5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (2024)

This is our favorite recipe for the Thanksgiving staple: cranberry sauce.Made from 5 ingredients, this easy sauce is ready after 20 minutes on the stove. Flavored with fresh orange juice, brown sugar, and a dash of vanilla—my secret—it’s a cut above the rest.

5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (1)

I’ve been making this cranberry sauce for years. It’s our family’s favorite recipe and whenever I first taste it on Thanksgiving, I always wonder why I wait for the holiday season to make it?! Honestly, this stuff deserves to be a year-round habit.

I’ve never really thought to publish the recipe on my website because it’s not (1) a large side dish, (2) dessert, or (3) baking related. But I figured if something is this easy AND this delicious… why not?! And, luckily, this recipe is one of my very best.

Why This is My Best Cranberry Sauce

  • Quick—only 20 minutes on the stove
  • Easy—no boiling the water and sugar together first
  • Convenient—just 5 simple ingredients, including water
  • Flavorful—made with fresh orange juice & zest
  • Texture—moderately thick with whole cranberries swirled in
  • Make-ahead—make it a few days in advance so it’s ready!
  • Unlike the rest—I use brown sugar & vanilla
5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (2)

I didn’t think there was a way to mess this recipe up, but when I was filming the video, I spaced out and over-boiled the cranberries on high heat. I was literally standing over the pot and before I knew it, the cranberries shriveled up and the sauce thinned out. So, make sure you cook on a lower heat and keep a watchful eye on it. 🙂

Also, don’t be like Chandler Bing and rinse your cranberries with dish soap.

5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (3)

Grab These Ingredients

No cornstarch or other thickeners needed!

  • Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen cranberries. Do not use dried.
  • Water: The cranberries cook in liquid, so we’re using a combination of water and orange juice. I find using all orange juice overpowers the cranberry flavor.
  • Fresh Orange Juice: Squeeze 1/4 cup of juice from a fresh orange. You need the orange zest anyway, so why not use the juices inside? Orange and cranberry are a natural pairing. Have you tried my orange cranberry bread yet?
  • Brown Sugar:Why use regular white granulated sugar when there’s brown sugar?! That’s my motto and it definitely applies to cranberry sauce. I usually use only 3/4 cup, but if you want a very sweet cranberry sauce, increase to 1 cup.
  • Orange Zest: Before you juice the orange, grate some zest off. Add the zest after the sauce comes off heat. Why? When I cook the cranberry sauce with the zest, the end result tastes a little bitter.
  • Vanilla Extract: I don’t see a lot of cranberry sauce recipes use this ingredient, but I swear by it. A dash of vanilla extract tastes unbelievable with the orange, brown sugar, and cranberry flavors. (And bonus! Smells great too.)

How to Make Quick Cranberry Sauce

It couldn’t be easier.

Set 1/2 cup of cranberries aside. We’ll stir those in at the very end, adding even more texture. Put most of the ingredients into a pot and cook for 20 minutes. Stir in orange zest and vanilla extract. That’s it, you’re done. Though I don’t recommend it, you could probably make this with your eyes closed.

If you need to bring a dish to Thanksgiving, bring this cranberry sauce (and bring cranberry cake for brunch or dessert!). It’s low maintenance and you can make it ahead of time. You can also freeze the cranberry sauce for up to 3 months. Easy!

Uses for Cranberry Sauce

  • With a traditional Thanksgiving meal
  • On biscuits, pancakes, or pound cake
  • Swirl 3/4 cup into cheesecake batter before baking
  • Serve with cornbread
  • On buttermilk waffles
  • Swirl 1/2 cup into cranberry orange muffins batter (you can skip the whole cranberries in that recipe)
  • Swap BBQ sauce for cranberry sauce on BBQ chicken pizza (it really is good)
  • Swirl into yogurt or cottage cheese
  • Swap the fresh fruit for a spoonful of cranberry sauce on my goat cheese crostini
  • Inside these cranberry brie puff pastry tarts
5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (5)
5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (6)

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes

  • Candied Sweet Potatoes
  • Green Bean Casserole (from scratch!)
  • Sweet Potato Casserole (with crunchy pecan topping)
  • Mushroom Puff Pastry Tarts

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5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (7)

Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe

5 Stars4 Stars3 Stars2 Stars1 Star4.9 from 100 reviews

  • Author: Sally
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 2 cups
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Made from 5 ingredients, this easy sauce is ready after 20 minutes on the stove. It thickens as it cools. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. See notes.

Ingredients

  • 12 ounce bag cranberries, rinsed*
  • 3/4 cup (150g) water
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh orange juice (about 1/2 large orange)
  • 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar*
  • 1 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Read before you begin: You need fresh orange juice and orange zest. I recommend zesting the orange first, setting the zest aside, then cutting the orange for the juice. (Harder to zest a cut orange!) You need about half of a large orange for 1/4 cup juice. Juice the other half of the orange if you need more to yield 1/4 cup.
  2. After rinsing the cranberries, set 1/2 cup cranberries aside. You will stir these in at the end for extra texture.
  3. Combine the remaining cranberries, water, orange juice, and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally as the mixture comes to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low-medium. While stirring occasionally, continue to cook until liquid has reduced and cranberries have burst and thickened, about 15 more minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup reserved cranberries, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
  5. Sauce is excellent served warm or at room temperature. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes

  1. Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare the sauce 3 days ahead of time. Cool completely, cover tightly, then refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature or warm on the stove/in the microwave, if desired, before serving. To freeze, cool sauce completely. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm on the stove/in the microwave before serving.
  2. Special Tools (affiliate links): Zester |Citrus Juicer | Saucepan | Wooden Spoon
  3. Cranberries: One 12 ounce bag is usually between 3 and 4 cups. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. No need to fully thaw. Rinse the cranberries with water in a colander before using. No need to pat dry—some water droplets are fine.
  4. Brown Sugar: I usually use 3/4 cup brown sugar, which makes a moderately sweet cranberry sauce. You can increase to 1 cup (200g) if you prefer your cranberry sauce extra sweet.
5-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe - Sally's Baking Addiction (2024)

FAQs

Why won't my cranberry sauce set? ›

One possibility is that you may not have used enough sugar: Sugar helps the sauce firm up, so be sure to use the full amount called for in a recipe. Another possibility is that the cranberries need to boil for longer, releasing their pectin and ensuring a jelly consistency.

How do you get the tartness out of cranberry sauce? ›

"Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine. Add more to taste. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (in small amounts, it intensifies sweetness)."

How much cranberry sauce do I need to feed 10 people? ›

One 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries yields about 2 1/4 cups of cranberry sauce, which should be enough for about 8 to 10 people, Hartigan says, adding that you can half that amount of cranberries when making a cranberry-apple or -orange sauce since the alternative fruit will bulk up each serving.

What's healthier homemade or store bought cranberry sauce? ›

Nutritional Facts Face-Off

We can see there is a significant difference in the nutrition facts between the two sauces. The homemade cranberry sauce has nearly half the calories, carbohydrates, and sugars compared to the store brand. It also has more fiber as well as potassium!

Does homemade cranberry sauce thicken as it cools? ›

The sauce will thicken as it cools. If you want a cranberry mold that holds its shape, continue to boil the mixture so that more pectin is released from the fruit, additional water evaporates, and the sauce becomes thick enough to set into a firm gel.

Why does cranberry sauce thicken? ›

When the cranberries are heated, the berries begin to break down and pop open. The pectin is then released and reacts with the sugar and juices to form long polymers and thicken the sauce. This process creates the cranberry sauces and jellies which are so familiar at holiday dinners.

What cancels out tartness? ›

How Do You Neutralize Sour Taste in Food? If a dish is too sour, add a little bit of sugar! Sweetness balances out sour flavors, so if something makes your mouth pucker, a dash of sugar may help soften the blow of the sour food.

What thickens cranberry sauce? ›

The sugar in the syrup helps the mixture thicken. It could also be because you haven't cooked the mixture long enough. The cranberries need to cook long enough to burst so that they release plenty of pectin which is a thickener naturally found in cranberries.

What if I put too much sugar in my cranberry sauce? ›

Luckily, there is a very easy way to fix an over-sugared homemade sauce: You just need a little citric acid. Sure, you could add lemon, but that brings its own, cranberry-obscuring flavor.

Why is cranberry sauce so expensive? ›

But that's not the case for prepared cranberry sauces, where prices are up. Lochner pointed out that processors set those prices, not growers, and that there are higher input costs unrelated to berries — like “processing the fruit and getting it to market.”

Do you serve homemade cranberry sauce cold or warm? ›

Cranberry Sauce Recipe FAQs

We prefer to server our cranberry sauce cold! But really it's up to you! I do recommend serving it cool or room temperature, but not heating it up!

Should cranberry sauce be served cold or room temperature? ›

Cranberry sauce is best served at room temperature or slightly chilled. (You've got enough things on the menu to warm up! Don't make the list longer!) I tend to make cranberry sauce a few days before Thanksgiving and then set it on the table about an hour or two before we plan to eat.

What does cranberry sauce do for your body? ›

Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease

Cranberries have two big benefits for heart health: lowering blood pressure and improving cholesterol. Some studies suggest that drinking low-calorie cranberry juice regularly can raise HDL (good) cholesterol and lower LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Are there any benefits to eating cranberry sauce? ›

Health Benefits

Cranberries are also rich in vitamin C and fiber, as well as the metabolism-boosting mineral manganese. And yes, you reap all these benefits whether the cranberry sauce on your holiday table is homemade or canned, jellied or whole-berry.

Is it worth making your own cranberry sauce? ›

Homemade cranberry sauce has bigger, bolder flavor. Canned cranberry sauce often has a fuzzy, muted taste from too much sugar. It doesn't capture the pure tartness of fresh cranberries. When you make it from scratch, you can control how much sugar you put in, or use other sweeteners like maple syrup or honey.

Why is my cranberry sauce soupy? ›

Mistake #2: Your Cranberry Sauce Is Too Runny

But what if you've been cooking it forever and it's still not right? You may have added too much liquid to the cranberries. In addition to pectin, cranberries contain water, which means you only need to add a splash of liquid to get the cooking going.

Will my cranberry sauce thicken in the fridge? ›

Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools. To store, let cool completely, then transfer to a resealable container and refrigerate for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.

How do you fix bitter cranberry sauce? ›

Yes, add more tang to the bitter. But make it something that will enhance the sweetness of the existing sugars, like orange juice, apple juice, or white wine. Finally, add a pinch (and we do mean a pinch) of salt.

How do you cut the acid in cranberry sauce? ›

Add A Splash Of Vinegar

While citrus is a natural pairing for cranberry sauce, bright, savory vinegars like sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, and apple cider vinegar play well with the bitter-tart berries. Start with a little, then add more gradually.

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