Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Easy recipe for homemade cranberry sauce! Whole berry or jellied, with only 3 ingredients. Keep it simple or jazz it up with add-ins!
*This post originally published on November 20, 2013. I thought it was due for an update! So, I've included new photos, added a how-to video, and given some more detailed instructions and tips for success. Hopefully you'll enjoy this cranberry sauce recipe as much I do!*
I'm working furiously to get all the best Thanksgiving dinner recipes up before the holiday! Have you noticed?
In the last few weeks, I've shared my favorite Pumpkin Pie recipe, a fabulous recipe for soft Homemade Crescent Rolls, and our go-to Pecan Pie.
And today I'm so excited to bring you this easy homemade cranberry sauce.
Have you ever thought about making cranberry sauce from scratch? In my family, we always just had the canned kind. Honestly, I thought it tasted pretty good!
But as I started to learn more about cooking, I realized how simple and quick it is to make it homemade. It's only 3 ingredients! And it takes less than an hour!
So worth it to have a homemade dish on your holiday table! Plus this is just so pretty, don't you think?
WHAT IS CRANBERRY SAUCE?
Cranberry sauce is an easy side dish that's often served at holiday meals, along with roast turkey and dressing. It's made with just a few simple ingredients, and only requires about 5 minutes of prep.
What does it taste like?
Cranberry sauce has a tart & tangy, fruity berry flavor, with a slight bitter edge. It's a great compliment to rich foods because the natural acidity sort of cleanses the palate and provides a counterpoint to all the savoriness.
HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY SAUCE FROM FRESH BERRIES
You are going to love how easy it is to make your own cranberry sauce.
All you have to do is simmer the whole cranberries in a pot with some water and sugar. After a little while, you'll notice that the berries have burst and the juices look thick and syrupy.
If you like a chunkier, whole-berry sauce, you can stop right there! Just transfer it to an airtight container and pop it in the fridge to chill.
But if you're like my family, and you prefer the smooth, jellied cranberry sauce, there's one more simple step. Just pass the mixture through a food mill or strain it with a sieve, discarding the pulp.
HOW TO THICKEN HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE
You don't need to add anything extra to thicken this. There's no pectin or gelatin or anything like that required!
Fresh cranberries already naturally contain everything needed to thicken up and gel. Just let it boil for a good 40 or 50 minutes, and it will reduce by about 30%. The cranberry sauce will thicken even more and become solid as it cools.
IS CRANBERRY SAUCE GLUTEN-FREE/VEGAN?
This cranberry sauce has just 3 simple ingredients, and not one of them contains a single trace of gluten or dairy.
It's completely gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan, so you can rest assured that everyone at your holiday feast can enjoy!
HOW TO SERVE CRANBERRY SAUCE
Cranberry sauce can be served chilled or at room temperature.
It's most widely known as a Thanksgiving side dish. It provides the perfect bright and tangy contrast to turkey, stuffing, gravy, and all those other rich foods. I like to dab a little on every bite, like a condiment!
But you can totally eat this all year round. It's great served with Swedish meatballs, roast chicken, salmon, or meat loaf!
Whether you go the whole berry or jellied route, you can keep it pure and simple, or jazz it up and make it your own. Some great add-ins might include:
- the zest of an orange
- a cinnamon stick
- a few slices of fresh ginger
- a finely minced jalapeno pepper
- a handful of toasted pecans
- some crunchy diced apple or pear
- a little chopped red onion
Or anything else your heart desires! The options are limitless.
CAN CRANBERRY SAUCE BE MADE AHEAD OF TIME?
If you're looking to get ahead on your Thanksgiving meal prep, this is a great dish for making ahead.
Once it's cooked and fully cooled, cover it tightly and keep it refrigerated. See below for more info on how long it is good for.
HOW LONG WILL HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE KEEP?
This homemade cranberry sauce should stay good at room temperature for at least a few hours, and it will keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge.
Or you can freeze it! Place it in an airtight container, and it should last for a couple of months in the freezer. (Be aware that as it thaws it may give off some juice. If it's too watery, just drain away any excess liquid.)
Give this homemade cranberry sauce a try! It's so easy, and looks so much prettier than canned!
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Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 30 ounces (850.49 g) cranberries, , fresh
- 2 ½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ cups (591.47 g) water
Instructions
- Place the cranberries, sugar, and water in a large pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches a low boil.
- Continue to boil, stirring, until the cranberry sauce is reduced by about a third (approx. 40 to 50 minutes.
- Pass the sauce through a food mill (optional- if making smooth cranberry sauce).
- Discard the pulp and pour the liquid into a lightly greased 3-cup capacity bundt pan.
- Chill for 4 hours (or overnight).
Mine didn't solidify 🙁 I dont know where it went wrong. It tasted good, but didn't mold to the little bundt shape. Suggestions?
Hey Megan! I'm so sorry to hear you had trouble! Could it be possible that it didn't cook quite long enough? If so you can put it back in the pot and let it boil for another 10 minutes or so.
Did you have to add gelatin to the mix or put Pam in the mold? I’m curious to see how the cranberries came out of the mold so easily and kept their shape.
No, there is no gelatin required. You can make the recipe exactly as written and get results you see here in the pics and video. That is what I did! Cranberries are very high in natural pectin and as long as you reduce them down enough the sauce will set very firm. Good luck!
Hi, I don’t own a good mill, is there an alternative?
Yes, you can either use a sieve or leave the sauce chunky. This info can be found under the heading "How to make cranberry sauce from fresh berries." There's also a link to purchase a food mill for around $20, that can be found just above the recipe card. Good luck!
Looks amazing!, do you think dry cranberries will work for this recipe?
You can add dried cranberries but you will need the full amount of fresh berries as the base!
This recipe is so simple yet so perfect!!
recipe doesn't show on the post 🙁
Kelly you have to click the link to jump over and grab the recipe. It's right at the bottom of the post. Here it is again, in case you missed it: http://www.iwantcrazyblog.com/homemade-cranberry-sauce-guest-post/
this is hands down the cutest sauce I've ever seen! I feel like digging straight in! Plus its cranberry! So its also perfect for the Holidays! 🙂
I never really thought "cute" & "cranberry sauce" could go in the same sentence, but I'm so happy you think so! Thanks so much for the sweet comment, Samina! I had lots of fun with that idea... 😉
I love Kat! Heading over to see how you made these. (Because I want to go homemade this year. Can't stand the can stuff!)
Yay! Have fun Gloria! 🙂
This cranberry sauce looks professional! And so delicious! Heading over Kat's site to check it out
Yay! So happy you like it Cate! Thanks for stopping by again 😉
What do you think about adding a cup of orange juice to this mix? I have a normal sized bundt pan i never use and don't really want to buy a smaller one. Thanks!!
^_^
I think if you add more liquid it might not set- If anything I'd try doubling the recipe if you don't want to buy a smaller pan. Hope that helps!
These look adorable Allie! I like that you used mini bundt pans because these look the cutest! I'm checking Kat's blog right now to see the lovely recipe 😉
Thanks Consuelo! I think I really just wanted an excuse to buy a mini-bundt pan, lol! 😉
Allie this is so perfect! FYI your fantastic vanilla cake with cashews is one of the features of the blog hop and linky! Thanks for joining and we invite you to participate again! http://www.thefamilyfunspot.com
That's so great Vivian! Thank you so much for the feature! I will definitely link up again 🙂
Love this idea, Allie!!! My dad always had to have the can of jellied cranberries...and the rest of us wanted sauce. Now the hubby won't touch either, so I have no excuse to make any 🙁
Thanks Liz! I have to admit I do love the can... but this is prettier, right? And easy to make! Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo
Allie, your jellied sauce trick is brilliant! I never knew you could do that. And the shaped, jellied sauce is so elegant and befitting of the holiday table 🙂
Thank you Nora! A little bit nicer than that cylinder with the ribbed lines around it. Although that is pretty tasty 😉
This looks amazing Allie! What a fun and cute way to serve cranberry sauce - I love it! My family grew up on the jellied can kind too. I think I'm the only one in my family that likes the homemade chunky kind- hehe I just finished making a batch to use for some dessert too. But I know my family would be super happy if I showed with homemade jellied cranberry sauce as cute as this- pinning and thanks for sharing Allie:)
Thank you for pinning, Kelly! I'm so happy you like the idea. I love both kinds, the jellied and the chunky one. They're both so easy to make and yummy! I almost can't decide which is better! Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo
Oh these are so cute!! I may just have to go get these mini bundt pans for this. I am supposed to bring cranberry sauce to the in-laws dinner and I will need to jazz things up 🙂
Yay! I got my mini bundt pan especially for this post 😉 But I think it will end up getting lots of use besides. I hope your in-laws enjoy! And I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving <3
They look cute in little bundt tins, I love cranberries and love cranberry sauce with turkey. Looks great Allie!
Thank you, Laura! I just couldn't resist making it a little cuter 😉