Easy Cranberry Sauce (3 Ingredients)

This easy cranberry sauce can be made in 5 minutes with 3 ingredients. A delicious side dish to any Thanksgiving meal.

Cranberry sauce ingredients:

• Cranberries, fresh
• Sugar
• Orange or tangerine

Fresh or frozen Cranberries?

I feel fresh cranberries are best but frozen can be used if fresh is not available.

How to make fresh cranberry sauce:

1. Empty the fresh cranberries into a sauce pot.
2. Zest 2 mandarin oranges or 1 large orange. Add the zest to the cranberries.
3. Slice the oranges or separate the segments. Add them to the cranberries and the zest.
4. Add 1/2 cup of sugar to the other ingredients.
5. Over medium to medium high heat, cook the sauce. It should take less than 5 minutes. Stir from time to time to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6. Allow to cool completely before serving.

How does this sauce thicken?

First the juice from the oranges will start to steam, then the cranberries, will start to steam, then the sugar will start to melt, the sauce will start to come together.  There is no thickener or gelatin added because the cranberries have a natural pectin in them that makes the sauce jell naturally.

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Easy Cranberry Sauce

Sarah Mock

This easy cranberry sauce can be made in 5 minutes with 3 ingredients.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe

Prep Time 1 min

Cook Time 5 mins

Total Time 6 mins

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Course Side Dishes

Cuisine American

Servings 1 cup

Calories 40 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• 1 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
• 1 large orange
• 1/2 cup of sugar

Instructions

 

• Empty 1 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries into a sauce pot.
• Zest 2 mandarin oranges or 1 large orange. Add the zest to the cranberries.
• Slice the oranges or separate the segments. Add them to the cranberries and the zest.
• Add 1/2 cup of sugar to the other ingredients.
• Over medium to medium high heat, cook the sauce. It should take less than 5 minutes. Stir from time to time to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
• Allow to cool completely before serving.

Video

Notes

Tips:

1. I recommend using an organic orange because you are going to be using the zest of the orange. Once again I am putting to work my favorite Microplane Zester. I love that tool!
2. Be sure to zest just the outer, dark orange part of the orange.
3. This sauce will be slightly chunky in texture. If you feel it should be smoother, puree it with an emersion blender or in a food processor.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 40kcalCarbohydrates: 10gSodium: 1mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Sarah Mock

CEO/Owner/Founder/Culinary Blogger

Sarah Mock is a classically trained Chef and graduate of Johnson & Wales University. A culinary blogger for 12 years Sarah helps the home cook prepare her recipes with professional results.