Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe

This simple 3-ingredient recipe for traditional cranberry sauce makes it very simple to prepare. I always return to this batch of cranberry sauce, no matter how many I’ve prepared. It’s straightforward, timeless, and in all honesty the finest.

There is simply no turning back to store-bought cranberry sauce once you’ve tried homemade. Taste, texture, and appearance are all improved. This traditional holiday side dish will enhance your juicy roast turkey and give each mouthful a burst of sweet-tart flavor.

Classic Recipe for Cranberry Sauce

Every year, we serve homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, which is a traditional dish for the season. Thanksgiving turkey is best paired with nothing. It’s impossible to avoid the delicious flavor combo of savory meats and sweet and tangy.

Continue reading for our advice on how to naturally sweeten this dish without using processed sugar. There are a hundred different methods to make cranberry sauce, so we’ve also included some entertaining variations so you can truly make this recipe your own.

Ingredients

You don’t need a lot to create good cranberry sauce (scroll down to see the recipe card’s full amounts):

Sweetener: Use powdered sugar or a natural sweetener such as honey or maple syrup. Because it lends a lovely layer of maple flavor, maple syrup is my favorite.

Cranberries: We adore using whole, fresh cranberries in this dish. When they are in season, many grocery shops will stock bags of fresh cranberries.

Do Frozen Cranberries Work?

Yes, you can use frozen cranberries in this dish as well. Although it will take a little longer for frozen cranberries to boil and simmer, the texture is always equally delectable.

Fresh cranberries can be frozen in their original containers with ease. (or transfer them to a freezer bag). We almost always have a supply of them in our fridge because they can stay frozen for up to a year.

How to Prepare Homemade Cranberry Sauce

On the stovetop, this recipe comes together so fast that we just adore it. There are only 3 stages.

To dissolve the sugar, combine it with water in a saucepan over a burner and simmer for a few minutes. Stirring is required to fully dissolve the sugar.
Cranberries should be added to the pot, brought to a medium boil, and then cooked with the lid off until the sauce has thickened. Always stir periodically.
After adding extra sweetener to taste, let the cranberry sauce cool before serving. For simple presentation ideas, see the section below.

Simple Alterations

Although this traditional and straightforward variation is my preference, there are countless other ways to customize and savor this sauce. More simple alterations and additions are provided below (see the recipe card for complete directions).

Orange Cranberry Sauce
Lemon juice and zest that have just been strained
citrus juice and citrus zest
Cherry and nut dried fruits

Serving Options for Cranberry Sauce

This handmade sauce is frequently served chilled or at room temperature. Some of the numerous methods to enjoy it are listed below:

With tender meats like your roast turkey, beef tenderloin, or pork tenderloin, pair this dish.
It goes well with the filling at Thanksgiving.
Bread: Drizzle the sauce on some light dinner rolls or even some bread in the morning. It works well as a condiment in a sandwich with chicken salad.
An excellent topping for sweets like cheesecake is cranberries.

We can’t wait for you to try this cranberry sauce, which is only three ingredients but is incredibly piquant and delicious.