How to make homemade cranberry sauce using fresh cranberries and 3 more ingredients. Simple and easy recipe, perfect for Thanksgiving and the holidays.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce is so easy to make and pretty delicious too. In fact, the first Thanksgiving we made our own, we wondered why we’d never made it before.
Fresh cranberry sauce with orange zest is so much better than the canned stuff. For one thing, it doesn’t plop out in canned gel form.
If you buy a bag of fresh cranberries, the recipe is right there on the bag. You can also get creative with the recipe and add different flavors to your cranberry relish, like citrus or cinnamon or whatever else your imagination can cook up.
With this recipe, I followed the instructions on the back of the bag (Ocean Spray Cranberries) and then added a little citrus zing.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED:
- Fresh cranberries
- Sugar
- Water
- Orange zest
Keep in mind, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU’LL NEED:
Large Saucepan – This sauce is made entirely on the stove top, so a good saucepan is in order.
Heat Resistant Spatula – Works well for stirring and scraping the sides of the pan.
Zester – Helpful for adding the orange zest.
Serving Bowl – Add to your Thanksgiving tablescape.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
- Add the sugar and water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
- Then add in the cranberries, and return the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the orange zest, simmering for another 5 minutes or so.
Pour the cranberry sauce into a serving bowl, cover, and allow it to cool.
Here’s a delicious idea for you… A spoonful of cranberry and orange sauce pairs really well with my favorite leftover turkey stuffing crescent roll appetizers and leftover ham and stuffing crescent rolls.
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS FOR CRANBERRY SAUCE ADD-INS:
- Replace a portion of the water with orange juice or apple juice or pineapple juice. You get the idea.
- Add certain spices to your sauce, like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, etc.
- Add both orange juice (or zest) and cloves to the sauce for a special holiday flavor.
- Use apples.
- Add a dash of vanilla.
- Add nuts to the mixture… Walnuts, pecans, or almonds would pair well.
- Instead of sugar, try using honey or maple syrup… Just be sure to reference substitution amounts when switching out ingredients.
CAN CRANBERRY SAUCE BE FROZEN?
Absolutely, yes, it can! The ingredients used in corn homemade cranberry sauce are all pretty conducive to freezing.
Just be sure to store it in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn.
WHAT GOES WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE:
- Instant Pot Southern Green Beans
- Jiffy Corn Casserole
- Apple Walnut Bread Stuffing
- Honey Glazed Carrots with Rosemary
- Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Hash Brown Casserole
- Marshmallow Fruit Salad
And just in case you’re still looking for a turkey recipe, Maple Bourbon Brined Roasted Turkey is seriously the best thing ever! Or Pineapple Honey Glazed Ham may be more what you’re looking for. Cranberry sauce also goes really well with a Slow Cooker Pork Roast!
You may also want to check out my list of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes, as well as our favorite Christmas Recipes, where you’ll find plenty more recipes for your holiday dinner.
GET THE PRINTABLE CRANBERRY RELISH RECIPE
If you love this fresh cranberry sauce with orange as much as I do, please write a 5 star review, and help me share the recipe on Facebook and Pinterest!
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Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- Zester
Ingredients
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup water
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Instructions
- Add the sugar and water to a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil.
- Add the cranberries; then return the mixture to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in the orange zest, simmering for another 5 minutes or so.
- Pour the cranberry sauce into a serving bowl, and allow to cool.
- Refrigerate or serve.
I might try this for Thanksgiving this year. My husband said his great-aunts always made it when he was growing up, and he loved it (he got a little excited just now when I was asking him about it, lol).
I know the directions said to refrigerate or serve, but is it typically served room temperature or cold? Just wondering, thank you! ❤️
I didn’t have any oranges so I added a little splash of Grand Mariner liqueur! Yum
Just made this–absolutely perfect and so easy! Thanks for a great recipe!
Thank you, LJ!
Adding walnut, peanuts or almonds sound like pretty cool alternative options!
Thanks, Carl!