Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Learn how to make the best homemade cranberry sauce for Christmas or Thanksgiving. This simple holiday staple is made with whole cranberries, fresh orange zest and juice, sugar, cinnamon, and whole cloves.

When I was growing up, my mom always served the jiggly cranberry sauce from a can at Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner. For the longest time, I wasn’t a fan of cranberry sauce because I did not like the jello-like consistency of canned cranberry sauce.

It wasn’t until I started making my own homemade cranberry sauce that I realized just how incredible cranberry sauce can actually taste – and it’s so easy to make!

Now I look forward to Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner every year because I know I’ll be making this tasty cranberry sauce. It seriously makes the whole house smell amazing while it’s simmering on the stove.

Cranberry Sauce Ingredients

Cranberries: You can use fresh or frozen cranberries to make this sauce. If you’re using frozen cranberries, you’ll have to cook them around 5 minutes longer.

Water: Water is what the cranberries will be cooking in.

Orange juice and zest: I use the zest and juice of one navel orange. You’ll need to zest the orange first, then juice it.

Sugar: I use granulated sugar for this recipe. I like my cranberry sauce to be lightly sweetened. If you prefer a sweeter cranberry sauce, you can use up to 1 cup of sugar.

Cinnamon stick: This adds a delicious warm flavor to the cranberry sauce. It balances that tartness while adding depth.

Whole cloves: This adds another layer of warmth and festive flavor to cranberry sauce.  

How to make homemade cranberry sauce

Wash the cranberries by rinsing them in a colander under cool water. Pick out any soft, wrinkled, or damaged cranberries.

Put the whole cloves (if using) in a food-grade mesh sachet bag so they can be easily removed from the cranberry sauce before serving. You can add the whole cloves directly to the cranberry sauce, but they can be hard to find after cooking.

Add the fresh cranberries, water, fresh orange zest, freshly squeezed orange juice, sugar, cinnamon stick, whole cloves (if using), and a pinch of salt to a medium saucepan.

Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 12 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have burst.

Use a spoon to press the berries against the side of the pan to reach your desired consistency. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, let simmer for only 5 to 8 minutes.

Remove the pot from the heat and let cool to room temperature, then transfer to a bowl. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least two hours (or until ready to use).

The cranberry sauce will thicken up as it cools. Remove the cinnamon stick and whole cloves before serving.

What are you supposed to eat with cranberry sauce?

Traditional Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner – I like to eat it with roast chicken, sliced turkey, or even on mashed potatoes.

Burgers – I love slathering homemade cranberry sauce on turkey burgers.

Sandwiches – Cranberry sauce tastes delicious on a turkey, chicken, or vegetarian sandwich.

Serve it at breakfast – It’s great with yogurt and granola, on top of oatmeal, waffles, pancakes, or biscuits.

Please let me know how you like this homemade cranberry sauce recipe in the comments below! Your feedback and review encourages me to keep creating new and yummy recipes. I hope you love this cranberry sauce as much as I do.

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