Homemade whole berry cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries. This delicious sauce is made with fresh cranberries, sugar, orange and cinnamon.
Perfect for all your holiday meals.
Why make this recipe
You can't have Thanksgiving dinner without cranberry sauce - at least that's true in my house. Whole berry cranberry sauce is my favorite and it's easy to make.
I always think anything you can make from scratch is so much better and healthier than what you can buy, already prepared in the store.
This simple recipe is made with just four ingredients and it's easy to adjust the amount you make to fit the number of people you're serving.
Make this cranberry sauce ahead of time and it's one less thing you need to do for your holiday dinner.
Key ingredients
- Fresh cranberries
- Sugar
- Cinnamon Stick
- Fresh orange peel
Step by step directions
- Place all ingredients in a pot
- Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- Remove cinnamon stick and orange peel
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate
Recipe tips
- Use just the orange peel and try to avoid getting the white pith that's just under the peel. The pith can be bitter. Use a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the peel.
- Keep an eye on your cranberries while cooking and stir often to avoid scorching
- If berries become too thick, you can a touch more water
- The berries will begin to pop while they are cooking. This is normal!
Recipe Faqs
Yes, you can make this sauce ahead of time. You can make this cranberry dish 3 days ahead of time. Just cool after making and then place in a container, cover and refrigerate.
Yes, this sauce freezes well. Once the sauce is made, allow it to cool and then place in a freezer safe container. The sauce will maintain its quality in the freezer for up to two months.
To use, remove from freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
More great holiday recipes
When planning for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner you might also want to include Green Bean Almondine, Sweet Potato Gratin, Wild Rice Salad and Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls.
Stuffed Cornish Hens with a Wild Rice Stuffing make an elegant meal for a smaller gathering.
You'll also want to check out this recipe for Jellied Cranberry Sauce! Another great way to enjoy those cranberries!
If you end up with any leftover cranberry sauce, it is perfect in this Baked Cranberry Brie.
More cranberry recipes
- Cranberry Swirl Bread
- Cranberry Pecan Bars
- Cranberry Swirl Cookies
- Cranberry Muffins,
- Cranberry Scones
- Cranberry Apple Bread
- Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
- Cranberry Jalapeno Bites.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop
Check out all my holiday recipes!
Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 strips orange peel
Instructions
- Place everything into a pot
- Bring to a boil
- Boil for 5 minutes
- Remove from heat and allow to cool
- Remove cinnamon stick and orange peel
- Cover and refrigerate
Video
Notes
- Use just the orange peel and try to avoid getting the white pith that's just under the peel. The pith can be bitter. Use a sharp knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the peel.
- Keep an eye on your cranberries while cooking and stir often to avoid scorching
- If berries become too thick, you can a touch more water
- The berries will begin to pop while they are cooking. This is normal!
- This cranberry sauce is tart. If you like it a bit sweeter, add additional sugar (½ cup - 1 cup)
Nutritional Disclaimer:
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in November of 2015. The pictures and content have been updated.
Laurel says
Can I use swerve instead of sugar?
Kathy says
Hi Laurel,
I'm not familiar with swerve.
Kathy
Cheryl says
A few weeks ago I went to a nearby cranberry festival and went home with a heavy bag of fresh cranberries for $5. Fortunately I picked it up right when I was planning to go home! I didn't weigh it but around 10 pounds is my guess. Bag had handles on it! This year I decided to make cranberry sauce in the instant pot. Give it a try. I also did a combo cranberry/apple sauce in the Instant Pot. Couldn't stop eating it! Oh - I ended up pulling out a few freezer bags for the majority of those cranberries, so I have plenty more sauce coming up soon!
David @ Spiced says
Man, you weren't lying when you said this is an easy recipe! In all of my Thanksgiving travels, I don't think I've ever made cranberry sauce from scratch. I've doctored the canned stuff on occasion, but now I'm totally going to make a batch from scratch. This is almost easier than using the can opener to open the canned stuff. Haha!
Valentina says
Beautiful and delicious! I love your photos of the cinnamon sticks with the berries. Just lovely! 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy says
Thank you!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
While I do have a soft spot for canned cranberry sauce, homemade is always the best and this one looks like a winner! Love cranberry and orange together. So perfect for the holidays!
Andrea says
This looks delicious! Can I make it the day before or is it better fresh? Thanks so much!
Kathy says
You can make this cranberry sauce ahead of time. I often make them 1-2 days ahead and they are perfect the day I serve them! Enjoy!
Allison says
Cranberries are my all time favorite. Thanksgiving just wouldn't be the same without them. Thanks for the recipe.
Kathy says
I love cranberries in so many different types of recipes.