Look no further for the Best Ever Cranberry Sauce! This easy and delightful recipe takes only 15 minutes to make and a handful of ingredients! Spiced with cinnamon and sweetened with orange juice, it is the best combination of sweet and tart! The perfect complement to your holiday meal! Getting ready for Thanksgiving? Make sure to checkout the Best Turkey Gravy Recipe and this ridiculously easy Slow Cooker Citrus and Herb Turkey Breast for the best Thanksgiving yet!
Cranberry Sauce
Thanksgiving is almost here and I am running around like a crazy person making sure everything is ready to go! The turkey, the gravy, the potatoes, it’s all part of the “perfect” Thanksgiving meal.
One recipe that I feel often gets overlooked is the cranberry sauce. So many people go for the canned stuff, and while it’s great in a pinch, it doesn’t even come close to comparing to homemade.
This particular cranberry sauce recipe that I’m sharing with you today is fool-proof. It takes about 15 minutes, start to finish, and is the perfect combination of sweet and tart. It’s flavored with orange juice, orange peel and a cinnamon stick. So easy you guys!
I made this exact cranberry sauce for the these Cranberry Pecan Brie Bites that I shared with you last week and then realized… whoah! I’ve never even posted this recipe on it’s own and trust me, this Best Ever Cranberry Sauce deserves it’s own post!
Cranberry Sauce for the Holidays
Cranberry sauce is an essential part of every holiday meal for one simple reason – it cuts through the heaviness of all the other dishes. It’s light, it’s bright, and it’s actually pretty darn healthy. I add orange and cinnamon to my cranberry sauce which really gives it more depth of flavor and sweetens it just slightly. It’s still lovely and tart but not quite so tart that you’ll be puckering your lips.
What Do I Need To Make Cranberry Sauce?
This easy cranberry sauce recipe uses just a handful of real, whole ingredients:
- cranberries
- oranges
- cinnamon
- sugar
- and just a pinch of salt
Cranberry sauce is the perfect way to cut through the heaviness of a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and it adds a gorgeous pop of color and flavor to every bite. I hope you give this super easy recipe a try this holiday season!
Can Cranberry Sauce Be Make In Advance?
You betcha! In fact, this is my number one make-ahead recipe. It is served chilled so you need to make it at least one day in advance anyways. I find that the flavor is even better after two or three days so if you time beforehand, I would recommend just getting this recipe out of the way at the beginning of the week. One more note: you might want to double the recipe. I LOVE cranberry sauce in leftover turkey sandwiches the next day…and the next day…and the next day 🙂
Making Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner? Don’t forget these favorites:
- The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe
- Twice Baked Potato Casserole
- Best Ever Broccoli Salad
- Slow Cooker Citrus and Herb Turkey Breast
How To Make Cranberry Sauce
Best Ever Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- ½ cup water
- 12 oz fresh cranberries rinsed and picked through
- pinch of salt
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 piece of orange peel just use a potato peel or paring knife
Instructions
- Combine sugar, orange juice, and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir to combine.
- Add cranberries, salt, cinnamon stick and orange peel.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.
- Continue cooking, for about 10 minutes, or until all or most of the cranberries have popped. I like to leave a handful of berries whole.
- Let cool for at least 30 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Can be made up to 3 days in advance.
Video
Nutrition
Originally published November 22, 2016.
More cranberry recipes:
Cranberry Pecan Mini Goat Cheese Balls
White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge
Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake
For all appetizer recipes, go HERE.
For all dessert recipes, go HERE.
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John says
Question from someone who doesn’t cook please. How large is a piece of orange peel? I’ve been reading that I need to avoid the pith which is bitter, correct? Can I use a vegetable peeler to carefully peel an orange? A cinnamon stick is about 3 to 4 inches, correct? Thanks so much!! Appreciate the help.
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I usually peel off about 2 to 3 inches and yes, you’ll want to avoid the pith. A sharp vegetable peeler will work beautifully.
Pat Odoms says
Only second time I tried making cranberry sauce. Usually just use canned. This was so delicious & my family loved it so much at Thanksgiving that I am making it for New Year’s Day dinner. Very easy to make. I used fresh cranberries & fresh oranges along with the rest of the recommendations. I prepared two days ahead & refrigerated it. After it marinated over those two days, wow was it delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Katherine says
The best cranberry sauce recipe I’ve tried! Perfect balance of tart and sweet, will be making every Christmas from now on!
Carolyn says
This is so good… I used my emulsifier and it came out amazing!
Hannah says
I’ve never been a fan of cranberry sauce. Probably because I’ve only ever seen the stuff in the can. I love to cook from scratch, so I figured it was worth trying to make it myself. I’m so glad I tried this recipe. It’s a great, basic recipe. It tastes great as written, but it would be easy to modify to your taste if you like a specific flavor, in your cranberry sauce. This ones definitely going in the recipe binder.
Sonya says
I’ve made this for our last two Thanksgivings and it’s so delicious! I never really enjoyed cranberry sauce (and my husband only liked the canned version) until I made this! I’m pretty sure this will always be on our holiday menu!! Thank you for sharing your recipe!!
Karen Woodard says
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner. It was excellent and everyone loved it.❤️
Jenny yamasaki says
First time making cranberry sauce. This was easy and delicious!
Suzie Ellis says
As advertised, this is delicious! Easy to make and smells great when cooking too! Just the rought touch of orange and cinnamon without being overwhelming. Perfect!
Claudia C says
Just wanted to say this is a superstar recipe. I made it last thanksgiving for my extended family gathering and everyone loved it. I’m making it again this year because it’s so much better than canned and even my picky eater loves it!! Thanks for this!! 🙂
Meagan says
I’m allergic to oranges, so I subbed equal parts sangria and lemon juice, for the citric acid component-turned out great!
Baker Turkeyfield says
Defiantly doesnt serve 8. Maybe 4 at best. Solid recipe though
Nae says
Smells wonderful, quick question do you take the cinnamon stick and orange peel out before refrigerating?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks Nae! Yes, I take them out before chilling – usually, lol. Sometimes I forget and it really doesn’t make a difference.
Amanda C says
Hi, I am trying to stay away from sugar. Can I use stevia or splenda instead? If so how much?
Thank you
Amanda
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I haven’t tried that before Amanda but I can’t think of any reason this wouldn’t work. Definitely give it a go!
Carrie L Williams says
Excellent! All done-great recipe