Sweet, tart cranberry sauce is the unsung hero of the Thanksgiving table. It can brighten up the flavors of any turkey, and it brings out the best in side dishes like stuffing. Leftover cranberry sauce is also the key to a well-rounded turkey sandwich, adding that bit of acidity that brings all the other ingredients together. (In fact, leftover cranberry sauce can be used in a variety of ways: you can spoon it into the batter of an easy cake, mix it into softened butter to dollop on pancakes, or even shake it into a holiday cocktail.) While we know that canned cranberry sauce has its jiggly merits, the real thing is so easy to make that you can whip it up with almost no effort at all.
A good homemade cranberry sauce recipe doesn’t have to be complicated. All you need is the berries (fresh cranberries and the frozen kind both work equally well), sugar, and some orange juice or orange zest. As the cranberries cook, they release natural pectin, thickening up the mixture. This recipe is the simplest version you can make, and it lends itself well to additions and swaps. You can use some brown sugar or even maple syrup in place of the white sugar, add a cinnamon stick to the mixture as it boils, add fresh orange juice in place of some of the water—or even spike your sauce with gin. Fresh cranberry sauce takes minimal prep time, but it can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for a few days while you prepare the rest of the dishes for your Thanksgiving dinner. Just let it come to room temperature before serving.
Recipe information
Total Time
20 min
Yield
Makes about 2½ cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries just pop, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in zest, then cool.
Do Ahead: Cranberry sauce may be made 3 days ahead and chilled, covered.
Editor’s note: This recipe was originally published in the November 1999 issue of ‘Gourmet’ and first appeared on Epicurious in August 2004. Head this way for more of our best Thanksgiving sides →
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Reviews (78)
Back to TopGood stuff. Basically the same recipe in The Joy of Cooking (Irma Rombauer, 1964). IMHO Irma published what I would call the "base recipe" in 1964. As you know most every cook adds and subtracts from recipes ad libitum and I first added ginger to it in the 80's. I also experimented with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, cardamon and even a hint of rosemary (which is very nice if not overdone). I really prefer the sauce with ginger as the only addition and sometimes just before serving I'll stir in a couple of drops of vanilla. Try this: add a blob of the sauce in the bottom of a frozen martini glass, stir in cold vodka and simple syrup to your liking....the best Cosmopolitan IMO.
Charles
Rocklin, CA
11/17/2022
According to the top medical research ,,in the world an U.S.,,,cranberry’s are the best food source to protect your Kidneys,,great for detoxifiying your body,,creating better immune system ,,also shows very good effects assisting cancer treatments,,all around number one fruit for health,since it’s also low natural sugar,an roughage for bowel movements.
Anonymous
Wisconsin,,now in Indiana,53 years,since navy
12/20/2021
So simple and so perfect. It really lets the cranberry flavor shine through. I make this every Thanksgiving and the family loves it.
lhuetteman
Charlotte NC
11/26/2020
This is the first cranberry sauce recipe I have tried that calls for butter. That innovation was ok. What I didn’t like was the chopped orange inclusion. The orange was bitter, even after blanching. I prefer recipes that add orange zest uand orange juice, rather than the orange flesh. Also, be careful not to overcook or over-stir the sauce. My batch was “overcooked.😌 and the texture became mushy.
bingeneva
Washington, DC
11/29/2019
I lost the recipe from the November 1988 Gourmet magazine of jellied orange cranberry sauce. Does anyone have it? It's similar to this one, but my family loved that version. Thanks.
ctgal
Venice, Florida
10/25/2019
Needed to add more orange zest for the cranberry sauce to congeal like it's supposed to. But such an easy recipe to follow. I make it a day ahead for holiday dinners.
Anonymous
Baltimore, MD
11/25/2018
Excellent. Simple, fast, and tasty. It was a great accompaniment to our Thanksgiving turkey this year. Will definitely add this recipe to our Thanksgiving menu every year!
julieunc1
Charleston, SC
11/27/2015
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