Name: Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries; 1 cup water; 1 cup sweetener– raw cane sugar or brown sugar work well. You could also use honey.

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This easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe is a staple in our home, and goes far beyond the thanksgiving table and holiday season. It has the perfect combination of sweet and tart flavors, and is one of our favorite ways to serve cranberries. With just a handful of ingredients, 3 to be exact, you can enjoy fresh cranberry sauce anytime of the year!

small yellow bowl of homemade cranberry sauce on a plate with fresh cranberries

What kind of cranberries should you use to make homemade cranberry sauce?

You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries. Around the holidays it’s not hard to find a bag of cranberries at most grocery stores. When I was a younger mom with a growing brood of small children, I would buy several bags around Thanksgiving and store them in the freezer. I noticed that stores stopped carrying fresh cranberries shortly after Christmas, so I made sure I got some extras while I could. Nowadays I buy 25 pound boxes of frozen cranberries when I do my bulk shopping through Azure Standard. Most of them are used in this recipe!

What’s so great about homemade cranberry sauce?

Cranberry sauce is one of those things that people seem to either love or hate. Perhaps you are like me and only had a can of cranberry sauce from the store once a year at Thanksgiving dinner. While I was definitely a fan when I was young, the canned stuff had to go after I became more aware of questionable ingredients in processed food (I’m looking at you high fructose corn syrup). There is something akin to magic in the cooking process when you take a few basic ingredients, mix them together, and add some heat and time. This recipe uses real whole cranberries, a sweetener, and water. Oftentimes simpler is better.

Ingredients

4 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sweetener– raw cane sugar or brown sugar work well. You could also use honey. The amount of sugar you use will depend on your tastes. If you like a bit of tartness, use less sugar. I use a chunky raw organic cane sugar.

(Note– We always double this amount for our large family. If we’re expecting guests, then we’ll usually triple it!)

Tools

dry measuring cups
colander
medium saucepan
potato masher

Instructions

1. First, measure 4 cups of cranberries into a colander.

2. Pick out any unripe or damaged berries, and rinse thoroughly.

3. Next, put the cranberries into your saucepan.

4. Add water and sugar.

5. Stir until combined.

6. Cook over medium-high heat, about 5-6 minutes, until a gentle boil is reached and the cranberries pop.

7. Lower heat and continue cooking for around 10-15 minutes, gently mashing with a potato masher to make a smooth sauce.

cranberries boiling to make cranberry sauce

8. Continue stirring and mashing until your cranberry sauce has a perfect consistency.

9. Turn off the heat, and remove the pan.

mashing homemade cranberry sauce with a potato masher

10. After the pan cools to room temperature, you can serve immediately or put it in the refrigerator to chill.

Serving

I like to transfer cranberry sauce into a serving bowl ahead of time, and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. This is such an easy recipe, and makes a perfect side dish for any night of the week. We especially like having this with roasted chicken, winter squash, and mashed potatoes-yum!

Variations

If you’re looking for a fancier take on this classic cranberry sauce, try adding one of these additional ingredients:

fresh orange juice or orange zest
maple syrup
pinch of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick
lemon zest

How to store leftover cranberry sauce

Keep any leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge. It is delicious, and we usually eat all of ours the next day. However, it should keep well for up to 5 days.