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Sauces · American

Cranberry Sauce

Four ingredients, five minutes of popping berries, and no can-shaped ridges.

Hands-on
10 min
Hands-off
35 min
Total
45 min
Makes
2.2 cups (about 530 ml)
Serves
9
  • easy
  • vegetarian
  • dairy-free
  • gluten-free
  • thanksgiving
  • christmas
  • holiday
  • make-ahead
  • freezer-friendly

Verified against at least two trusted test kitchens or food-safety guides · Last checked · What this means

Illustration of Cranberry Sauce
Amount
Units

Ingredients

You need: medium nonreactive saucepan (stainless steel or enamel) · wooden spoon · nonreactive bowl (glass or ceramic)

Contains: none of the 9 major allergens in the listed ingredients

Method

  1. Make the syrup

    Put 175 ml (3/4 cup) water, 198 g (1 cup) sugar and 1/4 tsp salt in the saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring now and then.

    Ready when: Boiling, and the sugar has dissolved: no grains left on the spoon.

  2. Add the berries

    Stir in 340 g (12 oz) cranberries and bring it back to a boil. Frozen berries go in straight from the freezer; don't thaw them.

    Ready when: Bubbling again across the whole pan.

  3. Simmer until they pop

    Turn the heat down to medium and simmer for about 5 minutes (about 7 if the berries were frozen).

    Ready when: About two-thirds of the berries have burst, and the sauce looks saucy and a little thicker. It will still seem loose; it sets as it cools.

    Otto tried this firstOtto keeps cooking 'until it looks like jelly' and ends up with cranberry glue. Take it off while it still looks runny.

  4. Cool

    Spoon it into a glass or ceramic bowl and let it cool to room temperature before serving.

Swaps

  • Instead of fresh cranberries: frozen cranberries, same 340 g (12 oz) Don't thaw them; pick them over and add about 2 minutes to the simmer.
  • Instead of plain sauce: add 1 strip of orange or lemon zest to the pan with the berries Lift the zest out before serving.

Make ahead, store & reheat

Make ahead
Cover and refrigerate for up to 7 days. Take it out about 30 minutes before serving. For longer, freeze it in an airtight container or freezer bag, labelled and dated, for up to 3 months, and thaw it in the fridge.
Storage
Covered in the fridge for up to 7 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheat
Served cool or at room temperature: let it stand out of the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving.

If something goes wrong

  • Looks too runny in the pan Why: It hasn't cooled yet
    Don't keep cooking it. Cranberries are full of natural pectin, so the sauce thickens as it cools; it needs no added thickener.
  • Too sour Why: Very tart berries
    Stir in a little more sugar to taste while it's still warm. Don't cut the sugar back to start with: cranberries are very tart.

Good to know

  • Use a nonreactive pan and bowl: stainless steel, enamel or glass.
  • White sugar keeps the flavour pure cranberry; the pinch of salt brings out the berries' sweetness.
  • Leftovers are good on turkey sandwiches, swirled into yogurt or spooned over pancakes.

Safety

  • Boiling sugar syrup is much hotter than boiling water and sticks to skin. Keep kids back from the pan and stir with a long wooden spoon.
  • Let it cool before tasting.