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Cranberry Sauce

Homemade Cranberry Sauce is an iconic Thanksgiving side dish made with just 3 ingredients. You can sweeten it with sugar or use a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup (our favorite!). The sweet and tangy flavors pair perfectly with savory turkey.
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Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Condiments, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 116
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup granulated sugar or 3/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar, plus more to taste
  • 3/4 cup water preferably filtered
  • 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries

Method
 

  1. Rinse Cranberries – If you put them in a bowl of water, usually any bad cranberries will float to the top so you can easily discard them. Pick out and discard any shriveled, squishy or discolored ones and drain well.
  2. Melt Sugar – In a large saucepan, combine sugar (or maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar) and water. Set over medium heat and stir to dissolve the sugar.*
  3. Add Cranberries – Add cranberries and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens, about 12-15 minutes.
  4. Sweeten to Taste – Add more maple syrup, honey, or sugar to taste if needed, then remove from heat and cool sauce to room temperature before serving.

Notes

Substituting Sweetener: If You are using a liquid sweetener like honey or maple syrup, you can just combine everything in the saucepan all at once and bring to a boil. 
Optional Add-ins: Add any of these at the start of cooking: 
  • 2 wide strips of lemon zest, plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 wide strips of orange zest, plus 1/4 cup orange juice for Cranberry Orange Sauce
  • 1/2 cup dried cherries
  • 1/2 cinnamon stick
To Store Cranberry Sauce: Once cranberry sauce has cooled to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.