You will never buy canned cranberry sauce again with my delicious Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe. Fresh cranberries, cranberry juice, vibrant freshly squeezed orange juice, zest simmered in sugar, warm cardamom, and a drizzle of dessert wine, what could be better? This recipe comes together in minutes, is make ahead, and is my favorite Thanksgiving day hero. I make this every year, and people are always asking to take it home!

This cranberry sauce is, sweet, tart, citrusy, and warm, thanks the the addition of my beloved cardamom spice that highlights the citrus flavor in this sauce. This is a fresh cranberry sauce recipe that you can easily make with frozen cranberries and enjoy this delicious sauce all year long!

WHAT TO SERVE WITH CRANBERRY SAUCE

If you are looking for Thanksgiving recipes to serve alongside this cranberry sauce, try these:

CRANBERRY SAUCE INGREDIENTS

Jump to the bottom of the recipe card below this post for full ingredient measurements and instructions.

Fresh Cranberries – 1 12 oz bag

Orange – I find that one large orange is plenty.

Cranberry juice – you can use a cranberry juice cocktail or real cranberry juice

Sugar – granulated sugar and brown sugar

Dessert wine – Any red port or dessert wine will do

Cardamom – Adds a warm, citrusy aroma and taste to the cranberry sauce

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY SAUCE

Follow these steps to make this recipe:

Clean the cranberries: Clean the cranberries thoroughly and remove any shriveled or rotten ones from the bunch. If you are using frozen cranberries, you will not need to rinse or thaw them.
Add the cranberries and juice: Juice and zest the orange, then add to a saucepan along with the fresh cranberries, cranberry juice, and half of the orange zest.
Add the sugar and cardamom: Add the granulated, brown sugar and the cardamom to the cranberries and stir well to combine. Cook over low heat until the sugars have dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Increase the heat: Increase the heat to a medium-high temperature and add the dessert wine while stirring. Continue to stir occasionally and allow berries to cook until they burst. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve: Remove the sauce from the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Place in the refrigerator to cool or serve warm. Garnish with the remaining orange zest before serving.

The Best Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Jamie Tryon Course: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

hour

minutes

Ingredients

12 oz 12 fresh cranberries
1 cup 1 granulated sugar
1/2 cup 1/2 brown sugar
1 cup 1 cranberry juice
1 1 orange, juiced, and zested
1/4 cup 1/4 red dessert wine
1 tsp 1 cardamom

Directions

Clean the cranberries thoroughly and remove any shriveled or rotten ones from the bunch. If you are using frozen cranberries, you will not need to rinse or thaw them.
Juice and zest the orange, then add to a saucepan along with the fresh cranberries, cranberry juice, and half of the orange zest.
Add the granulated, brown sugar and the cardamom to the cranberries and stir well to combine. Cook over low heat until the sugars have dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Increase the heat to a medium-high temperature and add the dessert wine while stirring. Continue to stir occasionally and allow berries to cook until they burst. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Place in the refrigerator to cool or serve warm.

Recipe Video

Notes

Be sure you allow the cranberries to pop while cooking, releasing the natural pectins in the fruit that thicken this sauce.

Did you make this recipe?

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