Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This easy homemade Cranberry Sauce has been a Thanksgiving table tradition for years. Once you taste fresh cranberry sauce you will never buy the canned stuff again!

This cranberry sauce is a traditional favorite every year at our Thanksgiving table.

I grew up on the canned cranberry sauce but I never liked it.

The first time I made homemade cranberry sauce I loved it and now make it every year! The flavor difference is so huge that I can’t believe what I was missing out on.

I love having a bite of mashed potato with gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. Now that’s the perfect holiday bite!

It’s so easy to make that anyone can do it. I hope you give it a try this year!

Cranberry Sauce Ingredients

All you need is just 3 ingredients to make your own cranberry sauce at home. The full recipe and instructions is at the bottom of this post, but here are the ingredients you will need.

• Fresh Cranberries: look for bright red cranberries that are not mushy or soft/wrinkled.
• Pure Maple Syrup: the real stuff, not pancake syrup.
• Salt: just a little bit to make all of the flavors pop.

How to make cranberry sauce

Step 1: Add the fresh cranberries, maple syrup, and salt to a medium sized sauce pan.

Step 2: Heat the pan over medium high heat until the cranberry mixture starts to boil.

Step 3: Once the cranberries begin to boil, turn the heat to low and stir the cranberry sauce often for 10 – 15 minutes.

As the cranberries cook, they will start to soften and burst. Use the bottom of a spoon to mash the cranberries as you go.

Step 4: Once the cranberry sauce is finished cooking, transfer it to a covered container and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Cranberry sauce is thick, sweet and tangy. It really could not be any easier to make!

Thanksgiving Tip

This is a great recipe to make the day before Thanksgiving and store in the fridge until it’s time for Thanksgiving dinner. I do this every year to save on time on the big day!

Now that I’ve made my own cranberry sauce, I can’t imagine Thanksgiving without it!

Kitchen tips

When buying cranberries, they should be bright red and firm to the touch. Try to avoid mushy darker colored cranberries, as this means they are starting to turn bad.

More Thanksgiving Favorites

• Easy Vegan Stuffing
• Pecan Pie Bars
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows
• Mashed Potatoes with Sour Cream
• Broccoli Casserole
• The Best Vegetarian Gravy
• Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Notes

This is a great recipe to prep the day before Thanksgiving. Leave it refrigerated until the meal is ready to serve!

Nutrition

• Calories: 90kcal
• Carbohydrates: 23g
• Protein: 0.2g
• Fat: 0.1g
• Saturated Fat: 0.003g
• Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.02g
• Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g
• Sodium: 3mg
• Potassium: 91mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 18g
• Vitamin A: 23IU
• Vitamin C: 5mg
• Calcium: 32mg
• Iron: 0.1mg