Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Sharing is caring!

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce is a classic Thanksgiving side dish made from scratch with just 4 ingredients! Perfectly sweet and tarty!

I always stock up on cranberries during the season. My Cranberry Bread is on rotation all through winter, my Cranberry Crumb Bars are perfect for guests and my Cranberry Orange Cheesecake is always the star on our Christmas dinner table.

Cranberry sauce is hands down my favorite side dish to make and eat on holidays. I make it for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am always so excited to see cranberries show up in our grocery stores. This easy homemade classic Cranberry Sauce recipe is my go-to because it’s easy and absolutely delicious. All thanks to the combination of cranberries and ground cloves! This Cranberry Sauce calls for only a handful of ingredients: fresh or frozen cranberries, water ( or orange juice or a combo ), sugar and ground cloves.

Ingredients:

• fresh or frozen cranberries
• water
• sugar
• ground cloves

How to make Cranberry Sauce?

• Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, bring to boil, then simmer until the sauce thickens.
• You can mash the cranberries or even puree the sauce if that’s the texture you prefer. I love a chunky cranberry sauce with some berries whole.
• If you have any cranberry sauce leftover, you can use it to make my Cranberry Crumb Bars for a dessert or layer it with brie and leftover turkey to make a fantastic grilled cheese.

My secret to the best homemade cranberry sauce:

I know that most recipes for cranberry sauce call for cinnamon. It’s good but it’s not my favorite. The best spice for a cranberry sauce, in my opinion, are ground cloves. You don’t need much, just 1/4 teaspoon so they are not overwhelming. The cranberry and cloves combo is so perfect, sweet and tarty, warm and spiced.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Absolutely! I always make it the day before. Prepare as directed in the recipe below and store in a container with lid, in the fridge, for up to 3 days.

More holiday side dish recipes:

• Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
• Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing
• Instant Pot Turkey Breast
• Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole
• Candied Sweet Potatoes
• Turkey Gravy

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

5 from 10 votes

Print

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

A classic Thanksgiving side dish made from scratch with just 4 ingredients! Perfectly sweet and tarty!

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cranberry sauce

Servings: 5 people

Calories: 147 kcal

Author: Anna

Ingredients

• 12 oz. bag of fresh or frozen cranberries
• 1 cup water see note
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients, stir well.
2. Bring to boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 10 to 12 minutes. Smash cranberries, leaving some whole.
3. Remove from heat and cool. It will thicken even more as it cools.

Recipe Notes

This sauce can be made 3 days ahead.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Amount Per Serving

Calories 147

% Daily Value*

Sodium 4mg0%

Potassium 57mg2%

Carbohydrates 38g13%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 32g36%

Vitamin A 40IU1%

Vitamin C 9.1mg11%

Calcium 5mg1%

Iron 0.2mg1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.