The easiest and tastiest 4-ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe! The perfect side dish for your Thanksgiving Dinner. Anyone can make this recipe!
To get ready for the big day, grab your printable Thanksgiving Planner. Here’s what you do with leftover cranberry sauce if you have any.
Table of Contents
Traditional Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Either you love homemade cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries, or you don’t. We love it, gobble it up actually, so it’s a must-make every year for our Thanksgiving dinner (and sometimes for Christmas).
It’s a holiday staple like pumpkin pie.
It pairs so nicely with the meal’s other flavors and is part of the holiday tradition, so it stays on the menu no matter how many guests eat it! It’s vegan and gluten-free, so a good option for most people coming for dinner.
Another side dish that we serve on Thanksgiving every year is Roasted Brussels Sprouts. MMMmmmm! This Baked Cranberry Brie is a favorite appetizer for sure!
If you want to know why we eat cranberries this time of year, Martha Stewart has some ideas.
Turkey is the main attraction during Thanksgiving, so check out these tips on roasting your Thanksgiving turkey and keeping it moist.
Our guide to what to do with Thanksgiving leftovers is very helpful after turkey day.
Related: Ultimate Thanksgiving Planner with Tips and Tricks
Ingredient for Homemade Cranberries
With its simple ingredients, you really can’t mess up this Thanksgiving cranberry sauce recipe!
- Fresh Cranberries – you can buy these in advance and store them in your freezer.
- Sugar – white granulated sugar.
- Water
- Orange Zest – the zest gives this side dish the perfect flavor.
How To Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Turn heat down to medium and add cranberries, and simmer, occasionally stirring, until berries pop 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in zest, then cool to room temperature. Refrigerate 2-hours before serving.
We prefer it served at room temperature, so make sure you get it out before when you want to serve it.
How Do You Make Cranberry Sauce Thicker?
The thickness of your sauce is a personal preference. The longer you cook your cranberries, the thicker your sauce will be, but it will also thicken up after standing, so plan accordingly.
Can You Make Cranberry Sauce in Advance?
This cranberry recipe is simple to make, and you can easily get your kids involved to help if you oversee them at the stove. Cranberry Sauce is definitely a recipe you can make ahead so that you’re free to make other sides {or watch some football} the day of Thanksgiving.
Warning: The sauce tends to splatter when cooking. An apron is recommended.
It needs at least two hours in the refrigerator before serving it, but it can be made up to a week ahead of time and kept in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze Homemade Cranberry Sauce?
For those that like to plan ahead, you can make your cranberry sauce up a month ahead of time and keep it in the freezer until ready to use.
Make sure you prevent your sauce from getting freezer burn, though.
Reheat your cranberry side dish over medium heat in a saucepan. Freezing the sauce introduces more water into the mix, so your cranberry sauce will not be as thick as when it was originally made. Boil for a few minutes to evaporate some of the liquid and thicken it up.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Candy Pretzel Turkey Bites
Pumpkin Pie Turkeys
Mini Cranberry Brie Bites
Turkey Stuffing Meatballs
Pumpkin Pie Bombs
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Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- saucepan
Ingredients
- 12 oz. fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
Instructions
- Bring water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
- Turn heat down to medium and add cranberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries just pop 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in zest, then cool to room temperature. Refrigerate 2-hours before serving.
Notes
- You can make this cranberry sauce up to a week ahead of time.
- It keeps in an airtight container for about a week and is great for leftovers.
Nutrition
This Cranberry Sauce recipe was originally published on 11/12/2015. The post was updated on 11/1/19 to include tips and more information.
What to Serve with Leftover Cranberry Sauce
Leftover cranberry sauce goes well on turkey sandwiches, turkey meatballs, panini sandwiches, or even turkey quesadillas, so it’s perfectly fine to make extra 🙂
Here’s an extra yummy list of What to Do With Your Leftover Cranberry Sauce.
Other Leftover Cranberry Recipes
Eat it for breakfast with yogurt and nuts!
Enjoy! So, are you a cranberry lover?
Katie says
Looks delicious. I know my family would go crazy for this!
Erin Henry says
Ours does too, Katie! Enjoy!
Lily says
I love how simple the ingredients are for this cranberry sauce, I can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving!
Erin Henry says
It is such a simple recipe for Thanksgiving. Why make things complicated, right!
Beth says
This looks so delicious and perfect for Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to make this recipe!
Erin Henry says
This cranberry recipe is tried and true. It’s a Thanksgiving staple, Beth!