What Is Cranberry sauce and How Can I Use It?

Cranberry sauce rewards a little know-how: how to choose it, cook it, store it, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 87 recipes to cook with it.

What is cranberry sauce?

Cranberry sauce is cooked cranberries set with sugar, the tart red condiment that sits beside the turkey on most Thanksgiving and Christmas tables. It runs the gap between sweet and sharp, which is exactly why it cuts through rich roast meat so well.

You buy it two ways in a can. Jellied sauce is strained smooth and firm enough to hold the ridges of the tin when it slides out.

Whole-berry sauce keeps the skins and burst fruit, so it is looser and more rustic. Homemade falls closer to the whole-berry style and takes about fifteen minutes.

The base recipe is dead simple: a 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries, around 1 cup of sugar, and 1 cup of water or orange juice, simmered until the berries pop.

Ways to Use It

Most people only think of it as a turkey side, but it works anywhere you want a sweet-tart hit against fat or salt. Spoon it over roast pork, sausages, or a wedge of baked brie.

It also makes a quick glaze. Brush it over pork or chicken in the last ten minutes of roasting and the sugars caramelize into a sticky, ruby coat.

Crockpot Cranberry Pork Roast and Cranberry-Onion Pork Chops both lean on that trick, and Crockpot Sweet & Sour Meatballs uses it for the same sweet-sharp lacquer.

Bakers fold it into batters. Pineapple/ Cranberry Dump Cake and Cranberry Brownie Torte both use the canned sauce straight from the tin, so you skip cooking down fruit yourself.

The leftovers earn their keep too. A smear of cranberry sauce in a cold turkey sandwich is what I look forward to most the day after, and Turkey Potato Pancakes are built to use up exactly that.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Cranberry's natural partners are warm and citrusy: orange zest, cinnamon, clove, ginger, and a splash of port. It loves fatty proteins like turkey, duck, pork, and goat cheese, and stands up to sharp cheeses on a board.

The mistake nearly everyone makes is oversweetening. Cranberries are bracingly tart, and the urge is to bury that under sugar until the sauce tastes like plain jam.

Hold back. The tartness is the whole point, the reset for your palate between bites of heavy food. Start light on sugar and add more to taste at the end.

The second mistake is overcooking. Cranberries carry a lot of natural pectin, so the sauce sets firm as it cools even when it looks soupy in the pot. Pull it off once most berries pop, around five minutes of real simmering, or you get a stiff paste.

Substitutes

No cranberry sauce on hand? Whole-berry and jellied are interchangeable in most cooked uses; the jellied just melts down smoother for glazes.

For a fresh stand-in, simmer the same weight of fresh or frozen cranberries with sugar and you have homemade in fifteen minutes. Out of cranberries entirely, a tart preserve such as red currant jelly or lingonberry plays the same sweet-sour role against meat, though neither has cranberry's clean astringency.

In baking, where the sauce mostly adds moisture and tang, an equal amount of thick fruit jam or applesauce spiked with lemon will stand in.

Buying and Storing

Canned sauce sits on shelves year-round, while fresh cranberries to make your own appear from October through December, which is why homemade is a holiday thing.

Buy a couple of extra bags of fresh berries in season and freeze them. They keep for months and go straight into the pot frozen, no thawing needed.

An unopened can keeps in the pantry well past the date stamped on it. Once opened, scrape it into a covered container and refrigerate; it holds about 10 to 14 days. Homemade sauce keeps a similar week to two weeks in a sealed jar.

Both canned and homemade freeze well for a couple of months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and give it a stir, since it can weep a little water as it sits. Make it two or three days ahead for a big meal: the flavor deepens overnight.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find cranberry sauce: Cranberry sauce is usually found in the canned goods section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Cranberry sauce is a member of the Fruits and Fruit Juices US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

红莓酱

British (UK) term

Cranberry sauce

en français

salsa de arándanos agrios

en español

sauce à la canneberge

How much does cranberry sauce weigh?

Related

Fruits and Fruit Juices

Recipes using cranberry sauce

There are 87 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Cocktail Sausages

This easy make-ahead cocktail sausage recipe combines BBQ sauce's smoky, tangy flavors with the sweet, tart taste of cranberry sauce for a delightful burst of seasonal flavors.

Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

Cranberry swirl coffee cake layered with whole berry cranberry sauce in a tube pan, topped with nuts and almond icing. A buttery, yogurt-tender brunch cake with ruby-red cranberry ribbons.

Mom's Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Sweet and sour meatballs simmered in a tangy cranberry-tomato sauce. A classic Jewish-American holiday and Shabbat dish that turns pantry cans into a glossy, crowd-pleasing dinner over rice or challah.

Mom's Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Sweet and sour meatballs simmered in a tangy cranberry-tomato sauce. A classic Jewish-American holiday and Shabbat dish that turns pantry cans into a glossy, crowd-pleasing dinner over rice or challah.

Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs

Cranberry cocktail meatballs: ground beef bound with cornflake crumbs, briefly baked, then simmered in a sweet-tart cranberry-chili sauce. The classic holiday party appetizer.

Maggie Meatballs

Cranberry Cocktail Meatballs, First introduced to our family for my sister's puppy shower. My daughter Lindsey can eat the whole batch and requests them for every holiday.

Chavrie Cranberry Turkey Cutlets

Turkey topped with creamy fresh Chavrie and tangy, sweet cranberries. Just perfect for Thanksgiving!

Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake (Healthier Version)

Comparing with original recipe, this healthier version is made with whole wheat flour, half butter and half olive oil. Also decrease icing sugar from 3/4 cup to 1/2 cup, and it's still sweet enough to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Turkey Potato Pancakes

Bring home the turkey for breakfast and try this alternative to pancakes that is sure to make you gobble up every bit of it!

Cranberry Brownie Torte

"Canned cranberry sauce adds a festive finishing touch to this 5 star dessert from Gloria Kirchman of Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Folks are sure to find it irresistible."

Cranberry Orange Muffins

Excellent, absolutely a good way to use up the leftover cranberry sauce, and honey works very well with other ingredients; love the nutty flavor from whole wheat flour and bran, and the citrus taste from the orange juice, you can even add extra orange zests in.

Glazed Cranberry Coffee Cake

A classic coffee cake with busts of tangy cranberry explosions, perfect for waking you up in the morning with a cup of coffee.

Dijon Cranberry Holiday Italian Meatballs

This recipe makes the perfect appetizer for a busy holiday host!

Crockpot Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Easy holiday cranberry sweet and sour meatballs for your slow cooker.

Cranberry-Onion Pork Chops

An easy rendition of a weekday ready pork chop dinner covered in a tangy cranberry and onion sauce.

Crockpot Cranberry Pork Roast

Crockpot cranberry pork roast: a browned roast slow-cooked in tangy-sweet cranberry sauce with mustard and brown sugar, then the juices get thickened into a glossy sauce for spooning over.

Frosty Snow Berry Cake

Frosty Snow Berry Cake with cranberry sauce cubes folded into a lemon-scented white cake, topped with billowy pink fluffy frosting. A vintage holiday showstopper.

Cranberry-Orange Butter

Whipped cranberry orange butter made with just three ingredients in 15 minutes. Cranberry sauce and orange marmalade beaten into fluffy butter for rolls, toast, and holiday breads.

Ultimate Thanksgiving Leftovers Sandwich

I normally eat three to four times as much as other family members at a sitting, but since we usually have guests over on Thanksgiving, I have to pretend my stomach isn't a bottomless pit and eat the average amount. Afterwards, though, I always sneak in and make myself a few (yes, plural) of these sandwiches, inspired by the thanksgiving sandwich Ross made in an episode of Friends once.

Raisin Cranberry Relish

Raisin cranberry relish with Granny Smith apples, golden raisins, dried apricots, and lemon zest, simmered with cinnamon. A fruity, tangy condiment for turkey, ham, or roast pork.

Cranberry Chicken

Flour-coated chicken pieces browned in a skillet, then simmered in a sweet-tart cranberry sauce with orange and lemon juice. A one-pan comfort dinner ready in an hour.

Frozen Cranberry Slices

Frozen cranberry slices with cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, sour cream, and pecans. A make-ahead holiday salad that slices clean and keeps for weeks in the freezer.

Raspberry-Cranberry Sauce

Two-ingredient raspberry cranberry sauce blended smooth and served chilled. A no-cook fruit puree for topping cake, fruit, ladyfingers, and more.

Cranberry & Fruit Layer (Marguerite Patten)

A classic British summer pudding inspired by Marguerite Patten, layering stewed fruit and cranberry sauce between slices of white bread. Chilled overnight and served with cream or custard.

Squash Soup with Cranberry Dollop

Creamy puréed winter squash soup with nutmeg and sautéed carrots, topped with a ruby-red whole berry cranberry dollop. A stunning fall soup that's lighter than it looks thanks to skim evaporated milk.

Quick Turkey Dinner

If you wish you could have Thanksgiving all year-round then try this simple recipe that will help you make a scrumptious and tantalizing dinner.

De Luxe Rennet Custard

De Luxe rennet custard, an old-fashioned milk-based pudding set with rennet and dressed up with cranberry sauce, toasted coconut, orange segments, raspberries, walnuts, and pineapple. A vintage dessert that tastes like an ice cream sundae, minus the freezer.

Deep Dish Cranapple Pie

Deep dish cranapple pie with sliced apples and whole berry cranberry sauce under decorative pastry cutouts. Spiced with apple pie spice and orange zest for a festive holiday dessert.

Cape Cod Cranberry Glazed Ham

Cornish game hens roasted with a Cape Cod-style cranberry glaze made from jellied cranberry sauce, soy sauce, and cinnamon. Sticky, glossy, and holiday-ready.

Creative Cranberry Jello

Two-layer cranberry Jello salad with cranberry sauce and juice on the bottom and a creamy sour cream and walnut layer on top. A classic holiday gelatin side dish.

Cranberry-Orange Salad Mold

Cranberry-orange gelatin salad mold with red wine, fresh orange puree, and cranberry sauce. A jewel-toned retro side dish for holiday tables.

Cranberry Ring Mold with Apple-Pecan Salad Filling

Cranberry ring mold with apple pecan salad filling: a retro Thanksgiving centerpiece with tangy cranberry gelatin surrounding a creamy apple-pecan salad.

Cranberry Mousse

Cranberry mousse with whole cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, sour cream, and pecans set in a gelatin mold. A tangy, creamy holiday dessert or side dish.

Holiday Meringues

Crisp holiday meringue shells filled with tangy lime sherbet and topped with cranberry sauce. A stunning festive dessert with only six ingredients.

Cranberry Star Mold

Cranberry star mold: a retro raspberry gelatin dessert folded with whipped cream, pineapple, and orange sections, chilled in a star mold. A classic holiday side or light dessert.

Cranberry Cream Salad

Cranberry cream salad, a retro molded gelatin salad with cherry gelatin, whole berry cranberry sauce, celery crunch, pecans, and a creamy sour cream finish. Thanksgiving side classic.

Acorn Squash with Cranberry Filling

Autumn's fast approaching, so why not try this scrumptious dish that will explore your sense of taste!

Cranberry Cheese Bars

Three-layer cranberry cheese bars with a buttery oat crumble crust, tangy cream cheese filling, and whole berry cranberry sauce on top. Makes 24 bars for holiday baking trays.

Harvest Upside-Down Cake

Apple cranberry upside-down cake baked in a cast iron skillet with brown sugar and butter. A fall harvest dessert with caramelized fruit topping, best served warm.

Ham with Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing

Smoked ham stuffed with cranberry cornbread stuffing and glazed with whole berry cranberry sauce and corn syrup. A stunning holiday centerpiece with built-in sweet-tart contrast.

Ham with Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing

Smoked ham stuffed with cranberry cornbread stuffing and glazed with whole berry cranberry sauce and corn syrup. A stunning holiday centerpiece with built-in sweet-tart contrast.

Why Be Normal Burger

Why Be Normal Burger mixes ground turkey with wild rice, whole cranberry sauce, and cooking wine for a Thanksgiving-inspired grilled burger. Anything but ordinary.

Cranberry Crisp Coffeecake

Cranberry coffee cake with a crushed frosted flake cereal topping baked over whole cranberry sauce. A quick, one-pan breakfast cake that works warm or at room temperature.

Granny's Apple Cranberry Pie

Granny's apple cranberry pie folds tangy cranberry sauce into a spiced apple filling for a ruby-red, sweet-tart twist on classic apple pie, baked in a flaky double crust. A festive holiday favorite.

Spicy Cranberry Pork Chops

Spicy cranberry pork chops with whole-berry cranberry sauce, raisins, brown sugar, orange juice, and cinnamon. A sweet-tart microwave pork chop dinner.

Cranberry Fruit Salad

Cranberry fruit salad jello mold with raspberry gelatin, cranberry sauce, crushed pineapple, walnuts, and orange juice. Classic holiday potluck dish, makes ahead easily.

Cranberry Fool

Four-ingredient cranberry fool with jellied cranberry sauce, orange zest, almond extract, and whipped cream. A no-cook dessert ready in 20 minutes. Doubles as a fruit dip.

Cranberry-Maple Glazed Ham

Three-ingredient cranberry maple glazed ham basted until sticky and caramelized. A no-fuss holiday centerpiece with sweet-tart flavor that feeds a crowd.

Frozen Cranberry Salad

Add a fruity touch to your salads with this delicious recipe everyone will love.

Saucy Franks

Saucy franks in cranberry chili sauce made in the microwave with just three ingredients. A sweet-tangy hot dog appetizer ready in 15 minutes for parties and game days.

All 87 recipes