Homemade Cranberry Sauce (Just 4 Ingredients!)

Make your own delicious homemade cranberry sauce following a few simple steps and using just 4 ingredients! Perfect as an easy Thanksgiving side, this is by far the best Homemade Cranberry Sauce ever!  And it’s refined sugar-free.

this RECIPE

Okay… so Thanksgiving is upon us.

That means it’s time to start breaking out the boots and scarves and all the tasty Thanksgiving goodies!  Yippee!!

Thanksgiving has got to be one of my absolute favorite holidays. I love the food, the friends, and the family gathering at and around the Thanksgiving table.

Um… did I mention the food part?  Cuz that’s so good.

I mean, how can you beat a holiday that you spend all day with family while you cook, eat, watch football, and then eat some more?

Okay, speaking of Thanksgiving food, I want to share what is arguably my favorite part of the entire meal: the homemade cranberry sauce. I don’t know about you but I think cranberry sauce is one of the best Thanksgiving side dishes.

Oh my goodness, friends, this is the best homemade cranberry sauce recipe I’ve ever had.  If you’ve never made cranberry sauce and you usually buy the canned stuff, you really won’t know what hit you.

We always bought the canned stuff when I was growing up, so I didn’t even know something else existed.  I always enjoyed the smooth cranberry sauce that had the actual cranberries removed.

Then, on a whim in 2010 (yes, I totally remember the year – this was a BIG deal, friends!), I decided to try to make cranberry sauce at home.  Talk about never going back! That also means I have a whole cranberry sauce recipe for you!

The flavor combination of the fresh cranberries, orange juice, raw honey and bursts of freshly grated orange zest make this cranberry sauce to. die. for.  This, in my opinion, is the best cranberry sauce recipe. Try this homemade cranberry sauce out and you’ll see what I mean.  I promise.

HOW TO MAKE CRANBERRY SAUCE

This recipe for cranberry sauce not only makes delicious homemade cranberry sauce but it’s also super easy. If you follow these simple steps, you’ll learn how to make cranberry sauce in no time:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a pot over medium-high heat;
2. Let the cranberries cook for approximately 15-20 minutes stirring occasionally;
3. Allow the cranberries sauce to cool;
4. Refrigerate the simple cranberry sauce in an airtight container.

Now tell me that making cranberry sauce from scratch isn’t the easiest thing ever. And one of the most delicious things too. Plus, you’ll have healthy cranberry sauce on your Thanksgiving table.

Yiippee and yummy!

IS CRANBERRY SAUCE GOOD FOR YOU?

When you learn how to make THIS homemade cranberry sauce the answer is YES.

Cranberries are...

• rich in antioxidants;
• rich in vitamin C;
• rich in fiber.

Cranberries also contain...

• vitamin K;
• vitamin A;
• manganese (a mineral that boosts the metabolism).

Cranberries are also are low in calories.

My cranberry sauce recipe makes low sugar cranberry sauce, which means you get all the benefits of cranberries without worrying about the refined sugar in the canned cranberry sauce.

Isn’t that amazing?

And can you think of all the cranberry recipes you can make with the cranberry sauce leftovers?  Like this Leftover Turkey Cranberry Salad, for example!

OMG!

MAKING LOW SUGAR CRANBERRY SAUCE

If you’re looking to make homemade cranberry sauce without refined sugar, the good news is that it’s super easy. There is no reason to add a bunch of white granulated, highly processed sugar to the cranberries.  Instead, try using some healthier, less refined, and still yummy options to sweeten up your homemade cranberry sauce.  Below are some great options:

• orange juice
• raw honey
• pure maple syrup
• coconut sugar

My favorite way to sweeten my homemade cranberry sauce is to use a mix of a little raw honey and a little orange juice.  Those give the best depth of flavor without having to add a ton of sugar to the recipe.  To learn more about how to quit sugar, read my post.

Cranberry sauce is a holiday staple, but did you know it pairs beautifully with other fruit-based dishes? For a warm and comforting option, check out these Healthy Cinnamon Apples—they’re the perfect complement to any festive meal!

HOW TO SERVE CRANBERRY SAUCE

Typically, cranberry sauce is served with

• Thanksgiving Turkey;
• steak
• or crockpot mashed potatoes.

While I love cranberries sauce with turkey and other healthy Thanksgiving dishes, I also heart my homemade cranberry sauce with...

• Greek yogurt;
• granola;
• oatmeal;

No food waste and more delicious cranberry recipes with the homemade cranberry sauce leftovers. Perfect!

MAKING CRANBERRY SAUCE AHEAD

The BIGGEST time saver for Thanksgiving prep is to make ahead a lot of my Thanksgiving sides. Actually, make ahead meals are my saviors all the time.

This tasty homemade cranberry sauce right here is no exception. Yes, make ahead cranberry sauce is a thing in my house. Not only does it get even better when refrigerated, but it also needs to be cooled anyway. For best results with the make ahead cranberry sauce, refrigerate it after allowing it to cool in an air-tight container.

HOW LONG DOES CRANBERRY SAUCE LAST?

We usually make the cranberry sauce the day before Thanksgiving so it’s ready to grab and serve.  One quick note is that it does become a little more tart as it cools so you want to taste before serving and adjust any sweetness, as needed.

You can keep homemade cranberry sauce for up to a week in the refrigerator.

CAN YOU FREEZE CRANBERRY SAUCE?

There’s another answer to your how long does cranberry sauce last? question. In case you didn't know, cranberry sauce freezes beautifully. You can totally make a ton of healthy cranberry sauce for later.

If you store the simple cranberry sauce in an airtight container or in a Ziploc bag in the freezer, the cranberry sauce lasts for up to 2 months.

Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.

3 MORE THANKSGIVING SIDE DISHES

For those of you who love Thanksgiving food as much as I do, I have more Thanksgiving side dish recipes. Recipes that make healthy and delicious Thanksgiving side dishes, of course. I’m gonna start with a sweet and delicious sweet potato casserole then move to a green bean casserole, and end with a well-loved classic – the mashed potatoes.

EASY SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

Is it possible to have Thanksgiving dinner without a sweet potato casserole? Probably, but why would you? Because sweet potato casserole is not very healthy, you might say. But this Easy Sweet Potato Casserole is healthy. Of course it is. It’s me after all.

Sweet, dense and crunchy, this Easy Sweet Potato Casserole substitutes coconut sugar for brown sugar, coconut oil for butter, and buckwheat flour for all-purpose flour. See? Healthy and delicious.

HEALTHY GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE

You know what else you can serve as a side this Thanksgiving? A Healthy Green Bean Casserole made from scratch.

The reason you want to make this Healthy Green Bean Casserole from scratch is to avoid all the unnecessary fats and processed ingredients you would normally use such as canned crispy onions and canned mushroom sauce.

CROCK POT MASHED POTATOES

Mashed potatoes cannot miss from the Thanksgiving table. But you can make them healthier if you follow my Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes recipe.

Easy to do, flavorful, made with only a few simple ingredients, these Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes will wow your guests’ taste buds.

This post contains affiliate links for the products I use regularly and highly recommend.