With just four ingredients, making your own Simple homemade cranberry sauce is one of the easiest things that you can do – perfect for a classic Thanksgiving dinner!

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays where the menu is set and anticipation is high. Everyone has their own Thanksgiving traditions and dishes that that simply have to be part of the meal. For us, Thanksgiving is all about turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce.

I have always enjoyed canned cranberry sauce (sounds weird but I like the little grooves). Last year I was taught to make a simple, homemade version and it literally took just minutes. Just four ingredients, no preservatives, and seriously so good. Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

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Finished Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

Why make your own Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce?

I KNOW the canned stuff is good, easy and delicious. But Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce is very traditional and you get the satisfaction of the popping berries!

Then there’s the matter of preservatives – fresh cranberries don’t have any. The canned stuff has corn syrup and citric acid, the fresh stuff has only anti-oxidant rich cranberries, sugar, water and ginger. Fresh and delicious!

Also, people that don’t know how easy it is are always amazed at all the “trouble” you went to. Just tell them they’re worth it. 🙂

How to make Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce

With just four ingredients, making your own Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce is one of the easiest things that you can do. Simple, delicious, and preservative free!

Cranberries after being rinsed in a colander.

Begin by rinsing the cranberries well and set them aside.

Saucepan with bubbling mixture of water and sugar for Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine water and sugar and bring to a boil.

Fresh cranberries in a saucepan with simple syrup and a wooden spoon.

Add the cranberries all at once. Stir and return to a boil.

Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce mixture bubbling in a saucepan.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until the skins begin to pop, about three minutes.

Ginger being added to Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce mixture in the saucepan with a wooden spoon.

Add ground ginger and continue to cook, stirring often, for two more minutes until the majority of the skins have popped.

Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce in a saucepan with a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Refrigerate until chilled and sauce has thickened. Enjoy!

Finished Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce with a spoon.

Things to do with Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Enjoy it with Thanksgiving Dinner! And then… as it almost always seems that after the delicious Thanksgiving dinner is served there is always a little bit of everything left over and it is just as good the day after.

A couple of other ways to use leftover cranberry sauce include modifying this Lemon Blueberry Quick Bread recipe by stirring in a cup of leftover cranberry sauce instead of the blueberries and cutting the sugar in the recipe to 1/2 cup. Absolutely delicious!

Another is to stir in a cup of leftover cranberry sauce into the batter for Banana Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins. This flavor combination is amazing and the muffins are extra moist. The kids will love that the tops of the muffins may become a blue/green color during baking – we call these smurf muffins in our house!

Other Thanksgiving Recipes You May Like

Thanksgiving Turkey Stock – Don’t throw out the scraps! Make this delicious Thanksgiving Turkey Stock and use it as is or transform it into Turkey Noodle Soup.

Turkey Noodle Casserole – when leftover turkey gets old, whip up this delicious casserole and finish up those leftovers.

Parker House Dinner Rolls – these perfectly soft and delicious dinner rolls are great as an addition to Thanksgiving dinner and also as a vessel for leftover turkey sandwiches. Yum!

Easy Classic Pumpkin Pie – This traditional dessert is easy to make and is the perfect ending to a Thanksgiving feast!

Holiday Stovetop Potpourri – Great for any time during the holiday season, this little mixture simmering on the stovetop will make the whole house smell wonderful and inviting as your guests arrive!

Simple Homemade Cranberry Sauce

With just four ingredients, making your own homemade cranberry sauce is one of the easiest things that you can do – perfect for a classic Thanksgiving dinner!

Print Pin Rate

Cook Time: 5

Total Time: 5

Servings: cups

Calories: 305kcal

Ingredients

3 cups Fresh Cranberries (12 oz package)
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tsp ground ginger

Instructions

Rinse cranberries thoroughly and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine water and sugar and bring to a boil.
Add cranberries all at once, stir and return to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the skins begin to pop, about three minutes.
Add ground ginger and continue to cook, stirring often, for two more minutes until the majority of the skins have popped.
Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until chilled and sauce has thickened. Enjoy!

Nutrition *

* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.

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Michelle Mundy

As a busy working mom with kids on the go, I know how important it is to be able to make simple and delicious meals using everyday ingredients. The recipes shared here are family friendly with easy to understand step by step instructions. Tried and true, from our family to yours. Welcome to The Recipe Bandit! Click here to read more about me.