zest.
• Orange peel: gives the sauce a dash of extra citrus flavor and can be zested when serving.
• Cinnamon stick: substitute with ground cinnamon. One cinnamon stick roughly equals ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
• White sugar: substitute with other sugars, such as brown sugar, stevia, vegan sugars, etc.

*Please note that this recipe does not require adding water to the pressure cooker.

Equipment Needed

• Instant Pot: as written, this recipe works in 3, 6, 8, and 10 quart pressure cookers. I use my 8 quart Instant Pot Duo Crisp. If scaling the recipe up, make sure not to pass the fill line of your inner pot.
• Potato masher: this is needed to crush the cranberries after pressure cooking. You can use any kitchen tool made for mashing.

Instructions

1. Add cranberries, sugar, orange juice, the cinnamon stick, and orange peel to the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Do not stir the ingredients. Close and seal the lid. *No water is needed to bring the pot to pressure for this recipe.
2. Pressure cook on high for 4 minutes. Complete a 15 minute natural release, then quickly release any remaining pressure.
3. Remove the lid and discard the cinnamon stick and orange peel. Use a masher to mash the cranberries to the consistency of your liking. Stir and transfer to the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes before serving.
4. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with fresh herbs, such as rosemary, sage, or thyme, if desired. Sprinkle lightly with orange zest if you'd like and serve chilled.

How To Use Frozen Cranberries

You'll follow the same steps when using frozen cranberries as you would when using fresh cranberries. The ingredients and cook time stay the same. Because frozen fruits hold water, the sauce may turn out a little thinner. If you'd prefer it thicker, thicken it by heating the sauce on the saute mode for a few minutes until as much liquid boils down and evaporates as you'd like.

How To Make It Ahead Of Time

Completely prepare the cranberry sauce as the recipe indicates. Then store in the fridge in an airtight covered container for up to 10 days before serving. It can be frozen for up to 2 months for best quality and thawed in the fridge overnight. You can also heat the sauce in the microwave or on the stove for a quicker thaw.

How To Store

Store in the fridge for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

How To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce Thinner

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.