Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce is an easy holiday side with a sweet, tangy flavor and rich texture, making Thanksgiving even more delicious!
Cranberry Sauce is a must have Sauce side dish for any Thanksgiving spread and with this easy recipe, you don’t have sacrifice precious cooking time or fall back on the canned stuff. Give my Cranberry Relish a try too!
Why You’ll Love This Sauce?
- The slow cooker makes this cranberry sauce easy to prepare while you focus on the rest of your holiday meal.
- The sweet and tangy flavor adds a bright, fresh contrast to rich Thanksgiving dishes.
Sabrina’s Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Homemade Cranberry Sauce is one of those easy Thanksgiving recipes that gets overlooked because your stove top and to-do list are overflowing. Crockpot sauce is the perfect make ahead side dish because it only gets better with time. Perfect to serve during the Holidays or when you get a craving for a Turkey Cranberry Sandwich in a couple months.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice
- 3/4 cup brown sugar , packed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 24 ounces fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Add ingredients to a medium slow cooker and toss well.
- Cook on high heat for 3 hours.
- Remove lid, stir well and continue cooking, uncovered, for 30 minutes on high heat.
Nutrition
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Chef’s Note
Squeeze fresh orange juice for an inexpensive way to bring maximum fresh flavor. Plus by making your own orange juice, you can grate orange zest for an extra boost of freshness. If you want a less tart Cranberry Sauce, cut the orange juice by half and use water instead. You could also use half red wine and half orange juice for a deeper, richer sweet tart bite.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
This tasty, easy Thanksgiving recipe is made with 5 simple ingredients with no need for blending or thickeners. Cranberries have a natural pectin that will thicken your sauce as it cools and the orange juice adds natural sweetness. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar, or add other flavorings, depending on your individual tastes! I have ideas down below in my Variations Section.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, throw it in the slow cooker in the morning and let it simmer on warm all day, or make it up to 3 days ahead for an easy side dish ready to serve when your Roast Turkey is carved. It tastes better the longer it sits too!
Pairing Suggestions
This crockpot recipe saves time and cooking space so you can focus other holiday side dishes like Mashed Potatoes, Dinner Rolls, and Baked Mac and Cheese, without having to rely on the canned kind.
How to Store
- Serve: You can keep Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce on the warm setting for up to 4 hours, or keep at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Serve it warm or chill before serving to thicken.
- Store: Cool to room temperature before storing to reduce moisture collection in container. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freeze: Once cooled, transfer sauce to a sealed container, leaving a ½ inch space between lid and sauce. Freeze sauce for up to 6 months and thaw overnight in the refrigerator and stir will before serving.
Ideas to Serve
Just because Cranberry Sauce is traditional Thanksgiving fare, doesn’t mean it’s only a seasonal thing. With frozen cranberries, you can make this sauce all year long to serve with all your favorite savory recipes for comfort food. Homemade sauce makes a great sandwich spread (try it on the Ross Geller Moist Maker!) or as a topping for savory brunch casseroles.
Variations
- Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen cranberries in this simple recipe. If you use frozen cranberries, no need to thaw before adding to the crock pot. If the water from the frozen berries keeps your sauce from thickening, make a cornstarch slurry and stir in during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
- Apple: Make Slow Cooker Apple Cranberry Sauce by adding 3-4 large apples, peeled and diced, to your cranberry mixture. Try any variety apples you like in this sauce, like Red Delicious, Fuji, or Braeburn apples.
- Spices: Use a whole cinnamon stick instead of ground cinnamon or add a tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice. Make a spice satchel with cardamom pods, star anise, whole cloves, and pink or black peppercorns for a spicy, savory finish to your Cranberry Sauce.
- Flavors: You can use more additional flavors like vanilla extract, chopped toasted pecans or walnuts, a ½ cup red wine, or fresh grated ginger root.
- Sugar: Instead of white granulated sugar, you can replace it with a ¼ cup maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, or just use all brown sugar. Maple syrup and honey are very sweet and flavorful so only use up to a ¼ cup so you don’t overpower the cranberry flavor with them.
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