This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

This easy and quick recipe makes the best  classic cranberry sauce! This make ahead cranberry sauce recipe has orange zest for an extra zing – you will never go back to canned cranberry sauce again!
This easy and quick recipe makes the best classic cranberry sauce! This make ahead cranberry sauce recipe has orange zest for an extra zing - you will never go back to canned cranberry sauce again! |easy cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving | Make ahead cranberry sauce | Best cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce with orange zest | 3 ingredient cranberry sauce

This easy and quick recipe makes the best classic cranberry sauce! This make ahead cranberry sauce recipe has orange zest for an extra zing - you will never go back to canned cranberry sauce again! |easy cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving | Make ahead cranberry sauce | Best cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce with orange zest | 3 ingredient cranberry sauce

This recipe was originally published 11/6/2015.  It was updated with new photos on 11/16/2017.

It’s almost Thanksgiving so I wanted to spruce up my Easy Classic Cranberry Sauce Recipe.  This is my go to cranberry sauce recipe – it only has three ingredients, is ridiculously easy to make, and takes about ten minutes.  Plus you can make it ahead of time, giving you one less thing to do before Thanksgiving day. This is one of my secrets to a low stress Thanksgiving – make as much ahead of time as possible!
This easy and quick recipe makes the best classic cranberry sauce! This make ahead cranberry sauce recipe has orange zest for an extra zing - you will never go back to canned cranberry sauce again! |easy cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving | Make ahead cranberry sauce | Best cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce with orange zest | 3 ingredient cranberry sauce
I don’t think I had ever had homemade cranberry sauce until I started making this.  I was never a fan of the cylindrical red jelly with the ridge marks from the can.  I just didn’t get it.  Until I had the real stuff.  What a difference!  The sweet tart flavor compliments all the other foods in the feast so nicely (and it perfectly rounds out the day after Thanksgiving turkey sandwich – essential!).
This easy and quick recipe makes the best classic cranberry sauce! This make ahead cranberry sauce recipe has orange zest for an extra zing - you will never go back to canned cranberry sauce again! |easy cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving | Make ahead cranberry sauce | Best cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce with orange zest | 3 ingredient cranberry sauce

All you do is throw the four ingredients in a pot and bring it up to a simmer.  The berries start to pop, which is a weird sound.  You may be slightly alarmed when you first hear it.  But it is a good thing, they are releasing their flavors and juices and turning into a beautiful sauce.  And there you have it – you made cranberry sauce!  Who knew it was so easy?
This easy and quick recipe makes the best classic cranberry sauce! This make ahead cranberry sauce recipe has orange zest for an extra zing - you will never go back to canned cranberry sauce again! |easy cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving | Make ahead cranberry sauce | Best cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce with orange zest | 3 ingredient cranberry sauce
Got leftovers?  Be sure to check out my recipe for Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins and my wildly popular Cranberry Brie Mini Tarts!  The Cranberry Brie Mini Tarts can even be served as a Thanksgiving Appetizer.  And see all of my Thanksgiving Recipes HERE.

Are you excited about Thanksgiving?  Do you like to keep things classic or reinvent the classics every year?

4 Week Meal Plan for 30-Minute Meals
Includes recipes, shopping lists and suggestions!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Classic Homemade Cranberry Sauce

Prep 1 minute
Cook 10 minutes
Total 11 minutes
Servings 2 Cups
This easy and quick recipe makes the best  classic cranberry sauce! This make ahead cranberry sauce recipe has orange zest for an extra zing - you will never go back to canned cranberry sauce again!

Ingredients 

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • ¾ cups granulated sugar
  • zest of one orange
  • 1 cup water

Instructions 

  • Place all ingredients in a saucepan and stir to combine.
  • Bring to a boil, then when you hear the berries start to pop, reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes or until most berries are popped and soft.
  • Transfer to a storage container and allow to cool. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes

Make Ahead: Can be made one to two days ahead of time. I think it is better after it has had time to set up in the fridge and it saves time on Thanksgiving day.Can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart

Nutrition

Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 96g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 82g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 22.6mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dips/Salsas/Spreads, Sides
Cuisine: American
Did you like this recipe?Please comment, rate and share! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram @foxandbriar AND #foxandbriar so I can see what you made!

This easy and quick recipe makes the best classic cranberry sauce! This make ahead cranberry sauce recipe has orange zest for an extra zing - you will never go back to canned cranberry sauce again! |easy cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving | Make ahead cranberry sauce | Best cranberry sauce recipe | Cranberry sauce with orange zest | 3 ingredient cranberry sauce

Hello! I’m Meghan.

I am so glad that you are here! I am the recipe developer, photographer, and writer here at my blog Fox and Briar. I am a passionate, self-taught home cook and believe that most things are better homemade and that good food doesn’t need to be complicated.

Related Recipes

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

18 Comments

  1. Yum! I love making homemade cranberry sauce. I used to do cooking demos with the MS recipe and people were always shocked at how easy it is. I love to spread it on sandwiches with turkey and brie for leftovers!

  2. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness, Meghan.. reading about how you prepared for hosting Thanksgiving by pouring over M.S totally had me giggling because I used to do the same exact thing! #GreatMinds and #FabulousHostesses I have NEVER been a fan of canned cranberry sauce – ICK. But homemade is totally a different story, loves it. And yours looks beyond delicious! I could totally get down with a vat of this stuff! Gorgeous photos too, girlie! Pinned! Cheers, doll! <3

  3. I love love love Thanksgiving but I don’t host it. My mom really just has it mastered. So I come. I eat. I nap. Works well 😉 Pinning this though because I may use it on Christmas.

    1. The only thing better than hosting Thanksgiving is going to someone’s house who hosts it well! Eating and napping sounds like bliss. Thank you for pinning Christine!

  4. Can’t believe it’s already November! Nothing beats homemade cranberry sauce and yours looks perfect!! Love the orange zest!

  5. I love cranberries! This sauce is amazing in it’s simplicity. Just pure flavors….nothing else needed!

  6. Wow makes me think about trying it. After the jelly like cran sauce I’ve been completely turned off by it. But this sounds good. ?☺️