Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2024)

I like the recipe on the bag of cranberries, but I start with only 1/2 the sugar, and taste it as I go. I usually end up adding another 1/3 cup of sugar - it really depends on your cranberries. I find that adding the orange juice after it's really thick tastes better - cooked orange juice can be bitter. I add the fresh zest at the same time. Delicious!

A tipple of Grand Marnier as it cools is a nice touch.

This sauce is so good on sandwiches made with leftover turkey: Sturdy white or wheat bread, mayo, swiss, turkey, sauce, lettuce (or not). I keep a bag or two of cranberries in the basem*nt freezer just to make this sauce for sandwiches during non-holiday times of the year. I like it on ham sandwiches, too.

For us, this was just too sweet and too orange-y, even with only 1/2 cup sugar. Next time we'll go back to the tried-and-true orange zest plus water, not juice.

I follow the recipe on the bag of fresh cranberries adding water and orange in equal amounts. I add a generous amount of orange zest and a piece of fresh peeled ginger root cut into slices which I remove after the cranberry sauce has chilled. That definitely kicks it up a notch.

I usually make another dish that requires I strain the juice from a can of pineapple bits. I use the pineapple juice in place of the orange juice. The dish is very popular with our friends and is requested for T'day pot luck dinners

I did not have Grand Marnier but added a tipple of Cointreau, which is also an orange liqueuer. Grated ginger and orange rind. And this keeps for months in a glass jar in the fridge. Great on toasted english muffins!

If you are ending your meal with a glass of port add a splash with the orange zest.

Agree with other commenters - just too sweet. I fixed with a squirt of lemon juice. Will use stated amount of orange juice but much less sugar (perhaps 1/3 or 1/4 c) next time.

I made this as directed. Delicious. Great on T-Day, in sandwiches, and on waffles for breakfast.

Be sure to add some stuffing to that otherwise perfect sandwich!

Might be the tastiest cake I’ve ever made

I picked this recipe for its simplicity as I instructed my fiancé from the sofa ;). It is simple and tasty, but I would use less sugar in my next batch, or double the cranberries, as others have suggested. I added a couple dashes of Vietnamese cinnamon and ground clove, which punched the flavor up just enough to enhance without tasting overwhelmingly spiced. Could also add a whole clove or two. This is a good base for all sorts of variations to your taste.

Only thing I added to this after it was cooled was a Tbsp. of Grand Marnier & a half Tsp. of ground ginger.

Very easy and very good! I used only 1/2 c of sugar and, per one reviewer’s suggestion, I added the orange juice to the cranberries at the very end.

I like this recipe but used only half the sugar and still think I would prefer even slightly less sugar than that (maybe a little more than ⅓ cup?).

Very well received.

Delightful! I normally would not eat cranberry sauce but decided to try the recipe for Thanksgiving this year. I was pleasantly surprised and now I’m a fan. Next time around, I will make half of the amount and slightly reduce the OJ.

substitute Grand Mariner for the orange juice

Do all the cranberries need to pop before being refrigerated? Following.this recipe, the didn't.

I made this as directed. Sam's recipe has 25% less sugar and juice than the recipe on the bag, and this was just the right balance of tart and sweet for my palate, plus the finished sauce is firm enough to use for filling tarts and cookies. I added a 2" piece of cinnamon stick at the end and let it steep while the sauce cooled, for a subtle hint of spice.

Thank you, Sam Sifton, for your Thanksgiving pep-talk - I printed it out, carried it in my pocket all day, re-read it several times, and you were right. It was a fantastic day!

I've made this several times; the addition I make is orange zest to add to the orange juice (easy since you zest the orange and then squeeze the juice out of it.) My family has raved (and, they aren't given to false praise.) Despite the many trashings here, I've found the recipe works well with patience, but I am not looking for something store equivalent. What I don't find helpful in the comments are all the unnecessary and just plain mean comments.

Added a pinch of powdered ginger when cooking the cranberries, no other spices. Sauce got really thick as it cooled, then I added the orange and zest & heated it up again. Yes, it was a lot of sugar, but it was actually perfect. Agree that cranberries can vary, so next time I'll start with less and add as needed.

Great for Thanksgiving because you can make it ahead! Make as directed a week or three beforehand, then freeze. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Tada! One less pan on Thanksgiving.

A local grocery store has my favorite version of cranberry and mandarin sauce. This recipe is as close as I have gotten to making a similar version. I added a quarter inch sliver of ginger to the most recent batch and am a huge fan of this addition.

I used a little less sugar substitute. Swerve. Erythritol. It tastes delicious and we have a diabetic and from what I'm reading this does not affect blood glucose. Thank you!

I loved the tip about the Grand Marnier! I added about an ounce of triple sec and it really made the orange flavor pop.

I added the zest and juice of one orange and the raspberries I needed to use. The sweetness was just right for us. We served it on turkey and on a cheesecake. It would be fantastic on a baked Brie!

Lil too sweet. Next time, I would cut sugar to 1/2C, half orange juice/half water...and play around with measurements. This time, to adjust (a lil too late), added lemon zest and a big spritz of lemon juice. Better.