I honestly had no idea it was this easy to make cranberry sauce! Cranberry sauce wasn't actually much of a fixture for my holiday meals growing up but it was for Bryan so I gave it a try! I was pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive cranberries are to buy in Ontario, how well they freeze, and how quick it is to make this easy cranberry sauce recipe!
15 minutes start to finish
Can use frozen or fresh cranberries
Adjust the sweetness to your liking
Add citrus zest or cinnamon or both!
And enjoy all year round!
Is Cranberry Sauce Just For The Holidays
I don't think so anyway! I certainly think about cranberries more when they are in season and the colour of the leaves on the trees starts to change BUT, once I started buying these and freezing them, we have added cranberry sauce to so many different meals!
To freeze fresh cranberries:
- Remove them from the package you bought them in.
- Spread them in a single layer on a baking tray.
- Lay that tray in your freezer for 1-2 hours or until the cranberries are frozen solid.
- Scoop the frozen cranberries off the tray and transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container for longer storage.
- This way they don't stick together as they freeze and you can easily scoop them out whenever you need!
Since we have had frozen cranberries in our freezer we have started making cranberry sauce for other meals like loaded salads or festive fresh bowls. We have snuck cranberries into other dishes like casseroles. And even added them to oatmeal and smoothies.
I find cranberries quite tart so I have to make sure there is a balance of sweetness. They do take a bit of getting use to for me but Bryan loves them and would put them in anything. Let us know in the comments if you are a cranberry fan too!
Ingredients For This Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe
This easy cranberry sauce recipe is just three ingredients! You can add in some optional flavourings or keep it simple!
- Cranberries (fresh or frozen)
- Water
- Sugar
I tend to use cane sugar for this recipe because I find that maple syrup changes the flavour quite a bit more. Maple syrup is my go to option for an unrefined sugar but for this particular recipe I usually choose cane sugar. I also use only ¼ cup of sugar which keeps the sauce quite tart so feel free to add more to your taste.
Optional flavour boosters:
- A cinnamon stick while the sauce cooks. Or...
- Ground cinnamon for that bit of spice at the end of the cooking time.
- Orange zest and/or juice for tartness.
- And feel free to add other spices like nutmeg, ginger, cloves... all your holiday favourites!
Just 15 Minutes
It really does just take 15 minutes!
To make this easy cranberry sauce:
- Bring the water and sugar (and cinnamon stick if using) to a boil in a small saucepan.
- Add the fresh or frozen cranberries and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally.
- The cranberries will start to "pop" and you can easily mash them with the back of your spoon.
- If adding zest, orange juice, or ground spices; add them in the last 1-2 minutes of cooking time.
- Carefully taste test your sauce and adjust the sweetness to your preference.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Simple as that!
Recipe Cost
This 15 minute homemade cranberry sauce makes roughly 1 ¼ cup of sauce and costs us approximately:
CAD $1.39 ($0.46 / 100 ml) without the optional flavourings. A cinnamon stick would add only a few cents to the recipe cost and we love using frozen orange zest!
Whenever you peel an orange or slice a lemon or lime... zest it first! Store the zest in a little container in your freezer. This way whenever you want to make a recipe like this one... you don't need to buy a fresh orange or other citrus fruit just for the zest!
Store-bought cranberry sauce would cost us approximately $2.50 - $3.99 for a 348 ml can. So this homemade version does end up being more thrifty than store-bought cranberry sauce!
Let me know in the comments below if you will give this easy cranberry sauce recipe a try and if you keep cranberries on hand for other recipes! Try these with our Beautiful Hasselback Butternut Squash Tray Bake, our Leftover Roasted Vegetable Salad, and our Holiday Squash Sandwich!
For a summery fruit sauce, take a look at our thrifty Watermelon Rind Fruit Sauce!
Print
Easy Holiday Cranberry Sauce In 15 Minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 ¼ cup (300 ml) 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Who knew a homemade festive cranberry sauce was this quick! This easy cranberry sauce recipe is just three ingredients and 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cranberries (192g, fresh or frozen)*
- ½ cup filtered water
- ¼ cup cane sugar (or maple syrup)
- ¼ tsp orange zest, optional
- 1 cinnamon stick, optional (or ¼-½ teaspoon ground cinnamon)
*Ingredients you need that are not part of our pantry and freezer tips.
Instructions
- Bring the water, sugar (and cinnamon stick if using) to a boil in a small saucepan.
- Add the cranberries and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Simmer with the lid off for 10 minutes until the cranberries start to “pop”. Stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the orange zest or ground cinnamon if adding. Heat for an additional minute or two to combine the flavours. You can mash the cranberries further with the back of your spoon until your desired consistency is achieved. Carefully taste and adjust the sweetness by adding a bit more sugar or maple syrup if the sauce is too tart for your taste.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Feel free to blend the sauce and create a smooth cranberry drizzle! Stores well in the fridge for 5 days and freezes well for up to one month.
- Try these with our Beautiful Hasselback Butternut Squash and on our Leftover Roasted Vegetable Salad and Holiday Squash Sandwich!
Notes
Approximate Cost: CAD $1.39 ($0.46 / 100 ml) without the optional flavours. In comparison, store-bought cranberry sauce would cost us roughly CAD $2.50 - $3.99 for 348 ml. A cinnamon stick would add only a few cents and we love using frozen orange zest! Before you peel your oranges… zest them and freeze the zest in a little container! This way, when you want to make recipes like this one, you don’t need to buy a fresh orange just for the zest.
I tend to use cane sugar for this recipe because I can taste the flavour of maple syrup more. Cane sugar sweetens the cranberry sauce without adding much flavour of its own. But if you are a fan of maple syrup then absolutely opt for a less refined sugar!
Frozen cranberries work perfectly! Snatch up bags of fresh cranberries when they are on sale, lay the cranberries in a single layer on a sheet pan and slide that in your freezer. Once the cranberries are frozen (1-2 hours) transfer them to a freezer safe bag or container. This will ensure they don’t stick together as they freeze and making 15 minute cranberry sauce will be a breeze! They are quite tart but we also toss them in smoothies or oatmeal occasionally!
- Category: Sauces & Dips
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Darla
I had no idea it was this quick and easy to make homemade cranberry sauce. I used this recipe recently for thanksgiving and will definitely be using it again for christmas. I might even try making it in advance and freezing it (one less thing to do right...) thank you!
Kathryn Alexandre
I know! Me neither. I was pretty pleasantly surprised to discover how simple this is. It's nice to be able to control the sweetness level too and the overall flavour with any add ins you like. Thank you for letting me know this will be a repeat one for you. Happy holidays (and thank you for the lovely star rating)!