This is our favorite recipe for the Thanksgiving staple: cranberry sauce. Made from 5 ingredients, this easy sauce is ready after 20 minutes on the stove. Flavored with fresh orange juice, brown sugar, and a dash of vanilla—my secret—it’s a cut above the rest.
I originally published this recipe in 2019 and have since added a few new photos and more helpful success tips.
I’ve been making this cranberry sauce for years. It’s our family’s favorite recipe and whenever I first taste it on Thanksgiving, I always wonder why I wait for the holiday season to make it. It deserves to be a year-round habit!
I almost didn’t share this recipe back in 2019, but it was too easy and too good to keep to myself. Readers have enjoyed it, too:
One reader, Barb, commented: “I have never been a huge fan of cranberry sauce until I made this recipe. The vanilla, in my opinion, makes this. This will be my go-to from here on out. ★★★★★”
Another reader, Emily, commented: “OMG! Just made this ahead for Thanksgiving dinner. It tastes so wonderful, it may not make it until Thanksgiving! Back to the store for more cranberries. And so easy… who knew. ★★★★★”
Finally, another reader, Marsha, commented: “I made this for Christmas and it was fantastic. Reserving 1/2 cup of raw berries and adding them at the end is a flavor sensation. I also loved the balance of orange flavor, which was just right. ★★★★★“
Why This is My Best Cranberry Sauce
- Quick—only 20 minutes on the stove
- Easy—no boiling the water and sugar together first
- Convenient—just 5 simple ingredients, including water
- Flavorful—made with fresh orange, vanilla, and brown sugar
- Texture—moderately thick with whole cranberries swirled in
- Make-ahead—make it a few days in advance so it’s ready!
Grab These Ingredients
No cornstarch or other thickeners needed.
- Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen cranberries. Do not use dried.
- Water: The cranberries cook in liquid, so we’re using a combination of water and orange juice. I find using all orange juice overpowers the cranberry flavor.
- Fresh Orange Juice & Zest: Before you juice the orange, grate some zest off. Add the zest after the sauce comes off heat. Why? When I cook the cranberry sauce with the zest, the end result tastes a little bitter. After zesting, cut the orange and squeeze 1/4 cup of juice. Orange and cranberry are a natural pairing. Have you tried my orange cranberry bread yet?
- Brown Sugar: Why use regular white granulated sugar when there’s brown sugar?! I usually use only 3/4 cup, but if you want a very sweet cranberry sauce, increase to 1 cup.
- Vanilla Extract: I don’t see a lot of cranberry sauce recipes use this ingredient, but I swear by it. A dash of vanilla extract tastes unbelievable with the orange, brown sugar, and cranberry flavors. (And bonus! Smells great too.)
How to Make Quick Cranberry Sauce
Rinse your cranberries first, then set 1/2 cup aside. We’ll stir those in at the very end, adding even more texture.
Combine the remaining cranberries, the water, orange juice, and brown sugar in a pot. Cook for 20 minutes until thickened:
Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest, vanilla, and reserved cranberries. That’s it, you’re done. Though I don’t recommend it, you could probably make this with your eyes closed.
If you need to bring a dish to Thanksgiving, bring this cranberry sauce (and bring cranberry cake for brunch or dessert!).
It’s low maintenance and you can make it ahead of time. You can also freeze the cranberry sauce for up to 3 months. Easy!
Uses for Cranberry Sauce
- With a Thanksgiving meal
- On biscuits, pancakes, or pound cake
- Swirl 3/4 cup into cheesecake batter before baking
- Serve with cornbread
- On buttermilk waffles
- Swirl 1/2 cup into cranberry orange muffins batter (you can skip the whole cranberries in that recipe)
- Swap BBQ sauce for cranberry sauce on BBQ chicken pizza (it really is good)
- Swirl into yogurt or cottage cheese
- Inside these cranberry brie puff pastry tarts
Two Quick Success Tips
- Keep it at a gentle simmer. I managed to over-boil the cranberries while filming a video for this recipe, literally while standing over the pot! So, keep the heat low and an eye on the sauce so the berries don’t shrivel and the sauce doesn’t thin out.
- Rinse your cranberries with water. This one’s for Chandler Bing. The dish soap can sit out this time. 😉
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes
- Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Green Bean Casserole (from scratch!)
- Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
- Sweet Potato Casserole (with crunchy pecan topping)
- Mushroom Puff Pastry Tarts
- Sausage & Herb Stuffing
And for even more inspiration see my complete list of 40+ Thanksgiving side dishes.
Print
Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made from 5 ingredients, including water and a fresh orange, this easy sauce is ready after 20 minutes on the stove. It thickens as it cools. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. See notes.
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce bag cranberries, rinsed*
- 3/4 cup (180ml) water
- 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh orange juice (about 1/2 large orange)
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar*
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Read before you begin: Zest the orange first and set aside 1 teaspoon of the zest. Then cut the orange and squeeze 1/4 cup of juice. (It’s harder to zest a cut orange!)
- After rinsing the cranberries, set 1/2 cup cranberries aside. You will stir these in at the end for extra texture.
- Combine the remaining cranberries, water, orange juice, and brown sugar together in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally as the mixture comes to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to low-medium. While stirring occasionally, continue to cook until liquid has reduced and cranberries have burst and thickened, about 15 more minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in 1/2 cup reserved cranberries, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Sauce is excellent served warm or at room temperature. Cover and store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can prepare the sauce 3 days ahead of time. Cool completely, cover tightly, then refrigerate until ready to use. Bring to room temperature or warm on the stove/in the microwave, if desired, before serving. To freeze, cool sauce completely. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm on the stove/in the microwave before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Zester | Citrus Juicer | Saucepan | Wooden Spoon
- Cranberries: One 12 ounce bag is usually between 3 and 4 cups. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries. No need to fully thaw. Rinse the cranberries with water in a colander before using. No need to pat dry—some water droplets are fine.
- Brown Sugar: I usually use 3/4 cup brown sugar, which makes a moderately sweet cranberry sauce. You can increase to 1 cup (200g) if you prefer your cranberry sauce extra sweet.
Reader Comments and Reviews
DON’T ADD THE VANILLA!
The vanilla is a huge mistake, in my option. Completely shifted the flavour. I would follow this recipe to a t and omit the vanilla in the future.
I felt the same after making it with 1/2 tsp last year…But this year I reduced it to 1/4 tsp and found it to be the perfect amount of added depth without being overpowering.
I made it! But I added a smidge of cinnamon and ground cloves. Bam!
I made this for Christmas and it was fantastic. Reserving 1/2 cup of raw berries and adding them at the end is a flavour sensation. I also loved the balance of orange flavour, which was just right.
Great recipe. Super easy!!
Quote from a family member: what is happening in my mouth right now? It tastes like winter, wow!
Sorry. But this was a no go for me. A little too much like baked good rather than a tart sauce to counteract the rich gravy and turkey.
Not sure why sone of the liquid ingredients are given in ml, some in grams, and the cranberries only in ounces 🙂
This is the best cranberry sauce and so
easy to make!! Definitely not just for Thanksgiving!
I’ll begin by saying this website has become my go to for online recipes! My favorite and most consistent source of 5⭐️ recipes. That being said, this recipe fell short for me. It was most definitely the brown sugar that didn’t work for me. The cranberry sauce set perfectly, the flavors just didn’t go well for me or our family of cranberry sauce lovers.
Great flavor and so easy to make.
I made this incredible recipe for Thanksgiving dinner and it got rave reviews, my own included. It’s the best cranberry sauce I’ve ever tasted, bar none.
Leaning toward a healthier, sugar-free lifestyle in the coming year (hubby’s a T2 diabetic with a raging sweet tooth), I modified this using BochaSweet brown. Pretty darn good! I’ve also made it with chopped apple added in. Yum. All of that to say your recipe has allowed me to create wonderful treats for the family.
This was delicious and unbelievably easy to make. I used fresh cranberries and I don’t think I would have been as happy with frozen ones- the taste was fabulous! People who hate the jellied stuff that slides out of a can actually enjoyed this at our Thanksgiving dinner, and I was one of them. Best of all, it is really beautiful in addition to tasting so fresh and wonderful. Try this, you will be sold!
Our daughter found your recipe and it’s now her signature dish!
I found a great way to use the leftovers too! I blend 1 cup maybe 1.5 cups to 1 package of tofu! It’s blends beautifully and it’s kind of a cranberry mousse? Haha and I add 1 more touch of vanilla to it. I keep in the fridge and usually eat it all within a few servings. Healthy and delicious
I made this for the first time and it was delicious! I don’t usually eat it with my Thanksgiving dinner but I make some for family. I saw your recipe and knew it would be a hit! It was so easy and flavorful. I am going to make my Windsor pork chops and use this sauce instead of the cranberry/cherry sauce I make for these. It will be so tasty! Thanks Sally, you always have my back for recipes. I always go to your site. I also tell everyone where I got the recipe!☺️
I made two batches of the easy cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. It was a hit, gone by the second day (no leftovers!). I zested a large orange and included all of it. It was a couple of tablespoonfuls, and was so darned good. Thanks for a terrific recipe.
Amazing! Thank you!
I have never been a huge fan of cranberry sauce until I made this recipe. The vanilla, in my opinion, makes this. This will be my go to from here on out.
This recipe made such a hit this year. The brown sugar and vanilla just put it over the top, and even my husband who says he doesn’t care for cranberry sauce, ate it. I think your recipe made a cranberry sauce fan out of him! Thanks, Sally. Between this and the dressing/stuffing, Thanksgiving dinner was just perfect.
This was absolutely exquisite everyone just fell in love. Ty!!
Very good recipe! I added just a touch of cinnamon for my taste. Excellent!
Delicious and so easy. Everyone loved it
perfection! I added orange blossom infused vodka to the water…left it with a beautiful flavor. 🙂
First time trying your Cranberry Sauce recipe! Fantastic! I love the orange zest and vanilla additions. I used apple and orange juices instead of water and cut the brown sugar in half.
I wanted something a little different that the usual style I follow on the cranberries bag (basic receipt). Saw this one and gave it a try; oh boy, was it a big hit! Folks that rarely eat cranberry sauce enjoyed it, and many had seconds. Next year, I will double the batch to have plenty for leftovers. Thank you!
This was my second Thanksgiving making this recipe and I was reminded just how fantastic it is. It was so simple to cook at the last minute and was delicious leftover and chilled this morning on some cinnamon raisin toast. Yum! I also made your sea salt herb skillet rolls and great pumpkin pie recipe– our holiday table was made complete by so many of your recipes. Thank you, Sally!
When people say they don’t like cranberry sauce clearly haven’t tried this recipe. This is the best! Thank you.
This came together so easily. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. I took advice from a few commenters and added a cinnamon stick during the simmering. Such a yummy, quick recipe to make a big impact compared to canned relish.
Great recipe. Thank you. Vanilla was a delicious addition.
I love this simple recipe. I will use it for eternity! Thank you!
I put this cranberry sauce cold over a block of softened cream cheese and serve with crackers and flat pretzel crisps for dipping as an appetizer before dinner. Everyone loves it!