Super simple cranberry sauce recipe made with fresh cranberries, maple syrup, and freshly squeezed orange juice! Delicious and fat-free. A great side for Thanksgiving or any other holiday meal.
Don’t you dare serve any of that red corn syrup crap from a can! You and yours deserve better for the holidays.
What you need to do is make your own cranberry sauce! Relax. It couldn’t be easier. It’s also much healthier and will make you look like a boss.
How to make homemade cranberry sauce
Start with 2 ½ – 3 cups of fresh cranberries(12-ounce bag). Nothing from a can!
Rinse and drain the cranberries. Then, pick through and get out all the squishy ones. Blah!
You don’t want one bad cranberry spoiling the whole bunch!
Next, throw the cranberries in a sauce pan with the water and your chosen sweetener.
Get everything boiling over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. But, stir occasionally because you don’t want your cranberry sauce to burn. That would really suck!
Because you’d have to start all over and that ain’t cool. I speak from experience.
Now, it’s time to reduce the heat down to medium-low. Let your mixture simmer for about 10 minutes or so. You want to allow the cranberries to pop and thicken until it’s the way you like it. But, remember to keep stirring every now and then.
Once it thickens and looks like cranberry sauce, remove from the heat, stir in the orange juice, and let cool until it’s room temperature.
This would be a good time to taste and add more sweetener if you like. But, remember. Cranberry sauce is supposed to be a little tart and twangy. Not a freaking sugar blob. So, go easy. You don’t want to send your pancreas into shock.
That’s it! You just made cranberry sauce.
Now, all that’s left is to let it chill in the fridge for a couple hours. But, it’s even better if you let it sit overnight.
And, when you’re ready to impress your guests, sprinkle with pecans, serve, and be prepared for many compliments.
Trust me. This cranberry sauce is so much better than that pre-made crap. Why? Because it’s…
Fast & easy
Tangy
Sweet
Vegan (make with maple syrup)
Fresh
Fat-free
Wholesome
Healthy
The perfect Thanksgiving or holiday side dish
& Absolutely delicious
Looking for more holiday dishes? Check out my Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole, Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, & Homemade Vegan Creamed Corn.
If you’re looking for more Fall, Winter or holiday meal inspiration, you can check out my 7 Easy Delicious Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes.
Did you make this dish? Be sure and let me know! Leave a comment, RATE IT, and tag a photo #shaneandsimple on Instagram. Happy Fall, everyone!
Cranberry Sauce
- Total Time20 minutes
- Yield8 servings 1x
- DietVegan
Super simple cranberry sauce recipe made with fresh cranberries, maple syrup, and orange juice! Delicious and fat-free.
Ingredients
- 2 ½ to 3 cups fresh cranberries. Or use a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries.
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- Juice from one orange (optional).
Optional add-ins and toppings
- ¼ –½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon (add-in)
- Chopped pecans (topping)
Instructions
- Rinse cranberries. Pick out all the nasty, squishy ones. Blah.
- To a medium sauce pan add cranberries, water and maple syrup. Bring to boil over medium-high heat and cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir occasionally!!!
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add orange juice and let cook until the cranberries pop and mixture thickens. Usually, about 10-12 minutes. REMEMBER TO STIR OCCASIONALLY!
- Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Taste and adjust sweetness to your liking. But, don’t over sweeten. Cranberry sauce is supposed to be a little tart not a sugar blob.
- Store in a container and chill for a couple hours in the fridge before serving. For best result, let sit in the fridge overnight.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 43
- Sugar: 7.3 g
- Sodium: 1.8 mg
- Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 1.3 g
- Protein: 0.2 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Category: Side
I make this recipe all the time. Today I accidentally used chili powder instead of cinnamon. It was surprisingly good!
Sometimes accidents are the best:)
This is absolutely amazing!! I liked it best warm, when I was making it. So tart and delicious. I held back a little on the sweet and then added a little more as it cooked. For a little bit of the orange pulp in there too, along with the juice. Thank you, Shane!
Can I give this 10 Stars? lol, I’ve made this 3 times and it keeps getting better! This time now, Christmas day, I’ve added in a cup of frozen blueberries and almost doubled the maple syrup (it’s still quite tart but more tempered to our taste) and added in 1/4 cup organic orange juice after taking it off the heat. It’s still cooling down, but I’m struggling not eating the whole bowl before Christmas dinner. Merry Christmas to you and yours, and thank you for all you do!
Merry Christmas and thank you!
Howdy Shane, I’m looking forward to trying this recipe this weekend. I just read through it and wanted clarification, please. Is the orange juice supposed to be added after you remove the pan from the heat or when you turn the heat down? You mention both which may mean it doesn’t matter but I just want to double check. Thanks for your help!
Either is fine, but typically add the orange when you reduce the heat the first time.
oh.my.Yum! I love this! Gorgeous texture, like a preserve or jam, great on toasted crusty bread! It’s nice and tart! I may add a bit more maple syrup next time for our preference, but still super yummy!! I did add in the juice of an organic orange and a bit of the zest once I reduced the heat like you said. Definite winner, Thank you!!
Thank you so much, Emily! I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
I was a dyed-in-the-wool, old-fashioned, don’t mess with the recipe cranberry sauce type of gal (water, sugar, cranberries…even though my way of eating is sugar free), but decided to try this recipe (the ginger made me to it!) WoweeYummy!!! I am never looking back! I took it to Thanksgiving family gathering where everyone else eats SAD, and it was loved by all. I’m making another batch today, just to have on hand, and imagine it will be a pretty regular item in my fridge. Thank you, Shane, for a recipe that will go in the heirloom family cookbook!
Wow, Janet! Thank you so much for the kind words. It’s an honor.
Fantastic and favourite recipe! And if there is any left overs I make cranberry muffins.
Oh my goodness! This is so good! Thank you for another fabulous recipe!!
Made this for thanksgiving and added a little of the orange pulp, my husband and son loved it, no more processed canned for this family. Thank you
Kate, that is awesome! So glad you enjoyed it. And, Merry Christmas!
Happy thanksgiving Shane! My first one here in the USA where I get to cook everything! I’m so excited because I have your recipes & I know I can trust they will all taste great! I made this today & it was simply delicious! I gave a few small jars away & kept a big one for myself! Thanks!
Awww, Rebecca! Thank you, welcome to the US, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Hi Shane! Beyond appreciate your recipes!
Can I defrost cranberries for this recipe?
Made a batch earlier with fresh and love it…. but only have frozen left and don’t want to run to market again:)
Sharon
Yes! I see no reason why they wouldn’t work. I use frozen blueberries to make compote. This should be no different. Good luck and Happy Thanksgiving!
Wonderful, this is my new favorite recipe ! It’s Delicious! Thank You , terrific site ,so happy I found you!
Thank you so much, Patty. And, so glad you’re here. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with a comment or question. Blessings.
Made this the other day, Shane. I’ve used it a few times now. Confession: one night I ate a small bowl of it for dessert. Thanks for another great recipe.
WOW! Couldn’t wait until Thanksgiving and made it last night. It’s the perfect blend of tart and sweet. And, I can’t believe how easy it is to make! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
How much water
Whoa! That would be important. It’s 3/4 cup. I fixed it in the recipe card. Good catch and thanks!