Made with fresh cranberries, this homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe is your hot ticket to household fame. With each bite, the mesmerizing flavors will make your mouth dance with joy! And once you know how easy it is to make, you’ll never go back to cans again. Just 5 ingredients, and you’re done!
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Believe me, this easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe is about to dazzle you with its festive flavors.
Amanda writes: "This was probably my favorite thing at Thanksgiving this year! The flavors in this were amazing!!! I normally only eat cranberry sauce at the holidays but I will definitely be making this throughout the year! It was fantastic!!!"
To start, this fresh and zippy sauce is made unbelievably amazing with a top secret ingredient: orange marmalade!
The orange marmalade perfectly compliments your fresh cranberries… and together they create a most delectable cranberry orange sauce.
It’s so good, you’ll want a second helping… and maybe even a third!
So you can definitely count on this vibrant cranberry sauce to make an idyllic addition to your Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. In fact, you may just find that it becomes one of your favorite Christmas Crockpot Recipes… and quite possibly your most popular Thanksgiving Dinner Side Dish!
No kidding, once you try it you’ll never go back to canned cranberry sauce again. It truly is the perfect way to elevate the flavors of your holiday dinner.
And for this easy sauce, go ahead and leave your sleeves rolled down. It takes so little effort, you’ll be done almost before you begin!
Just toss everything in the Crock Pot and walk away. And as an extra added bonus… your house will smell wonderful while it’s cooking!
Or if you’re pinched for time, I’ll show you how to make this really fast on your stovetop. Or better yet, just make this cranberry sauce ahead of time!
So buckle your seat belts and get ready to indulge, because preparing a taste bud squealing cranberry sauce has never been so easy!
You’ll love how this sauce beautifully pairs with other holiday classics. Like this easy Mashed Potatoes Recipe, this homemade Chicken Gravy Recipe, and this Brown Gravy Recipe.
Plus, it adds such a fresh and sassy flair to this iconic Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip.
So what are you waiting for?
Homemade Sauces are one of the easiest ways to massively upgrade your special dinners!
Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
It takes just a few simple ingredients to make the BEST Crockpot Cranberry Sauce with orange marmalade!
First check in your pantry and refrigerator, then add these ingredients to your grocery list…
- Fresh Cranberries – for outrageous flavor! (I try to use Ocean Spray Cranberries)
- Orange Marmalade – the secret ingredient that takes this to the next level!
- Granulated Sugar – skip the brown sugar, and make sure to use classic ‘white’ sugar to add the perfect kiss of sweetness.
- Cinnamon – to infuse a hint of cozy Fall spices into each bite.
- Orange Juice – store bought or fresh squeezed… either will work!
That’s it. You’ll just need 5 glorious ingredients to create this gourmet cranberry sauce recipe with orange marmalade!
Plus, just like many of my other 5 Ingredient Crock Pot Recipes, you’ll need a 4 – 6 quart Crock Pot to prepare this recipe… or a large saucepan if making it on the stove top.
And if you have any cranberries leftover… maybe from a larger bag or previously frozen cranberries… be sure to give this Cranberry and Walnut Bread a try, too!
How to Use Cranberry Sauce
So are you wondering just how to use this delicious little saucy treat?
To start, be sure to serve this cranberry orange relish at Thanksgiving. It’s actually the most popular of all my Easy Thanksgiving Recipes on The Frugal Girls.
But don’t stop there. There are so many more delicious ways for you to use this sauce now and later on for leftovers! Here are just a few of my favorites…
- Add to Your Christmas Dinner Side Dishes
- As a topping for this Pancake Mix Recipe
- Baked Brie Topping
- Barbecue Sauce Mix In
- Cranberry and Cream Cheese Dip
- Cranberry Sliders: Cold Turkey, Cream Cheese, and Cranberry Sauce on Hawaiian Rolls!
- English Muffins Topping
- Leftover Turkey Sandwich Spread
- Oatmeal Mix In
- Vanilla Ice Cream Topping
- Waffle Topping
Pin this now to find it later
Pin ItHow to Make Cranberry Sauce with Fresh Cranberries
It’s actually crazy easy to make the Best cranberry sauce recipe.
Here’s what you’ll do…
1. Wash your Fresh Cranberries.
2. Add all ingredients (except Orange Juice) to Crockpot and stir.
3. Pour in Orange Juice, and stir again.
4. Cook until cranberries begin to pop.
5. Smash remaining cranberries against the side of the crockpot using a wooden spoon or spatula.
6. Remove lid, and allow your sauce to simmer as specified below. Stir well, and ENJOY!
And that’s all it takes to make this scratch made simple cranberry sauce recipe in the slow cooker! Easy Peasy!!
Scroll down for the printable recipe card with detailed, step-by-step instructions.
Stovetop Instructions
Pinched for time? No worries… you can make this really fast on your stovetop, too!
Here’s what you’ll do…
1. Add all ingredients to a large saucepan, stir well, and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently.
2. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until most of the cranberries have popped. Then you can leave a few cranberries remaining whole, or simply smash the rest to the side of the pan to ‘pop’ them.
3. Remove from heat and allow to cool and thicken up for at least 30 minutes. ENJOY!
How to Store Cooked Cranberry Sauce
Want to prep ahead? Go for it!
Or do you have leftovers? Don’t toss them!
Yes… this gourmet cranberry sauce recipe can be made ahead of time!
In the Refrigerator: Cranberry sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and used within 1 week.
In the Freezer: After sauce has cooled completely, it can be frozen in an airtight freezer-safe container up to 3 months.
Then, make planning for holiday meals even easier with more easy meal prep ideas!
Easy Cranberry Sauce Reviews
So here’s what your frugal friends are saying about this Fresh Cranberry Sauce Recipe…
Heather writes: “Waaaaay better than the canned stuff!!”
Serene writes: “Once I made it this way I never went back to store bought!”
Tiffany writes: “We have tried several recipes and this by far is our favorite!”
Erika writes: “The taste of the cinnamon was just right but I really loved the taste of the marmalade with the cranberries. This recipe is a winner.”
Sheri writes: “This is the go to cranberry relish recipe! We started making this and have never went back to can sauce. Yum”
Jackie writes: “2nd year making this! Everyone’s favorite cranberry sauce now”
Kathleen writes: “This was so easy to make! Everyone loved it! This recipe is a keeper!”
Nanette writes: “This is the best recipe ~ will be using this forever!”
Tina writes: “My husband doesn’t like the canned kind so I made this; He likes it!!”
Monica writes: “This sauce was Amazing! I will make this every Thanksgiving & Christmas.”
Tammy writes: “I made this for the first time last year, it was a big hit! I have nothing against the canned version, but this is my go to way to serve it during the holidays from now on!”
Rachel writes: “I’ve used this recipe the last few years. Was never a fan of the can version but this one I can eat by itself. And it smells so yummy cooking!!”
Patty writes: “I add some diced jalapeños and garnish with toasted pecans.”
Sandee writes: “I’ve made this for the past several Thanksgivings. It’s delicious!!”
Erin writes: “I love this recipe, and have been making it for a couple of years. Thank you for sharing it.”
Deb writes: “I make it any time I want Cranberry Sauce. It is so much better than the canned. I keep bags of cranberries in my freezer to use throughout the year.”
Irma writes: “I make it on the stove up a couple nights before. I will never eat canned again.”
MiKala writes: “We’ve done this for the last handful of years. It’s awesome. Also as leftovers, when chilled, it sets up like a jelly. It’s so good on biscuits.”
Renee writes: “We’ve had it on angel food cake, too”
Amanda writes: “This was probably my favorite thing at Thanksgiving this year! The flavors in this were amazing!!! I normally only eat cranberry sauce at the holidays but I will definitely be making this throughout the year! It was fantastic!!!”
More Popular Holiday Dinner Sides
Vegetables
Party Potatoes
Vegetables
Creamed Corn Recipe
Vegetables
Easy Broccoli Salad
Vegetables
Crockpot Cheesy Broccoli Recipe
Vegetables
Crockpot Sweet Potatoes Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe? ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Leave a comment & review below!
Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Fresh Cranberries
- ¾ cup Smucker’s Orange Marmalade
- ¾ cup White Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ cup Orange Juice
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients.
- Place Fresh Cranberries in colander, thoroughly rinse with cold water, and pat dry.
- Add Cranberries, Orange Marmalade, Sugar, and Cinnamon to Crockpot, and stir until well combined.
- Pour in Orange Juice, stir again, and place lid on Crockpot.
- Cook on HIGH for 3 hours, or until cranberries begin to pop.
- After 3 hours or so… once cranberries begin to pop, gently smash cranberries up against the side of the Crockpot to help the rest pop while you stir.
- Remove the lid, then cook on High for 30 minutes without the lid.
- Once done, allow to cool, stir, serve… and ENJOY!
- Or if interested in canning, just follow the instructions for cranberry sauce in your canning manual, or learn more about canning cranberry sauce.
Notes
- Baked Brie Topping
- Barbecue Sauce Mix In
- Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip
- Cranberry Sliders: Cold Turkey, Cream Cheese, and Cranberry Sauce on Hawaiian Rolls!
- English Muffins Topping
- Leftover Turkey Sandwich Spread
- Oatmeal Mix In
- Pancake Topping
- Thanksgiving Side Recipes
- Vanilla Ice Cream Topping
- Waffle Topping
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Delicious! And so easy to make
I am so glad you liked it Sue! I hope you have a beautiful week!!
LOVE THIS!! If there was a 6th ⭐️ this recipe would get it!! I make a quadruple batch now…it’s my most requested recipe. I even bring it to one of the girls at the local grocery store, been making it for her for years! There’s the right amount of sweet and tanginess for all to enjoy. The only thing I do different is I use raw sugar and 1/2 of the amount the recipe calls for…so dang good. Not to mention the house smells amazing while it’s cooking. Thanks for a great recipe!! 🎄🎄🍁🍁
Thank you so much Joanne! I loved your idea to use raw sugar… and yes I agree, the house does smell oh so lovely while it cooks!
I found this recipe several years ago and have been making it every Thanksgiving since, Love it!!! ❤️
Brandy, thank you so much for letting me know. I am so glad you love it. Have a beautiful week!
I didn’t have orange marmalade so I used apricot preserves. It’s cooking now so I’ll let you know how it turns out!
Ooh… the apricot preserves sound like a delicious twist, Ann! Let me know how it turns out!
Yum! Love that idea of adding orange marmalade to this easy crockpot cranberry sauce. That is a fantastic hack. Planning on making this recipe for Thanksgiving.
I really like how there is already orange zest included in the orange marmalade. It’s one ingredients that adds a whole lot to homemade cranberry sauce. I hope you have a beautiful Thanksgiving!!