Today I’m sharing a very Easy Cranberry Sauce recipe.  I promise!

easy cranberry sauce in a dish

Seriously, if you think you cannot cook- you totally CAN.  Cranberry sauce is just about the easiest thing to make, and I’m not even kidding. It’s not as hard as making an apple pie, and it’s not anywhere close as difficult as roasting a turkey.

I grew up on the canned stuff- the jellied canned stuff if you want to get specific.  I actually loved it.  I loved eating little bites of the gelatinous blob on my plate, and I loved slicing it to add to “next-day” turkey sandwiches too.  

Nowadays, the cranberry sauce they sell in the can tastes a lot like the can to me.  It’s funny how you can detect things like that when you begin to make more recipes from scratch.  Here’s the (very simple) way to make a basic, delicious easy cranberry sauce recipe.

Adding cranberries to a pan

How to make Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe:

Add fresh cranberries to a pan.

Pouring orange juice into pan with cranberries

Add orange juice (if you take the time to freshly squeeze your orange juice, that’s the best way to do it).

Pouring sugar into pan with cranberries

Add sugar. I use white sugar. Some people say that they like using brown sugar instead.

Cranberry Sauce in a pan

Stir the ingredients together, and bring to a boil.

making Cranberry Sauce in a pan

As the mixture heats up, the cranberries begin to pop and break down. The mixture will begin to thicken, and it will thicken more when it has a chance to sit too.

easy cranberry sauce recipe

See?  Easy!  There really isn’t any excuse for buying the cans this year.  Try it homemade.

Do you make your own cranberry sauce?  Do you have a secret method or ingredient that you like to add to your recipe?  Let us know!

easy cranberry sauce in a dish
5 from 2 votes

Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Really love this easy Thanksgiving recipe!
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
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Ingredients

Instructions 

  • In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, orange juice and sugar. Bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the cranberries begin to pop and break down. Simmer until slightly thickened. It will thicken more when left at room temperature or refrigerated. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (1/4 cup), Calories: 130kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 1mg, Potassium: 99mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 88IU, Vitamin C: 21mg, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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5 from 2 votes

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21 Comments

  1. Diana Morgan says:

    I use 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup blueberry juice 1 bag of cranberrys and 1 cup of blueberrys. yum the kids would never eat it now they go for it.

  2. Cyndy says:

    I used chopped cranberries, a navel orange (with rind), minced apple and chopped pecans mixed with sugar for a fresh relish

  3. Nikki @Seeded at the Table says:

    I don’t even like cranberries, but the simplicity of this makes me want to make it anyway!! 🙂

  4. Cheri Godoy says:

    I use brown sugar instead of white. Be sure to use a GOOD orange juice! I have also added finely chopped apples to the hot mixture after removing it from the heat. This is a great recipe!

  5. Shelby says:

    This is my recipe too. I add the orange pulp also usually from 2 navel oranges.
    Happy Thanksgiving.

  6. Nadine says:

    An even easier method and a true cranberry taste, is to make it just as the recipe on the back of the bag. (if you buy them bagged)
    1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of water and 1 bag of cranberries or 12 oz.
    Same cooking directions.
    My son makes this and uses it as jam on his toast as well as on turkey.
    If you buy cranberries on sale after Thanksgiving or Christmas, just throw them in the freezer until you need to make more jelly. They will get sweeter with the freezing.
    Nadine

  7. Kathi says:

    I also add apple pieces to my cranberry sauce

  8. Beverly Kaye says:

    Brown sugar is better and add some of that orange zest for a gourmet taste!

  9. Sally says:

    I make the jellied sauce, which has one more easy step. I’ve made it with orange juice. I loved it and everyone else complained about the orange taste!

  10. Erika says:

    I make my own sauce using this same recipe. I also add 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. I just saw another recipe where they also added 1/2 tsp of vanilla. I may try that this year too.

    My husband loves the jellied cranberry sauce too and I’ve come to appreciate it. We end up having 3 different kinds of cranberries at our dinner, including a recipe of my mom’s.

    1. BJ Edwards says:

      For hub make this and add 1sm box jello mixed into 1cup hot water, add to berries just after cooking, mix well then as cools should gel up.