Learn how to make basic homemade cranberry sauce with just 3 ingredients as well as 8 different flavor variations. There’s sure to be one you love!
Ah, cranberry sauce. Growing up, we just assumed that a gelatinous tube was our only option. We didn’t realize that cranberry sauce could actually be made from…you know…cranberries. We would slice it at about an inch thick and just stared at that circle on our plate, hoping it wouldn’t invade the rest of the meal.
When you know better, you do better. Today we present cranberry sauce made from just 3 ingredients! 1 of which is real, fresh cranberries! We can now very proudly say that we love cranberry sauce, and with so many flavor variations on this classic recipe, we know you’ll love it too!
Can cranberry sauce be made ahead of time?
Yes! There is so much to worry about keeping your eye on in the middle of a Thanksgiving feast, we don’t want you to worry about this one. Prepare your cranberry sauce either the night before or in the morning before you’re preoccupied with turkey and pies. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Can I reduce the sugar or replace with honey?
We love a sweet cranberry sauce, but if you prefer a bit more tartness you can always reduce the sugar. We don’t recommend going below 1/2 cup of sugar though, as that would be quite tart. If you prefer to use honey rather than granulated sugar, you can do so with a 1:1 ratio, and that can also be reduced down to 1/2 cup as well.
Storage Instructions:
Cranberry sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 to 7 days. It is fantastic on its own, as a layer in a leftover turkey sandwich, or swirled into some plain yogurt!
If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other delicious holiday recipes:
Watch the video below where we will walk you through every step of the recipe with a video demonstration.
Who can eat turkey without cranberry sauce, Not me!!
I made the orange cranberry with added grated orange peel, finely chopped walnuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, it was the absolutely the best! Several people asked for Rachel’s recipe as the beginning base.
I also made the Jalapeno one for my spicy friends, since I had the Orange Cranberry base version started I took two cups of it into another pan added about ½ or more of Spicy hot Jalapenos finely sliced with a little juice! What a hit!
Stay at Home Chef you are #1 and the best in my books! 💕
I made it plain and it’s fine for my boyfriend who likes things unfancy!
My grandmother and mother served us the jellied from the can, and we loved it. A few years ago, I tried making it with your recipe, and we love this even more! There’s no going back now!!!
Love your different variations. Still working on my perfect cranberry recipe!
Question, my cranberry sauce is usually a little too runny. I do reduce the sugar (prefer mine tart) and I’ve heard that less sugar can contribute to it not creating as much jelly. Don’t know if that’s true. I’ve also tried cooking for a few minutes longer…but not sure that has helped. My latest (untried) idea is to add a little bit of Jell-O or pectin to the mix to help make firm up a bit better. Have you ever tried this? Ever heard of it? If so, how much Jell-O do you suggest adding?
Great questions! Let’s see if I can answer them.
Less sugar means the sauce may not set as well because sugar helps the natural pectin in cranberries form a gel-like structure.
Cooking for a few extra minutes helps evaporate water and can thicken the sauce, but it’s a delicate balance. Too long, and it can become overly thick or concentrated.
Adding pectin is a fantastic idea and commonly done for jams and jellies. You could start with 1 to 2 teaspoons of powdered pectin for a standard recipe size and adjust based on the results. Dissolve it in a small amount of water or juice before adding it to avoid clumping.
As for Jell-O, it works differently because it contains gelatin. If you’d like to use Jell-O, choose an unflavored version or one that complements the tartness of cranberries. Start with 1 tablespoon of powdered Jell-O dissolved in a bit of warm water, and mix it in while the sauce is still hot.
You can also thicken your cranberry sauce with a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water). Add it towards the end of cooking, and simmer until thickened.
So easy to make We love it with orange and a little spice. I always freeze some to mix with apple in an apple crumble in the new year. Fresh cranberries aren’t so easy to get in the uk and very pricey so no waste.
simple and so easy to make. I just made the original recipe but plan to try other options another time.
I made this for Thanksgiving and it was delicious!!! Made it with the spices and we loved it so I had to make it again a couple weeks later to enjoy again. Thank you for the recipe variations!!
This recipe is easy and very delicious! Thank you.
This is on my menu again this year, made with orange juice and zest, honey instead of sugar, fresh ginger, and a special request from my hubby…chopped walnuts.
This year I am going to try the orange-cranberry ginger one..
Jalapeño cranberry jelly is soooooo good!!
I made the Orange juice recipe added the zest from 2 oranges and some cinnamon. Incredibly delicious! Thank you!