Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2024)

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Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (1)

MyRecipes Member

Rating: 5 stars

11/19/2022

My go to every Thanksgiving. Make 2 days ahead for best flavor. Follow exactly, it’s foolproof!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2)

kitschywhiz

Rating: 5 stars

01/10/2014

Delicious! It came out very very tangy the first time which I surprisingly didn't mind but I'm making it right now and I don't have orange juice on hand so I substituted mango juice. I used about 2/6's cup of sugar instead (so a third less), upped the honey, and it's coming out more sweet and less tangy! Do your own thing with it, it's a delicious basic recipe!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (3)

ashleyt1987

Rating: 5 stars

12/09/2013

Best cranberry sauce ever. I used Simply Orange instead of squeezing my own oranges. Much better than white sugar, water, and cranberries!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (4)

CZMZeds

Rating: 5 stars

11/30/2013

Made this for Thanksgiving. It was outstanding and will be a definite side dish for the annual Thanksgiving feast. I love the spices and flavor to it, I found it was the perfect combination of sweet and tart. I had small but juicey oranges so it only took 1.5 oranges. It was also very easy and simple to make. I made it the day before Thanksgiving, and am still using it a couple days after to accompany my left over turkey.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (5)

JennyT

Rating: 5 stars

11/27/2013

I swore by the jellied canned cranberry sauce until this recipe! It is perfectly balanced, sweet & spicy, but not too spicy. Perfect sauce, in my book, and I make it every year a few days ahead of Thanksgiving.

Rating: 5 stars

11/24/2013

I made this in my crock pot for two hours. I didn't use the allspice only the cinnamon. when the cranberiies are tender I used my immersible blender to smooth the cranberries. this is a sauce if you want it more like the canned jelly add use one pkg of unflavored gelatin following directions on the box after sauce is done but use the sauce as the hot water.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (7)

simicook

Rating: 5 stars

11/22/2013

I made it tonight and will serve it tomorrow for our early Thanksgiving dinner. The recipe is very easy and perfect just as is. I had a few tastes as I was stirring it and it was yummy!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (8)

maddaxx

Rating: 5 stars

12/24/2012

The recipe is great as it is. Didn't have cinnamon stick, added 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon instead and it worked fine. Excellent!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (9)

littlemtngirl

Rating: 5 stars

11/23/2012

I made this yesterday; it was great! I followed the recipe exactly and would not recommend any changes. It is super easy and quick to make. Chill it before serving. Only bit of advice; it doesn't make a lot; make sure to read the number of servings and if you have a large dinner party, double the recipe.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (10)

lollypaul

Rating: 5 stars

11/17/2012

I have made this recipe several times over the past 5 years - it's quick, easy, can be made ahead, and much more flavorful than canned cranberry sauce - no high fructose corn syrup! Made exactly as written. It makes just enough - people like it, but you don't want too much of it left over!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (11)

lynnmarlyn

Rating: 5 stars

11/05/2012

easy, delicious and perfect every time

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (12)

seaside725

Rating: 5 stars

02/02/2012

This is a keeper. It will be my go to recipe for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I did double the amount of brown sugar after reading the reviews. Excellent!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (13)

kaxel1075

Rating: 5 stars

12/16/2011

Made this for our family Thanksgiving dinner this year and it was a bit hit. It was a bit tart though.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (14)

eurocook

Rating: 4 stars

11/26/2011

Agree with the other comments: need to tinker with the sugar; my cranberries were not as ripe as they could have been, and while it tasted okay during prep, I thought it was still a bit too tart at the table.. Also, I popped the berries with the back of spoon as the other reviewer mentioned - for thicker sauce and a smoother presentation.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (15)

Amanda8899

Rating: 5 stars

11/22/2011

I make this every year now. It is so easy and I usually do it the day before when baking pies.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (16)

Laylamama

Rating: 5 stars

11/21/2011

So good and super quick and easy to make! The allspice gives it a real holiday flavor. I just needed to cook it a little longer to get the right consistency.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (17)

les2112

Rating: 5 stars

11/13/2011

I have made this every Thanksgiving for the last three or four years. EVERYONE loves it and it is so incredibly easy to make (and you can make it a day or two ahead of time as well). I highly recommend this recipe as a staple at your Thanksgiving (and Christmas) table.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (18)

rcturner525

Rating: 5 stars

11/28/2010

Have made this for a couple of years now, and it's wonderful. I do think that you need to be willing to tinker with the sugar and honey; sometimes my cranberries seem to be sweeter and need less sugar, but this past time they needed more. Once the sauce has simmered for a while, I use the back of a spoon to pop most of the cranberries so that they will release their pectin and the sauce will congeal a little better. My three year old ate more of this than he did his dessert!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (19)

SEROMEO

Rating: 5 stars

11/25/2010

Ive never even had cranberry sauce before but this is awesome. I made this as a healthy replacement to the canned stuff my husband grew up with (I wont even touch that stuff) and he liked it. You cant go wrong with this one!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (20)

Laurenshana

Rating: 5 stars

11/23/2010

Yummy! Excellent cranberry sauce. Followed exact instructions except used a dash of cinnamon instead. Will be making again!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (21)

radiantstar

Rating: 5 stars

11/01/2010

This is my favorite cranberry sauce recipe. I make it every Thanksgiving! I don't make any adjustments to the recipe. It is so delcious!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (22)

sccook

Rating: 4 stars

12/25/2009

Very good - much better than the canned variety! So easy to make and tastes really fresh. All my Thanksgiving guests loved it. I will definitely make this every Thanksgiving from now on.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (23)

Annelisa

Rating: 5 stars

12/18/2008

This was great! I only used 2 tblsp of brown sugar, because I like it tart.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (24)

jenfur13

Rating: 5 stars

11/29/2008

Everyone raves about this sauce every time I make it. I don't know if its the brown sugar instead of white, or the honey, or the allspice - but it is fantastic and I'm now the go-to person for cranberry sauce every holiday!

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (25)

jujabbo

Rating: 4 stars

11/27/2008

Excellent! I loved these cranberries, and they were easy to make. They were pretty sour though. So, if you want it sweeter, add more sugar. Do a little taste test. Another recipe I found in Cooking Light called for 3x the sugar for the same amount of berries.

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What takes the bitterness 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)."

Why is my homemade cranberry sauce not thickening? ›

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 to improve cranberry sauce? ›

Adding a teaspoon or two of fresh lemon or orange zest, a tablespoon of chopped candied peel, or even a splash of juice to your canned sauce will brighten flavors and bring in some homemade flavor.

What if I add too much water to cranberry sauce? ›

What to do if the cranberry sauce is too thin or loose. If you inadvertently added too much water, simply bring the cranberry sauce back to the stove top and bring it to a low boil, cooking it down just a bit to help thicken it up.

What thickens cranberry sauce? ›

Sugar helps the thickening process, and while it's nice to try to keep your cranberry sauce from being too sugary sweet, you will need at least some sugar to make it work well (about 1/2 cup sugar per 12-ounce bag of cranberries).

How do you tame tartness 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.

Does homemade cranberry sauce thicken when it cools? ›

Serve warm, room temperature, or chilled. Cranberry sauce will thicken as it cools.

Is canned cranberry sauce better than homemade? ›

Slight edge to homemade. Ocean Spray's sauce is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup, whereas homemade uses cane sugar. I spent an hour making the homemade cranberry sauce. Prep for the store-bought one, for those unfamiliar, goes: open can, pour onto serving plate, eat.

Is cranberry sauce supposed to be runny? ›

Cranberries are naturally rich in pectin, so they gel easily under the right conditions. The ingredient proportions and cooking time determine whether you end up with a sauce that's too runny, a sauce that's perfectly thickened, or a gel that's firm enough to cut with a knife.

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.” Ocean Spray isn't immune either.

Should cranberry sauce be served hot or cold? ›

Is cranberry sauce supposed to be hot or cold? Either! Some prefer to have it served fresh and warm, straight out of the pot, while others need it completely cooled down to enjoy the flavours. Personally, we prefer cooled sauce.

What does eating cranberry sauce do for you? ›

The great amount of antioxidants found in cranberries, such as proanthocyanidins, could help lower your chance of getting cancer. However, more research is needed to confirm this. Cranberries have two big benefits for heart health: lowering blood pressure and improving cholesterol.

Why is my homemade cranberry sauce runny? ›

Though they won't tolerate runny sauce, so it's time to fix that. The simplest reason that your cranberry sauce is too runny is that it has too much liquid in it. Usually, this is just water, but some people use orange juice or other flavored fluids. No matter what you're using, the answer is to cook it longer.

Why do you open a can of cranberry sauce upside down? ›

But why? Ocean Spray says this is to get the cranberry sauce out in one intact piece. “The rounded part of the can that looks like the bottom has an air bubble in it,” Ocean Spray's representative explains. The bubble is there so you can “break the seal the sauce makes with the can.”

How long does homemade cranberry sauce last? ›

When to Toss Cranberry Sauce. Cranberry sauce will last for two hours at room temperature. Homemade cranberry sauce will last in the fridge for 10 to 14 days. Canned cranberry sauce that has been opened will last up to a week in the fridge.

How do you get the bitter taste out of cranberry juice? ›

I have found that half cranberry juice and half orange juice tastes good. The orange juice cancels out most of the bitterness, and the citrus of the orange juice goes very well with the sour of the cranberry juice.

How do you take the bitterness out of cranberry juice? ›

Is there any way to make cranberry juice taste less bitter? Try adding some lemon to it. Sounds crazy but it works!

How do you sweeten bitter cranberry juice? ›

Add agave nectar to the cranberry citrus mixture to your taste. I started with 1/2 cup and ended up with 1 cup of nectar to the 9 cups of juice. You could also use 1/2 cup of white sugar or 1/2 cup of honey for this. Just taste test as you go to achieve your desired sweetness.

Why are my cranberry bitter? ›

Cranberries are generally considered safe whether they are cooked or raw. However, because of their notoriously bitter, sharp taste, most people prefer not to eat them raw or unsweetened. This bitterness is due to the high tannin content of cranberries.

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