Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner.
Do you like cranberry sauce? My father can’t get enough of it during the holiday season. He’ll even stock up on fresh cranberries when they become available in late October, and freeze them to eat all year long.
I think he looks forward to Thanksgiving just because he knows he can have as much cranberry sauce as he wants with his slices of turkey, and plenty leftover for turkey sandwiches.
When he finally runs out of frozen cranberries sometime in May, he’ll start buying the cans. He’ll hide the cans in a remote corner of the pantry and eat up the canned cranberries all by himself. Yes, he’s a little obsessed.
A bowl of cranberry sauce on a table with a spoon.
Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker
For me it’s been an acquired taste. As a kid I just couldn’t understand why something so beautifully garnet colored didn’t taste like berry pie filling!
Cranberries are tart, very tart, and need sugar to balance their tartness. But even with the sugar, the tartness comes through. As an adult, I have come to love cranberry sauce in all forms, including a cranberry relish that you don’t even have to cook.
A white and red bowl of cranberry sauce on a table with a spoon.
Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker
Cranberry Sauce Is Perfect with Thanksgiving Turkey
Cranberries are absolutely perfect with turkey. Sort of like lemons and chicken. Something about the flavors, they’re just made for each other. Which is why the sauce is so good to spread over turkey in your leftover turkey sandwiches.
The following is a simple and easy recipe for cranberry sauce, one that you can easily dress up with extras. If you have a favorite way of making yours, please let us know about it in the comments!
A Thanksgiving table set with a bowl of cranberry sauce next to a platter of turkey and other sides.
Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker
Swaps and Substitution Suggestions From Our Readers
Ole: “Substituting OJ for the water is nice, a little oomph without overwhelming.”
Joe: “I added cherry juice and it was very delicious!”
Dianna: “I added dried orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove. The smell and flavor is one of the BEST!”
Jan: “I added a good amount of blueberries and a smaller amount of pecans. Topped off with a bit of cinnamon. the whole dining party said they were the best cranberries they had ever tasted!”
Jennifer: “I use apple juice, brown sugar and peeled and diced apple. I add the apple when I add the cranberries. It is less tart than regular cranberry sauce, but not too sweet. It is a great balance.”
Michelle: “Then after the sauce is slightly cooled, I add a couple glugs of Grand Marnier or other orange flavored liquor and mix in thoroughly.”
Bonny: “Decided to play with it a bit. I used orange juice and chopped apple. I also chopped some fresh Italian basil and cooked it with the apples and berries. Put that altogether with a couple of shots of Crown Royal and it’s beyond great.”
How Far Ahead Can You Make Cranberry Sauce?
For the best consistency, make sure the cranberry sauce is thoroughly chilled before serving so it has time to set up. Making it the day before Thanksgiving gives it plenty of time to chill and saves you a task on the day itself.
You can make this cranberry sauce up to 1 week before serving.
Your Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Schedule
READ MORE:
How to Store & Freeze Cranberry Sauce
Refrigerate leftover cranberry sauce for up to 2 weeks. Or freeze the sauce for up to 6 months.
Love Cranberries? Try These Recipes!
Cranberry Relish
Apple Cranberry Chutney
Cranberry Glazed Meatballs
Cranberry Orange Nut Bread
Cranberry Upside Down Cake
From the Editors Of Simply Recipes
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Cranberry Sauce
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings
9 servings
Yield
2 1/4 cups
The recipe calls for a cup of water. You can easily substitute that with 1/2 cup of orange juice and 1/2 cup of water if you want to increase the orange note in the sauce (cranberries and oranges play well together!)
You can also reduce the sugar if you want. Start out with half as much and add more if you think it needs it. If you use less sugar, reduce the amount of water you add as well.
Ingredients
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 cup (250ml) water
4 cups (one 12-ounce package) fresh or frozen cranberries
Optional: pecans, orange zest, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice
Method
Rinse the cranberries:
Place the cranberries in a colander and rinse them. Pick out and discard any damaged or bruised cranberries.
Boil the water with sugar:
Put the water and sugar in a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
A dutch oven with simmering water and sugar
Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker
Add the cranberries, cook until they burst:
Add the cranberries to the pot and return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the cranberries have burst.
Fresh cranberries being poured into a Dutch oven