15 Easy Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce Recipes

Jennifer Causey

Kick that canned stuff to the curb. From classic recipes (like this traditional old stand-by) to new favorites (you'll love this gin-spiked newcomer), our best cranberry sauce recipes will be the star of your Thanksgiving table. Hungry for more holiday inspiration? Check out 30+ Thanksgiving Casserole Recipes That'll Steal the Show next.

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Roasted Cranberry Sauce

Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis

Roasted Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Cranberry sauce is an essential to any Thanksgiving meal. Make this easy cranberry sauce recipe this year by following these instructions.

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Roasted Grape, Apple, and Cranberry Sauce

Jennifer Causey

Roasted Grape, Apple, and Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Roasted grapes—especially black grapes—are super sweet and slightly tannic, with a concentrated fruit flavor. They help balance the tangy, astringent quality of the cranberries, allowing you to use less added sugar.

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Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Photo: Caitlin Bensel Food Styling: Tina Stamos and Gordon Sawyer Prop Styling: Kay Clark

Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Recipe

This powerful cranberry-apple sauce carries enough flavors to make it go far. Keep it traditional and serve with turkey, or think outside the box and use a dollop on this Instant Pot Pumpkin Soup. Although it's quick and easy to make, we'd suggest prepping it a few days in advance—this Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce only gets better with time.

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Leftover Cranberry Sauce Waffles

Photos by Teresa Sabga / Styled by Jiselle Basile

Leftover Cranberry Sauce Waffles Recipe
Very important question: Do you have any leftover cranberry sauce? Assuming that you do (or will next week), you should consider adding cranberry sauce to your waffles for an amazing day-after-Thanksgiving breakfast.

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Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce

Photo by Teresa Sabga / Styling by Jiselle Basile

Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce Recipe
When Thanksgiving rolls around, you might opt for canned cranberry sauce over the fresh kind. (No shame—it's convenient and delicious.) If, however, you’re hosting a feast for friends and family who are opposed to jiggly red gelatinous logs, try this homemade cranberry sauce, infused with fresh rosemary sprigs and combined with white balsamic vinegar.

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Cranberry Sauce with Gin

Photo: Annabelle Breakey; Styling: Robyn Valarik

Cranberry Sauce with Gin Recipe
This gin-soaked cranberry sauce with a welcome boozy kick is sure to kick things up a notch this Thanksgiving.

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White Balsamic and Rosemary Cranberry Sauce

Photo: Jennifer Causey

White Balsamic and Rosemary Cranberry Sauce Recipe

If you’re looking for a way to amp up your traditional sauce, this is it. Fresh rosemary gives the sauce a light herbal flavor (the berries are robust enough to stand up to the piny herb). White balsamic vinegar balances the sweet and adds a dimension of fruity tang to the tart cranberries. If you don’t have white balsamic, use white wine vinegar or cider vinegar—regular balsamic is a bit too strong and would darken the finished sauce. Beyond your holiday plate (and inevitable holiday leftovers), add to a cheese plate or sandwich buffet.

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Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

Photo: Jennifer Causey

Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce Recipe
What makes this sauce extraordinary isn’t the orange liqueur, though it rounds out the tart and sweet flavors beautifully. It’s the whole fresh cranberries reserved before cooking and stirred in just before serving. You might think the fresh berries would be too tart without simmering—we did too—but the result is simply outstanding: jammy sauce punctuated by pops of tart, juicy berries. If you prefer not to use alcohol, you can substitute fresh orange juice. Double the batch and use as a breakfast jam or sandwich spread, or spoon warm sauce over frozen yogurt.

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Pure and Simple Cranberry Sauce

Photo: Romulo Yanes; Styling: Claire Spollen

Pure and Simple Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Nothing on your Thanksgiving menu is easier than cranberry sauce, whether you keep it classic or spice it up.

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Cranberry and Blenheim Apricot Sauce

Photo: Romulo Yanes; Styling: Claire Spollen

Cranberry and Blenheim Apricot Sauce Recipe

There will be nothing easier to make on your Thanksgiving menu than homemade cranberry sauce. Keep it simple and very basic or spice it up with dried fruit, juice, citrus zest, and/or spices.

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Basic Cranberry Sauce

Basic Cranberry Sauce Recipe

This tangy-sweet homemade cranberry sauce is delicious served with turkey, chicken, quail, duck, or ham.

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Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Pork Tenderloin Medallions with Dried Cranberry Sauce

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce Recipe

Cranberry sauce and spice-rubbed pork tenderloin mingle for a festive holiday meal in 40 minutes.

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Three-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce

Photo: Chris Court; Styling: Carla Gonzalez-Hart

Three-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce Recipe
You can "spike" your cranberry sauce by stirring in 1 to 2 tablespoons orange or black currant liqueur at the end. If you like it spiced, stir in 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice.

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Simple Cranberry-Orange Sauce

Jennifer Causey

Simple Cranberry-Orange Sauce Recipe

This lower-sugar cranberry sauce is fruity and tart, the perfect complement to the richness of turkey, stuffing, and gravy. A comparable amount of canned whole-berry sauce contains 60% more sugar and lacks the fresh flavor of ours.

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15 Easy Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce Recipes

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Roasted Cranberry Sauce

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Roasted Grape, Apple, and Cranberry Sauce

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Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

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Leftover Cranberry Sauce Waffles

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Make-Ahead Cranberry Sauce

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Cranberry Sauce with Gin

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White Balsamic and Rosemary Cranberry Sauce

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Grand Marnier Cranberry Sauce

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Pure and Simple Cranberry Sauce

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Cranberry and Blenheim Apricot Sauce

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Basic Cranberry Sauce

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Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Sauce

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Three-Ingredient Cranberry Sauce

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Simple Cranberry-Orange Sauce

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