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5.0 from 9 votes

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

My favorite cranberry sauce recipe ever! Nothing beats a classic when it comes to cranberry sauce. All you need is a little bit of orange juice and zest, some cranberries and sugar! It is so good when you just keep things simple!

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
18 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 197 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-oz) bag cranberries divided*
  • big strips of orange zest from one orange
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 & 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon optional

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Wash the cranberries and remove any stems. Set aside 1 cup*. Add the rest of the bag (It should be about 2 and 1/2 cups) to a medium saucepan.
  2. Use a peeler to peel large strips of orange zest from 1 orange. Don't press too hard, you only want to peel off the orange part (avoid the white pith). Add all of it to the saucepan.
  3. Juice the orange. Add 1/2 cup orange juice to the pan with the cranberries. You might need to juice another orange to get to a 1/2 cup. (I used orange juice from a carton I had in the fridge. Either way will work fine, just make sure you have 1/2 cup liquid.)
  4. Add 1 and 1/4 cups sugar to the pan. Add up to 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, if you're using it. Set over medium high heat and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium and cook for about 10 minutes, until most of the cranberries have popped.
  5. Add the remaining 1 cup cranberries. Cook over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the fresh cranberries have softened but not popped.
  6. Remove from heat. At this point you can remove the pieces of orange zest if you like. I like to leave them in for an extra punch of flavor!
  7. Serve immediately, or store covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. The cranberry sauce can be served warm or chilled. Re-warm in a pot on the stove over medium low heat.

Notes

  • *I like to reserve 1 cup of cranberries to add at the end, so that they soften but don't pop. I love the flavor of fresh cranberries! If you're not into the "whole berry" texture, then add all the cranberries in at the beginning. But I'm telling you, you should try it at least once :) 

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 197kcal (10%) Carbohydrates 51g (17%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Potassium 91mg (3%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 46g (92%) Vitamin A 76IU (2%) Vitamin C 18mg (20%) Calcium 8mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 197

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 197kcal 10%
Carbohydrates 51g 17%
Protein 1g 2%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Potassium 91mg 2%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 46g 92%
Vitamin A 76IU 2%
Vitamin C 18mg 20%
Calcium 8mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.