Cranberry sauce was not a staple on my childhood holiday table. It wasn’t until adulthood that I realized we had really been missing out on a truly amazing condiment! This fresh version isn’t like anything you will find in a can at the grocery store. Fresh berries, orange juice, and holiday spices come together in the oven for this easy, hands off, pretty much foolproof method of achieving sweet, tart cranberry perfection. This delicious sauce isn’t just for turkey (in fact, I almost never serve it with turkey!) I love it spread on a sandwich, swirled into yogurt or oatmeal, or blended smooth and drizzled on cheesecake or ice cream. It’s the perfect holiday condiment!
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh Cranberries – Look for fresh cranberries in the produce department of your grocery store near the holidays. Whole cranberries can be frozen, so you can buy them early, pop them in the freezer, and make this recipe whenever you want. You may be able to find already frozen cranberries in the freezer section as well.
- Granulated sugar
- Orange Juice – You can use bottled or fresh squeezed orange juice here.
- Water
- Cinnamon stick and cloves – Optional, I always add the extra flavors if I’m planning to use it for a dessert!
How to Make Fresh Cranberry Sauce
- Place all ingredients in a 9×13 pan
- Bake for an hour
- Done! Yes, it’s that easy!
Ways to Use Fresh Cranberry Sauce
- Spread it on a turkey sandwich, mixed with mayo it makes such a great spread! Paninis are our favorite.
- Swirl it into oatmeal or yogurt.
- Over pancakes or waffles.
- Mixed with cream cheese on a bagel.
- Blend smooth and then drizzle it on ice cream or cheesecake.
- Blend smooth and add it into mixed drinks or lemonade.
Storing and Other Tips
- Finished cranberry sauce can be frozen and stored in the freezer ahead of time if you want to get a head start on the holidays. If refrigerated, store in an airtight container and use within 10-14 days.
- This sauce is naturally thickened by the pectin in the fruit. If, after chilling, you’d prefer a thinner texture, simply thin it out to your desired consistency with a little orange juice or water.
- This sauce is delicious on your Thanksgiving table and with pretty much everything you find there. But there are so many other ways to put it to use! It’s fantastic on sandwiches, swirled into yogurt or oatmeal, combined with cream cheese on a bagel, served over ice cream or even on top of pancakes or waffles. Anywhere you could think to use any other fruit jam, this would likely taste amazing!
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’d like to get a head start on holiday groceries, fresh cranberries should stay fresh in the fridge for at least two weeks.
Fresh cranberries should be firm ang glossy (some dents are ok!). If any are soft, squishy, moldy, or smell bad, toss them out and wash the remaining berries in produce wash or vinegar bath (one part white vinegar to 3 parts water for 2-3 minutes), rinse, and use as desired.
If you need to double this recipe, I highly recommend using two pans to do one batch each. Readers have reported that the amount of liquid in a double batch takes way too long to cook off in the oven if it’s all in one pan!
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce bag cranberries
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup water
- 1 stick cinnamon optional
- 1 ground cloves, very small pinch optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Wash cranberries and place in 9×13 baking dish. Add water, cloves, cinnamon stick, and orange juice and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake 1 hour. Remove from oven, remove cinnamon stick, and allow to cool. If you like it with a little texture, mash berries; if you prefer it smooth, process in blender or food processor until desired consistency is reached. Serve with turkey, Swedish meatballs, on pulled turkey, pork, or chicken sandwiches, or on top of ice cream or cobbler.
Notes
- Important note on doubling the recipe: If you need to double this recipe, I highly recommend using two pans to do one batch each. Readers have reported that the amount of liquid in a double batch takes way too long to cook off in the oven if it’s all in one pan!
- Finished cranberry sauce can be frozen and stored in the freezer ahead of time if you want to get a head start on the holidays. If refrigerated, store in an airtight container and use within 10-14 days. If frozen, use within three months.
- This sauce is naturally thickened by the pectin in the fruit. If, after chilling, you’d prefer a thinner texture, simply thin it out to your desired consistency with a little orange juice.
- Try it on sandwiches, swirled into yogurt or oatmeal, combined with cream cheese on a bagel, served over ice cream or even on top of pancakes or waffles. Anywhere you could think to use any other fruit jam, this would likely taste amazing!
Questions & Reviews
I just did a small batch of canned spiced cranberries (left whole) that were essentially this recipe, plus ground nutmeg and oh my so good! Definitely trying this recipe this year!
Ok, just finished a big Tennessee Thanksgiving dinner and I am totally disgusted that my relatives like AND REQUEST the canned cranberry sauce!!! I have bookmarked this for next year to try your homemade cranberry sauce. Looks delicious!
Can I make this with Splenda? I have made this the past three years as the recipie calls but have a diabetic guest coming this year!
Sure, I would give it a shot!
Could I make the cranberry sauce the day before?
Yep, absolutely!
I made this yesterday for tonight’s Christmas Eve dinner. I made only one batch, used a 12-oz. bag of cranberries as called out in the comments (that measurement needs to be added to the recipe itself, by the way so that people don’t have to read through all the comments to figure that out) and followed the recipe exactly. I mashed with a potato masher after baking and the texture is perfect. It set up very nicely as it chilled in the refrigerator. I know it will be perfect with our turkey tonight. Thank you for such a simple and yummy recipe.
If I use fresh squeezed orange juice (no added sugar) do I need to add more than 1 cup of sugar to the dish to make up for the loss of sweetness from store bought orange juice?
This will be my 3rd thanksgiving in a row making this dish (along with your sweet potato casserole) it is always a huge hit with both my family and my husband’s family. I always make a double batch but i have found that the sauce turns out best when I just cook one batch at a time. So I usually do one batch and let it cool before refrigerating and then do it all over again one more time. It is seriously so good and the best cranberry sauce I have ever made. I also usually make it the Tuesday before thanksgiving and keep in my fridge and in think the extra standing time allows it to thicken even more which I really like. Thanks Sara and Kate for all these delicious recipes!
I made this last year and it was fantastic! It was gone way too fast though, so the next week I attempted to double the recipe and it wasn’t near as good. Is there a change I should make it did I just make an oopsie? I can’t wait to have more this year! <3
This is very similar to the recipe I’ve fallen in love with (no water in mine and includes orange zest). I had leftover sauce last year so I froze it in 1 c. portions and used it throughout the year. It was amazing with white chocolate chips in a sweet bread, as a filling in cookies (think raisin-filled cookies but with cranberry sauce instead) – incredible!!! Just thought I’d share some more uses for the sauce in case anyone else has leftovers!
I pinned this because the added cloves and cinnamon stick look really good. I always make my cranberry sauce with orange juice but have not added this. I know it will be delicious. [I add grated orange rind, too] Thank you for posting this!