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Sweet with maple and cinnamon spice and tangy with juicy orange, this Easy Cranberry Sauce will have you hooked from the first bite! It’s so quick and easy to make, you will never go back to the gelatinous canned stuff again!
As the saying goes, “The sauce makes the meal!” No Thanksgiving menu is complete without some cranberries and this is the BEST Easy Cranberry Sauce there is!
So much flavor with just a handful of ingredients. I think it’s pretty perfect as is, but it can be easily adapted to your own tastes. Want sweeter? More tart? More texture? Smoother? No problem…have it your way!
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Cranberries ~ Obviously, you need cranberries for a cranberry sauce. You can use fresh or frozen. Do not use dried.
I tend to overbuy the fresh ones when they finally hit the stores so I can freeze them and use them all year.
Pear ~ I love the added texture and sweet flavor that bites of pear bring.
Apples would be a great substitute if you prefer. I suggest using a sweet apple, like a honeycrisp, fuji, or gala to contrast the tart flavor of the cranberries. Pineapple would also be a great choice.
You could leave this out totally if you want a pure cranberry sauce. And if you prefer a smoother sauce, you could even go one step further and purée it a bit using an immersion blender.
Sweetener ~ I like the flavor of pure maple syrup. It works really well with the orange and cinnamon.
You could use coconut sugar or organic cane sugar instead. If using granulated sugar, be sure to cook long enough so all the sugar gets dissolved. Cane sugar tends to be sweeter, so you may need to use less. Taste and adjust to your liking.
Spices ~ I use cinnamon and ginger in this Easy Cranberry Sauce. You can use just one or the other. Nutmeg or cardamom would also be delicious.
You could also add in some fresh herbs like rosemary or thyme for a unique twist.
Add-ins ~ If you like lots of texture in your sauce, feel free to add in a handful of chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans.
How to make Easy Cranberry Sauce
This vegan cranberry sauce with orange is the real deal and it couldn’t be easier. It takes just about 20 minutes and can easily be double or tripled to feed a crowd.
(1) Zest the orange.
(2) Juice the orange right into the pot over the cranberries.
(3) Add the water, orange zest, cinnamon and ginger to the pot.
(4) Cook the sauce gently over medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble. Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue cooking until the cranberries start to burst, about 15 minutes.
(5) Add the diced pears.
(6) Stir well to incorporate the pears and continue cooking for another 5 minutes or so to warm through.
Serve chilled or room temperature.
Storage/Freezing
Let the sauce cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container. It will keep in the fridge for at least a week.
You can store it longer in the freezer for about 3 months.
Recipe pro tips for success
Use fresh or frozen cranberries. Do not used dried cranberries – they will not work!
Use fresh ground spices! Although dried spices will last indefinitely, they do lose their flavor. If yours have been hanging out in the pantry for more than 6 months, it’s time to restock!
Use fresh orange juice! Store-bought bottled juice just isn’t the same…even if it’s 100% juice. Squeeze your own orange right into the pot. It only takes a second!
Cook the sauce long enough for most of the cranberries to burst and for it to start to thicken. However, do not overcook! Cooking for too long could cause the sugars to caramelize and burn, leaving you with an off-putting bitter taste. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
Taste and adjust seasonings. If you like a sweeter sauce, add a tablespoon or two more of maple syrup. Also, try adding a pinch of salt to bring out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Double or triple the recipe easily to feed a crowd.
This easy cranberry sauce can be made ahead of time – up to a week! That will give you more time to make these other amazing Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes!
Cranberry Sauce FAQs
In the United States, it’s almost exclusively eaten with Thanksgiving dinner, though you’ll sometimes find it on Christmas menus, as well.
It’s typically used as a glaze or relish for meats and stuffing. But it can also be used as a jam on toast or a condiment for sandwiches, dolloped into oatmeal or yogurt, or warmed and drizzled over ice cream and desserts.
My daughter loves it all by itself in a bowl with a spoon!
Cranberries are low in fat and sodium and high in fiber, many vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants. [source]
However, cranberry sauce can be high in sugar. I like to make mine with unrefined pure maple syrup as it has more redeeming qualities than regular white sugar.
Cranberries are tart by nature. To contrast this, sweetener is added to the sauce.
If you find it still too bitter for your tastes, try adding a tiny pinch of salt, which actually brings out the sweetness of the other ingredients.
Of course, you can always add a bit more maple syrup or sugar, as needed.
Yes! Cooking for too long could cause the sugars to burn and cause a bitter flavor. Cook it gently until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce is starting to thicken. If you want, you can mash the berries that have yet to burst with a potato masher or wooden spoon. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
You sure can! Let the sauce cool completely before transferring it to the freezer in an air-tight container or plastic freezer bag. Stored properly, it should keep well for about 3 months.
More vegan cranberry recipes
- Cranberry Almond Muffins
- Cranberry Smoothie
- Cranberry Oatmeal
- Creamy Cranberry Salsa Dip
- Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Easy Cranberry Sauce
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries rinsed and drained (about 3.5 cups)
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup or to taste
- zest of ½ navel orange
- juice of ½ navel orange (2 to 3 tablespoons) or to taste
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pear peeled, cored and diced
Instructions
- Add all ingredients, except the pear, to a 2 quart sauce pot and simmer on the stove, stirring occasionally so the sauce doesn't stick, until cranberries start to burst and the mixture gets saucy, about 15 minutes.
- Add the diced pear and continue to cook about 5 minutes more.
- Let cool before serving. Can be served room temperature or chilled.
Daniela says
hello the recipe looks great and I am looking forward to trying it.
I have a question though, the amount of orange and orange peel doesn’t change when the quantity of servings changes. I think it’s because the first word if not the amount… I’d like to know how many servings is the basic recipe for, this way I can figure out the amount for larger doses.
Thanks
Daniela
Jenn Sebestyen says
Hi, Daniela. It serves about 10 people as a small side. I often double it for our large family gatherings and it works great! Taste as you go and adjust for your taste. Leftovers are fabulous in a number of ways, so don’t be shy about making more! Enjoy!
JANICE SHANKMAN says
I really enjoyed this! Super easy to make with ingredients that I always have on hand. I must admit – I have a killer sweet tooth, and at first taste, this was a bit too tart for me. So I added an additional 1/4c of maple syrup and then this was PERFECT for my tastes. I used Ceylon cinnamon this time….thinking it might be too mellow so next time I make this I may try Saigon cinnamon. My old recipe was so sweet and as much as I love its taste, I was looking for something with a bit less sugar. This is perfect. Thanks so much for sharing!
Jenn S. says
So glad you liked it Janice! The sweetness really depends on your cranberries too. Sometimes I find it comes out more tart even following the exact same directions. Glad you were able to adjust to your tastes!