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.
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.
How do I make cranberry sauce?
A complete list of instructions is available below! Just scroll to the bottom!
You won't believe how easy this cranberry sauce is to make:
- 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
Most recipes call for equal amounts of fresh cranberries and sugar. I've played around with this recipe a bit to see if I could reduce the sugar. The first go round, I reduced the sugar by half! Can you say perfection? Yes, indeed! Perfection!
I didn't miss the extra sugar and neither did my kids, hubby and guests we had for dinner. Everyone loved this cranberry sauce!
Can I make ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this sauce ahead of time. You can make this classic cranberry dish 3 days ahead of time.
Can I freeze cranberry sauce?
Yes, my mom makes this every year and freezes it up to two weeks. To use, remove from freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
How does the sauce thicken?
Cranberries have natural pectin in them. As the cranberries cook, the pectin is released. The pectin thickens the sauce.
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.
If you end up with any leftover cranberry sauce, it is perfect in this Baked Cranberry Brie.
A few additional recipes with cranberries include this Cranberry Swirl Bread, Cranberry Pecan Bars, Cranberry Swirl Cookies, Cranberry Muffins, Cranberry Scones Cranberry Apple Bread, Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad and Cranberry Jalapeno Bites.
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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!
This recipe was originally published in November of 2015. The pictures and content have been updated.
Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
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
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
I love cranberry sauce! This looks perfect, Kathy! I love that you've reduced the sugar content. Really like the addition of orange peel and cinnamon. Delicious!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
I love homemade whole berry cranberry sauce, Kathy. Yours looks delicious! Love the cinnamon stick.
Kathy says
The cinnamon definitely adds a little extra!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks says
I love all the effort you put in here for so many options! So glad you finally found PERFECTION! Woot!
Kathy says
I'll save all that extra sugar for my dessert....not my cranberries.
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
Yum, I love homemade cranberry sauce! And I love that you added a cinnamon stick to it, what a nice touch!
Danielle @ So Munch Love says
Growing up, my mom made a huge Thanksgiving dinner from scratch, but when it came to cranberry sauce, it always comes from a can. Go figure. Only in my adult life have I begun eating homemade. This recipe looks absolutely perfect!
Kathy says
That was the same in my house growing up. My sister still prefers the canned jellied cranberry sauce...I need to convert her!
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness says
I love homemade cranberry sauce. Never thought of putting an orange peel in it though!!
Kathy says
It adds just a little extra touch!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
I love homemade cranberry sauce. This looks perfect.
Kathy says
Thanks!
Senika @ Foodie Blog Stalker says
I love homemade cranberry sauce! And completely agree that less sugar is better!
Kathy says
There is so much sugar in so many foods already....time to cut back!
Lindsey says
I love that your recipe uses less sugar!! Totally agree that most recipes call for a crazy amount of sugar, great call and can't wait to try!
Kathy says
I hope you love it as much as I do!
Laura ~ Raise Your Garden says
I have no clue why, but my kids favorite food is cranberry sauce. They absolutely gobble the stuff down. It's in their top 5 foods so I guess I should learn to make! Thanks.
Kathy says
You'd better get cooking! Your kids will think you are their hero, cooking one of their favorites!