Get my Cookbooks! Cranberry Sauce Recipe
This homemade Cranberry Sauce recipe is easy to make with fresh or frozen cranberries, orange juice, and the BEST add-ons like honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, and more!
Be sure to try my Green Bean Casserole, Sausage Stuffing, Dinner Rolls, and Mashed Potatoes next!
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Nothing beats a delicious batch of homemade Cranberry Sauce! This recipe has a winning combination of ingredients to bring out the best sweet and tart flavor from those cranberries! This recipe is a great way offset to the savory recipes at the holiday dinner table!
The whole berries in this recipe create a very pleasant texture, you can’t beat it! (My secret ingredients?- A hint of cherry and lemon juice!) The cherry juice is optional, but oh so good!
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Add the water, orange juice, sugar, honey, lemon juice, cherry juice (if using), cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until the cranberries have burst.
Remove from heat and let it cool completely. It will continue to thicken upon standing.
Pro Tips
- Cherry Juice- I use 1 tbsp. of juice from a jar of Maraschino cherries.
- Additions: Blueberries, orange or lemon zest, 1/2 tsp vanilla, raisins, pecans, maple syrup, diced apples/pears make great additions to cranberry sauce!
- Brown Sugar can be used instead of white as well, it’ll add a subtle molasses flavor.
- Leftovers are great on biscuits, sandwiches or sliders! (My Dinner Rolls make great slider buns as well!) It’s also great when swirled into cottage cheese!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 7 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Medium Saucepan
- Colander– For rinsing the cranberries
- Serving Bowl
- Measuring Spoons– I have these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized in my utensil drawer.
Try These Next
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- BEST Dinner Rolls
-
- Homemade Mashed Potatoes
-
- Corn Casserole
-
- Green Bean Casserole
-
- Sweet Potato Casserole
-
- Sausage Stuffing
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Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz. fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1/3 cup sugar
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cherry juice, optional
- 1 pinch EACH: Cinnamon, Nutmeg
Instructions
- Add the rinsed cranberries to a medium saucepan.
- Add the water, orange juice, sugar, honey, lemon juice, cherry juice (if using), cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, the cranberries will have burst and some of the liquid will have reduced.
- Remove from heat and let it cool completely. There will still be some liquid, it will continue to thicken upon standing.
- Transfer to the fridge and let it cool completely for 2 hours. You can also store it in an airtight container and serve up to 5 days later.
Notes
- Cherry Juice- I use 1 tbsp. of juice from a jar of Maraschino cherries.
- Additions: Blueberries, orange or lemon zest, 1/2 tsp vanilla, raisins, pecans, maple syrup, diced apples/pears make great additions to cranberry sauce!
- Brown Sugar can be used instead of white as well, it'll add a subtle molasses flavor.
- Leftovers are great on biscuits, sandwiches or sliders! (My Dinner Rolls make great slider buns as well!) It's also great when swirled into cottage cheese!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 8 servings in this recipe.
Deeeelish!!!! I made this in preparation for Thanksgiving tomorrow and I am soooo impressed with the flavor! I did take your advice and I put a bit of cherry juice and diced apples in. I don’t think I can ever go back to my old method. Thank you so much! I’m ready to impress my fam with this tomorrow.
Nice work Michele! I can’t wait for your guests to enjoy it, have a great Thanksgiving! Thanks so much for the great review!🩷
Wow, I’m thinking of adding orange zest with 1/2 tap of maple syrup. Would that be the appropriate measure, 1/2tsp?
I love the idea of a richer rather than tart sauce.
Thoughts?
Orange zest is absolutely delicious! For the maple syrup, you can’t go wrong with 1/2 teaspoon. You can give it a taste at the end and add up to 1/2 tsp more if you want more maple flavor, but subtle is good!!
Where do you get cherry juice?
Hi Barbara! I actually use cherry juice from a jar of maraschino cherries- if you don’t have use for cherries at all, you can skip this ingredient!