Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Make this cranberry sauce recipe on the stove. When you make it homemade with fresh cranberries, the taste is out of this world!
One of my favorite holiday recipes to share with my family is cranberry sauce. When you make it homemade, it has a rich, vibrant taste that will impress everyone at your table. This recipe is so sweet, everyone will be asking for more.
Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
The entire recipe – along with exact measurements of the ingredients – are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, I want to share some tips about each step to help you learn how to make fresh cranberry sauce at home.
For this recipe, I used a bag of fresh cranberries. Believe me, fresh is always best when it comes to cranberries. However, if you can’t find fresh ones, you can use frozen cranberries too. Just allow them to thaw before you cook them.
For the sugar, I used a combination of both brown and white sugar. This is not a diet food! This combination will give the sauce a sticky-sweet texture that reminds you of dessert.
Allspice is a really easy way to add flavor to it. The best substitute for allspice is equal parts cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Finally, use fresh orange. Fresh-squeezed orange juice will make your cranberry sauce taste so vibrant! Plus, you’ll need the outside of the orange for the orange zest.
How To Make Fresh Cranberry Sauce With Orange Juice
I personally think that the orange juice and zest makes the entire thing have a deeper flavor profile. You will love how this tastes! Follow the steps in the recipe card at the bottom of this post to make your own cranberry sauce.
First, here are a few tips.
Rinse Fresh Cranberries
Before you start cooking with them, go through your cranberries. Rinse them off and throw out all the bad ones. You don’t want to cook with bad fruit.
Stir Sugar Mixture Frequently
Don’t let your sugar mixture burn. It’s important to stir this part very frequently to prevent it from burning on the bottom of the pan.
Keep Stirring Until Cranberries Split Open
You will know they are cooked perfectly when the cranberries split open and the sauce only has a few minor lumps in it. As they pop, they might spit or spray from the pan. This is normal, you don’t have to turn down the heat.
Orange Zest Is Optional
Even though the orange zest is optional, I suggest you use it. It gives it a tasty and zesty flavor.
Let Them Cool Before You Serve Them
Since you just made it on a hot stove, this is going to be very hot! Let it cool down for at least half an hour before you serve it.
How To Store Fresh Cranberry Sauce
You can keep this sauce in your refrigerator in an airtight container. It will last about 5 days in the refrigerator.
How To Serve Cranberry Orange Sauce
There are so many different ways you can serve this classic dish. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
- Dish it on top of turkey breast
- Drizzle it on a slice of warm bread or toast
- Dip crackers into the sauce
- Add it on top of brie and serve as an appetizer or snack
Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Here’s the entire recipe in the printable recipe card. Don’t forget to pin this post so you can find it later!
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Colander
- Sauce pan
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp allspice
- orange zest
Instructions
- Rinse off the cranberries in a colander and throw out any bad ones.
- Use a medium size sauce pan and pour in the orange juice, water, brown sugar, and white sugar.
- Stir with a whisk or wooden spoon until the cranberries have split open and the sauce only has a few small lumps. This takes around 15-20 minutes. Stir frequently so they don’t burn to the pan.
- Sprinkle in orange zest to taste. Add in the all spice and stir.
- Let the sauce cool for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Serve on warm bread, turkey, or crackers.
Notes
- The cranberries will spray as the pop from the heat. This is completely normal.
- You can swap the allspice for cinnamon or nutmeg if you want.
- The orange zest is optional but gives it a tasty zesty flavor.
- It’s fine to add more sugar depending on preferences to make it sweeter.
Nutrition
More Holiday Recipes
Looking for more things to make for your holiday meals? Try one of these – they are my favorites!
Take the pressure off planning Thanksgiving by using this complete guide and Thanksgiving planner!
Susan B
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This is a great cranberry sauce recipe! Can’t wait to make it for Thanksgiving next week!
Yum! This will be perfect for Thanksgiving 🙂