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.
Sign up to get emails when I post new recipes!
For even more great ideas follow me on Facebook – Pinterest – Instagram – Twitter – Bloglovin’.
Liz says
This reminded me of my MIL’s cranberry sauce! Seriously delicious!!!
Barbara Schieving says
Love this make ahead recipe.
Melissa Sperka says
There’s absolutely nothing like this cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries!
Milisa says
I love homemade cranberry sauce and this one is a keeper!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Me too! It goes so well with so many things! Thanks Milisa!
Tony says
I modified the recipe a bit and enjoyed the result. 1/4 cup of Fireball Whiskey, 3/4 cup of orange juice, added a 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves, 4 tablespoons of white sugar and 4 tablespoons of real Maple sugar. The finish is tartier than most recipes but that’s a personal taste. I did use the orange rinds and cinnamon stick. Yummy. Can’t wait to serve it up with the turkey dinner tonight!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I love your modifications! Sounds amazing!
Bernice says
I made a double-batch for Thanksgiving. Everyone liked it. I took the extra and put it in a plastic container and froze it, hoping i could use it later. It froze just fine. It thawed, re-set and was just right for serving as it did the first time I served it.
Tracy says
How many cups of cranberries is 13 oz?
Tracy says
I mean 12 ounces
Stephanie says
This is so easy I have been making now for two years. Thank you for sharing!
Emily says
I know it calls for frozen cranberries, but can I use fresh?
Lorri says
I made the cranberry sauce with fresh local berries…Oh my gosh! Absolutely delicious!
Kathie says
My husband are new to the keto diet. You cranberry sauce recipe was much better than any we have had before. Thanks
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
So glad you enjoyed it Kathie!
Tara says
Made this recipe last year and made it again this year! Your the bestest! Hugs and Happy Thanksgiving!
Amy says
Do I need the orange peel because I don’t have any oranges on hand.
Sullivan says
No you don’t I just finished making it with out the orange peel and I’m totally happy with the results
Darlene says
I just finished making this. And i must say..it turned out PERFECT and YUMMY. Was so easy.
I don’t believe i will be buying canned anymore.
Nancy says
This is the second time I’ve made cranberry sauce. I love this recipe…it was easy and tasty. It looks great and thickened up nicely.