Easy, flavorful and perfect for your next holiday gathering this Homemade Cranberry Sauce is our go to recipe with minimal ingredients and time!
The holidays are coming up quickly, can you believe it?! I’m still sitting here wishing was summer and it’s making me super sad because although I love this time of year, I cannot stand the cold.
But fall and winter are such fun times because they bring the holidays and all the best types of food. Comfort food is my favorite and sometimes just having an nice bowl of comfort in front of a fire on a cool day is what the doctor ordered.
So this Homemade Cranberry Sauce is a classic recipe, one that we have been making for years and never usually stray from.
Gone are the days of the canned cranberry sauce because let me tell you something, homemade cranberry sauce is super super super easy to make and takes less than 30 minutes.
I don’t know about you, but I love cranberry sauce and it is the one side that is served at all of our holiday gatherings this time of year, doesn’t matter if it’s Thanksgiving or Christmas the stuff graces our table.
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED?
- Sugar
- Orange juice
- Cinnamon
- Cranberries
- Water
- Salt
Look at that 6 ingredients you guys! How can you say no! Plus it isn’t hard to find bags of cranberries in the stores, they usually start popping up in early October so you can enjoy this stuff well into the beginning of fall.
This cranberry sauce recipe is not too sweet, not too tart but is perfectly in the middle. Sometimes the bite of that cranberry can add a little zing to your tongue and I’ll be the first one to admit that that isn’t what I’m looking for when it comes to my cranberry sauce recipes.
We like the sweetness added from the sugar and the orange juice. The cinnamon in the recipe really helps pull all the flavors together and make it really feel just that much more festive.
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE?
- In medium saucepan add your sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, cranberries, water and salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
- Let simmer for about 15-20 minutes until you hear and see the cranberries popping and stir occasionally until they stop popping and mixture starts to thicken slightly.
- Remove from heat and pour into a serving bowl and cover and refrigerate until chilled.
How can you not love this easy and delicious recipe?
Seriously though! I’ve been trying to provide you with a variety of easy recipes lately because we’ve been so busy since school started that I think a lot of my readers can relate.
Some other deliciously easy and festive holiday sides:
- Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Garlic
- Brown Sugar & Bacon Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Easy Garlic Green Beans
- Cornbread Muffins
- Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
- Bacon Mac and Cheese
- Wild Rice Pilaf
Homemade Cranberry Sauce is one holiday side dish that won’t disappoint and trust me when you make homemade cranberry sauce recipe for the first time you will feel pretty darn proud of yourself, at least that was how I felt when I did it!
We grew up with the cans of jellied cranberry sauce and it always turned me off and I never would eat it because it just looked so weird
Once I started cooking on my own and learning the ease of some recipes and how flavors matched together everything just started to happen naturally.
I started making things that we used to just buy from the store all on my own and they have always been the ones requested most at our gatherings.
If you want that simple side dish that is a classic for your next holiday party this Cranberry Sauce recipe is your go-to easy and delicious dish that you have to bring along!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 12 oz bag cranberries
Instructions
- In medium saucepan add your sugar, orange juice, water, cinnamon, cinnamon stick, salt and cranberries.
- Over medium high heat bring to a simmer until cranberries start to pop and continue stirring occasionally for about 15-20 minutes until slightly thickened and popping stops.
- Pour into serving dish and cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Brenna
I make a huge batch of this at the beginning of the holiday season then freeze it! Perfect make ahead dish!
Sylvie
Absolutely love this recipe. We use it every year for our Thanksgiving dinner
Ginger
My go to recipe! Love it!
Tornadough Alli
Yay! Thats so great to hear! Thank you for taking your time to come and let me know Ginger!
Pam S
I also never liked the canned cranberry sauce that was always on the table when I was a kid. At a friend’s house one year I was served homemade cranberry sauce and my eyes were opened to this delicious side dish. This year I tried using my immersion blender for 30 seconds on low instead of straining it through a fine mesh sieve and it worked great! A little messy, but worth it for the convenience and time savings!
Ashley F
This homemade version is WAY better than any store bought! I’ll never buy it again!
Kellie
The BEST cranberry sauce. So easy to make!
Aimee Shugarman
LOVE LOVE LOVE this cranberry sauce recipe.
Rachael Yerkes
Absolutely love cranberry sauce! Just in time for Thanksgiving too!
Cheryl Sousan
Cranberry sauce was always one I passed on until I started making it myself….it’s now one of my favorites at Thanksgiving! Thanks for the easy recipe