• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About
  • My Cookbooks
  • Work With Me
  • Shop
  • Contact

The Flavor Bender

Master the Science of Delicious

  • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Desserts
      • Cakes & Cupcakes
      • Candy & Bite Sizes
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies, Brownies & Bars
      • Frozen Desserts
      • Fruit Desserts
      • Puddings & Custards
      • Dessert drinks
      • No Bake
      • Pastries & Breads
      • Sweet Syrups & Spreads
      • Tarts & Pies
      • Cheesecakes
      • Healthy sweets
    • Breakfasts
      • Tarts, Quiches, & Pies
      • Waffles, Pancakes & Crepes
      • Quick Breads, Scones & Muffins
      • Breakfast Sandwiches
      • Pastries & Breads
      • Eggs
      • Breakfast & Brunch Drinks
      • Make Ahead Breakfasts
      • Healthy Breakfasts
      • Coffee and Tea drinks
      • Breakfast Smoothies & Juices
      • Breakfast Sides
      • Casseroles
    • Courses
      • Main Meals
        • Bread, Sandwiches & Burgers
        • Curries
        • Salads
        • Roasts & BBQ
        • Soups & Stews
        • Casseroles
      • Bread
      • Lunch
      • Beverages
      • Appetizers & Tapas
      • Sides
      • Dips & Condiments
      • Tea Time & Snacks
      • Desserts
      • Meal Prep
      • Cocktails
    • Cuisines
      • American
      • European
      • Australasian
      • Sri Lankan
      • East Asian
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South Asian
    • Sri Lankan
      • Main Meals
      • Drinks
    • Skill Level
      • Easy
        • Easy Desserts
        • Easy Cooking
        • Easy Breads
        • Easy Breakfasts
        • Easy Dinners
      • Intermediate
        • Intermediate Desserts
        • Intermediate Cooking
        • Intermediate Breads
        • Intermediate Breakfasts
        • Intermediate Dinners
      • Advanced
        • Advanced Desserts
        • Advanced Cooking
  • New? Start Here
  • Measurement Conversions
  • How-To Posts
The Flavor Bender Recipes Cuisines American American Main Courses Versatile and Easy Cranberry Sauce

Versatile and Easy Cranberry Sauce

25 mins
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
2.6K shares

Disclaimer: The Flavor Bender is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. There are links on this site that can be defined as “affiliate links”. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (at no cost to you) that will help support this website.

Author: Dini K.
Posted: 11/7/2018
Updated: 7/17/2023
Homemade Easy Cranberry Sauce - An easy and versatile recipe to make amazing cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving! Plus, leftovers can be used in so many ways too. 

Once you realize how easy and delicious Homemade Cranberry Sauce is, you’ll never go back to the canned, store-bought kind! You only need 4 ingredients to make this easy cranberry sauce.

This homemade cranberry sauce is very versatile and adaptable, so you can make it your own!

Homemade Easy Cranberry Sauce - An easy and versatile recipe to make amazing cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving! Plus, leftovers can be used in so many ways too. 

You could almost be forgiven if you forget the cranberry sauce, but Thanksgiving and cranberry sauce are just right for each other! I adore cranberry sauce, and the lovely sweet and tart flavor and the bright red color of cranberry sauce add a positively festive feel to any Thanksgiving spread! Plus, perfect homemade cranberry sauce is ridiculously easy and quick to make.

I’ve never really been a sweet sauce and roast meat kind of gal, and I always tend to gravitate towards the gravy. I’m not sure why, because I love the sweet and spicy combo otherwise. But for Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce, I make an exception!

Fresh Cranberries in a bowl, with some on a white table top in the foreground.

This delicious homemade cranberry sauce is really versatile and adaptable, comes together quickly, and infinitely better than the store-bought canned sauce. You can add more flavors, switch up ingredients, and make it your own!

I like my cranberry sauce a little on the chunky side, rather than a puree. Most recipes call for cooking about 3/4th of the cranberries with the sugar, then adding the rest when the sauce is almost done. I don’t like to do this, because I prefer soft whole cranberries in the sauce. If I add the remaining cranberries only at the end, it won’t cook them long enough to soften.

A sugar syrup made with fresh orange juice, and fresh orange zest added to the saucepan.

So what I do instead is, I make a nice sugar syrup first, with flavors infused into the syrup, and THEN I add all the cranberries in at once. This cooks all the cranberries until they are soft, but still chunky. Either way, this homemade cranberry sauce is hard to mess up.

I made the sauce with orange and chili flakes/crushed red pepper. This adds another layer of flavor, and I especially love how you get a hint of heat and spice right on the heels of the tart sweetness of cranberries. You can leave out the chili flakes if you like it milder though.

Cranberries added to a saucepan with sugar syrup, before being cooked into a Homemade cranberry sauce.

Here are some other ways to make this easy sauce your own!

  • If you don’t have orange juice, you can simply replace it with water.
  • OR, you could also add pomegranate juice instead, which complements the cranberry flavor really well.
  • You could also replace the orange juice/water with red wine for a more adult-friendly version of this homemade cranberry sauce.

Spices than you can add to this sauce

  • Instead of / OR in addition to the orange zest, you can add about 1 tsp of grated ginger for a nice spicy, warming kick!
  • You could add some chopped red onion along with the cranberries for a more savory flavor profile.
  • If you like your cranberry sauce not too sweet, you can easily adjust the amount of sugar that you add. But I would recommend adding at least 1/2 cup (100 g) of sugar, along with 3/4 cup of liquid.
  • You can halve the amount of water, and substitute the sugar with honey for a healthier, refined sugar free homemade cranberry sauce.

An overhead view of the cranberry sauce in a white bowl, with a partial view of a Thanksgiving plate with cranberry sauce, turkey and brussels sprouts.

When you’re cooking this sauce, take care not to overcook it, because then too much water evaporates and the sauce will become hard as it cools down. You obviously want a delicious sauce-like consistency, so it’s important that the sauce maintains its consistency as it cools down. However, if this does happen to you, it’s easy to fix it too. Simply, reheat the sauce with some extra water, until you get the desired consistency.

I guarantee once you’ve made this simple, versatile and adaptable homemade cranberry sauce, you’ll never go back to the canned store-bought kind! 🙂 I love using leftovers to make PBJ sandwiches the following day, and the sauce is also perfect for these cranberry and turkey filo rolls to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.

An overhead view of a Thanksgiving plate with cranberry sauce, brussels sprouts and roasted turkey breast slices.

If you liked this easy homemade cranberry sauce recipe, don’t forget to subscribe for new (and free) recipes by entering your email address on the side bar (and get all these recipes delivered straight to your inbox), so you don’t miss out on a thing. You can find me on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM,  PINTEREST, YOU TUBE and GOOGLE-PLUS too.

Tools I used for this recipe (affiliate links)

Zester – I love using this to get the zest from all my citrus fruits. Perfect to get the zest from the oranges for this recipe.

A heat proof mixing spoon – to stir the sauce while it’s hot!

Measuring Cups – I prefer to use cups to measure all liquid ingredients most of the time. I absolutely LOVE my colorful cup measuring set, and I also love my pyrex measuring jugs too.

Looking for more recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.

Homemade Easy Cranberry Sauce - An easy and versatile recipe to make amazing cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving! Plus, leftovers can be used in so many ways too. #ThanksgivingRecipes #CranberrySauce #EasyRecipes
5 from 1 vote

Easy Cranberry Sauce

Author: Dini K.
Cuisine: American
An easy, versatile and adaptable homemade cranberry sauce made with just 4 ingredients. 
Prep: 10 minutes minutes
Cook: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 -8 people
Print Rate

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup sugar, or honey (SEE RECIPE NOTES) white sugar or brown sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup fresh orange juice
  • Generous pinch of salt
  • Orange zest of ½ an orange
  • 12 oz bag of fresh cranberries

Instructions:

  • Place the sugar, water and orange juice in a saucepan. Heat over medium high heat and bring to a boil, while stirring frequently. Lower the heat to medium and allow to simmer for a few minutes.
  • While the syrup is simmering, add the orange zest, cranberries and salt. Stir it all in, and cook for 10 minutes while stirring frequently, to prevent the cranberries from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  • After 10 minutes (or when the cranberries are cooked to your desired consistency), remove from the heat and let it cool down. Serve.

Tips & Tricks

Recipe variations
  • If you don't like orange in your cranberry sauce, simply replace it with water.
  • Or you can substitute the orange juice with pomegranate juice. 
  • Replace the orange juice or water with red wine for a more adult-friendly version of this homemade cranberry sauce.
  • Add 1 tsp of grated ginger for a warming, spicy kick!
  • Add about 1/4 cup of some chopped red onion along with the cranberries for a more savory flavor profile.
  • You can easily adjust the amount of sugar that you add. But I would recommend adding at least 1/2 cup (100 g) of sugar, along with 3/4 cup of liquid.
  • For a REFINED SUGAR FREE VERSION - substitute the sugar with honey for a healthier homemade cranberry sauce, but also remember to reduce the water to a 1/4 cup. 

“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”

Course:Side Dish, Thanksgiving
Cuisine:American
Keyword:Cranberries, Thanksgiving
Did you make this?Tag me on Instagram!I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @TheFlavorBender or leave me a comment & rating below.

 

NEED MORE THANKSGIVING RECIPES?

Sous vide turkey breast roulade with lemon, herb and garlic

Slow roasted turkey breast roulade with sage and rosemary

Slow roasted turkey breast with Cajun spices

Slow cooker turkey breast with sage garlic butter

Maple roasted brussels sprouts

Pear and sausage stuffing

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

Pecan Pie Bars

 

 

More Recipes You'll Love...

  • White Chocolate Magic Shell Sauce - Two ingredients, and one minute are all you need to make this easy White Chocolate Magic Shell Sauce and transform all your cold desserts with a little bit of creamy white chocolate awesomeness!
    White Chocolate Magic Shell Sauce
  • Spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce Easy to make, absolutely delicious, with an extra kick of spice this is the BEST Sweet chilli sauce you will EVER have!
    The Best Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce (Easy Recipe!)
  • Marinara Sauce with Hidden Vegetables - This Marinara Sauce can be used as Pasta Sauce, Base for Bolognese, Dipping Sauce OR Pizza Sauce! So Versatile and packed with flavor and HEAPS of nutrition!
    Marinara Sauce with Hidden Vegetables

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

I love hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Made this? Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Sandra S-Mc says

    November 27, 2019 at 04:37

    I just made this delicious recipe. I used the honey variation and the added orange juice. My family loved the sample I shared with them. We can’t wait till Thanksgiving to eat it! The step where the cranberries are added took longer than 10 minutes to get the sauce to the right consistency. Otherwise this recipe was very simple to follow.

    Reply
  2. Christine Davies says

    October 7, 2019 at 15:49

    5 stars
    Delicious with the orange zest

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Hey there!

Hi! I’m Dini, a third culture kid by upbringing and a food-geek by nature. I was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in New Zealand and lived in Australia, and then the US, before moving to Canada in 2019! My food is a reflection of those amazing experiences!

Read More
Secret Layer Cakes Cookbook
The flavor bender
cookbook
Buy now on Amazon!

Recipe Basics

Learn how to make Perfect Choux Pastry (Or Pate a Choux!) - The only recipe guide you will ever need to make choux pastry, with perfect results every time. Plus a troubleshooting guide for your choux pastry recipe.  Fool proof choux pastry to make profiteroles, eclairs, cream puffs and more.  #ChouxPastry #Profiteroles #Eclairs #Pastry #CreamPuffs

How to make Perfect Choux Pastry

Classic Chocolate Eclairs - A foolproof recipe for making perfect eclairs that are crisp and puffy and filled with chocolate or vanilla pastry cream. 

Perfect Classic Chocolate Eclairs (Foolproof Recipe)

How to make Marshmallows - Learn the art of making fluffy, soft homemade marshmallows with or without corn syrup! With tips and information to make the perfect Marshmallows in many flavors. 

How to make Marshmallows (tips and tricks for homemade marshmallows)

How to make the best Homemade White Bread that is soft and delicious. An easy to follow recipe for perfect homemade bread with step by step instructions.

The Best Homemade Bread (White Bread Recipe)

Homemade French Croissants (step by step recipe)

Classic Pound Cake - A complete guide on how to make perfect, delicious and moist Pound Cake even if you're a baking novice! Tips + Tricks and Troubleshooting guide. 

The Best Classic Pound Cake Recipe

Chocolate
Cakes
Bread
Sri Lankan
Breakfast
Drinks
Candy
Pastries
All Recipes
Featured On
taste of the World
Free recipe ebook

Get my curated collection of the Top 10 Flavor Bender recipes!

  • 10 delicious chocolate recipes
  • Creative ways to use chocolate
  • Desserts and savory recipes
Download now!

Reader Faves

How to make Instant Pot Short Ribs - This easy recipe makes delicious, tender and succulent short ribs with classic flavors!

How to make the Best Instant Pot Short Ribs

Buttery Lemon Slow Roasted Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce - Perfectly cooked, juicy slow roasted Salmon with a buttery tangy sauce! Delicious and versatile for any meal and occasion. 

Slow Roasted Salmon with Lemon Butter Sauce

Unbelievably easy Rough Puff pastry - Quick and easy to make and tasted infinitely better than store bought (30 -45 minutes only)! No long waiting times, to make this amazing pastry and NOONE will know you took a shortcut!

Perfect Quick and Easy Rough Puff Pastry

Spicy Sweet Chilli Sauce Easy to make, absolutely delicious, with an extra kick of spice this is the BEST Sweet chilli sauce you will EVER have!

The Best Spicy Sweet Chili Sauce (Easy Recipe!)

The flavor bender

I love baking, and I love cooking. I experiment with flavors, textures and ingredients, and I love passing on all my tips and tricks to you!

Read More
  • About
    • Meet Dini
    • My Book
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
  • Browse
    • Recipes
    • Measurement Guide
    • Baking How-To’s
    • Shop My Faves
© The Flavor Bender
  • Privacy
  • Disclosure
  • Terms
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

Join the flavor bender tribe!

Join my FREE recipe challenge to receive new recipes and dinner ideas straight to your inbox!
2647 shares