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Home ยป Condiment Recipes

How to Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Published: Nov 21, 2017 ยท Modified: Sep 21, 2022 by Madalaine ยท This post may contain affiliate links ยท

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Have you ever made homemade cranberry sauce?ย  If not, you're missing out!ย  It is so incredibly easy and FUN to make.ย  No really.ย  What's fun about making cranberry sauce?ย  Well, have you ever gotten your hands on some of those small packing bubbles?ย  You know the ones I'm talking about.ย  They're addictive.ย  Pop... pop, pop, pop... Pop! When you put whole fresh cranberries in the pot, that's what they do!ย  It's so cool to see them burst apart.ย  They're like baby water balloons popping in slow motion.ย  It doesn't take them long to do it either.ย  Ahhh... simple pleasures!

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It comes together fast too.ย  Then you are left with an amazing "pop" of color for your Thanksgiving table.ย  Put it in a pretty bowl and it's a beautiful sparkling gem.ย  Who cares if anyone eats it or not? ๐Ÿ˜‰ Homemade Cranberry Sauce is the Crown Jewel of the Thanksgiving Table, and sooooo much FUN to make! | www.lakesidetable.com At the very bottom of this post is my favorite cranberry sauce recipe I came up years ago.ย  I've been know to guild the lily a time or two and this is another prime example of just that.ย  Right below this picture is a straight forward no frills recipe that lets this little berry shine all on it's own. Homemade Cranberry Sauce is the Crown Jewel of the Thanksgiving Table, and sooooo much FUN to make! | www.lakesidetable.com

Simple Cranberry Sauce Recipe

If you're a cranberry sauce purist try this recipe:
  1. Put 1 bag of fresh cranberries (washed) in a pot over medium heat
  2. Add ยพ cup sugar and the juice of 1 orange, stir
  3. Heat until cranberries have popped and sauce thickens
Homemade Cranberry Sauce is the Crown Jewel of the Thanksgiving Table, and sooooo much FUN to make! | www.lakesidetable.com Regardless if you like everything but the kitchen sink in your cranberry sauce, on their own, jelled out of a can, the chunky variety in the refrigerated isle, in chocolate, over ice cream, or if you'd like to take a pass on them altogether...

MAY YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!ย 

Wishing you all the best this holiday season, Madalaine

Homemade Cranberry Sauce is the Crown Jewel of the Thanksgiving Table, and sooooo much FUN to make! | www.lakesidetable.com
5 from 2 votes
Print

Sweet, Spicy, Chunky Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This dazzling crown jewel of any holiday table is a great compliment to turkey or pork.  I've even served it with lamb and it's excellent with that too.  It's tangy, sweet, with just a touch of heat to give it kick.  Dress it up in a mason jar with a bow and it makes a beautiful tasty gift too!

Course Condiment, Side
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 3 cups
Calories 38 kcal
Author Madalaine

Ingredients

  • 1 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
  • ยพ cup sugar
  • 3 large orange zest pieces
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • โ…” cup white onion diced
  • โ…” cup dried apricot diced
  • ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ยผ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • โ…” cup chopped pecans toasted
  • ยผ teaspoon ground cloves
  • lemon zest

Instructions

  1. Rinse the cranberries and put them in a pot over medium heat with the orange zest and orange juice.
  2. When the cranberries start to burst, add the remaining ingredients and simmer until it thickens up, stirring constantly.
  3. Cool completely and store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts
Sweet, Spicy, Chunky Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 38 Calories from Fat 2
% Daily Value*
Fat 0.2g0%
Saturated Fat 0.03g0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.04g
Sodium 392mg17%
Potassium 170mg5%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 0.3g1%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 215IU4%
Vitamin C 41mg50%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  1. Nancy says

    November 21, 2017 at 7:44 pm

    WOW!! Is that all there is to it? I can do this! How about adding a little pineapple chunks to it? We bought can already but I think Iโ€™ll try this.....yum!

    • Madalaine says

      February 10, 2018 at 12:11 pm

      I don't see why not. ๐Ÿ™‚ Let me know how it works out!

  2. Surya says

    June 19, 2020 at 5:15 am

    5 stars
    This will come in handy for Thanksgiving!

  3. Carol G says

    June 30, 2020 at 7:27 am

    I am not a fan of canned cranberry sauce, this recipe looks so good. Cannot wait until Thanksgiving to make it.

  4. Amia says

    December 30, 2024 at 2:38 pm

    I never expected to see onions on the ingredient list! That seems like a very flavorful twist and I can't wait to try!

    • Madalaine says

      February 23, 2025 at 10:13 pm

      definitely a hidden gem to the recipe for sure!!

5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)
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Welcome!

Hi Iโ€™m Madalaine and I love helping people have FUN in their kitchen. You'll find lots of easy-to-follow gluten-free recipes and tons of tips I learned in culinary school.ย  Most of my recipes are French-inspired butย allย of my recipes are family favorites.

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