Delicious, nutritious homemade jellied cranberry sauce with a hint of orange is the must-have for cranberry lovers at your Thanksgiving table. Tangy, sweet, and timeless, this smooth, ruby-red sauce complements any roast and is easy to make.
My eldest son asks for a full Thanksgiving-style feast every year for his birthday, which comes about a week and a half before Thanksgiving. For him, cranberry sauce is the first thing he reaches for—and it must be smooth. I grew up on the classic quivering, can-shaped jellied sauce, and that’s still my favorite version. My son agrees: the smooth, jellied cranberry is what he wants on his plate.
This homemade jellied cranberry sauce captures the bright flavor of fresh cranberries, uses less sugar than some store-bought varieties, and has a subtle orange note that lifts the whole thing. It’s simple to prepare with common ingredients and minimal hands-on time, making it a staple for holiday tables and beyond.
Fresh Cranberry Sauce
You can serve this jellied cranberry sauce after it chills, or you can preserve it by canning for long-term pantry storage. If you prefer the familiar slices from a can, this homemade version can be unmolded and sliced just the same: run a little hot water over the outside of the jar, loosen with a thin flexible spatula, and invert onto a plate. To achieve a firm gel similar to commercial canned sauce, heat the mixture to the recommended temperature after adding sugar—if it doesn’t quite reach that temperature it will set softer but still taste excellent.
Can I Can Homemade Cranberry Sauce?
Yes. If you enjoy having cranberry sauce year-round, canning is a great option. Cranberries are often on sale in season, so making a large batch and processing jars gives you homemade classic cranberry sauce available all year. I can this recipe every year and store jars in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
Do I have to can it?
No. If you prefer not to can, pour the finished sauce into jars or an airtight container and refrigerate. Properly refrigerated, it will keep up to about 10 days. While I haven’t tested freezing this jellied version extensively, the flavor should freeze well—how the gel texture responds may vary.
Why Make Your Own?
Why make jellied cranberry sauce when canned products are inexpensive? Because homemade tastes fresher, has a brighter texture, and lets you control sugar and added flavors. You can easily customize it with a minced jalapeño for heat, a cinnamon stick for warm spice, or other flavor twists to match your meal.
Beyond holiday plates, jellied cranberry sauce is versatile. Break it up with a fork to spread between cake layers, use it as a filling for French toast, or add it to sandwiches—leftover turkey sandwiches with cranberry sauce are a seasonal favorite.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- Fresh whole cranberries
- Juice and zest of an orange
- White sugar
- Optional: minced jalapeño pepper or a whole cinnamon stick
Equipment
- Liquid measuring cup
- Microplane or zester
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan or stockpot
- Long-handled wooden spoon
- Fine mesh sieve
- Immersion blender, potato masher, or countertop blender
- Instant-read thermometer or a frozen spoon for gel testing
Jellied Cranberry Sauce: Method
Combine cranberries, orange juice, water (adjust to total liquid called for), and orange zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. If using a cinnamon stick or minced jalapeño, add it now. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes until the cranberries pop.
Blend the mixture until mostly smooth using an immersion blender, potato masher, or countertop blender. Press the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to extract as much smooth liquid as possible; discard the remaining pulp and seeds. Return the liquid to the pan.
Return to medium-high heat, add the sugar, and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil and continue boiling, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches 215ºF–217ºF. If you don’t have a thermometer, dip a cold spoon into the sauce—if the mixture gels on the spoon and holds a clean line when you draw your finger through it, it’s ready.
Pour hot sauce into sterile canning jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe rims, add lids, and screw bands until fingertip-tight. Refrigerate for short-term use, or process jars in a boiling-water canner: cover jars with hot water, bring to a boil, and process for 15 minutes. After processing, turn off heat, remove the canner lid, and let jars sit in the water five minutes before removing to cool overnight. Wipe and label jars and store in a cool, dark place up to a year.
Jellied Cranberry Sauce {canned or refrigerated}
Equipment
- 1 liquid measuring cup
- 1 microplane or zester
- 1 heavy-bottomed stockpot
- 1 long-handled wooden spoon
- 1 fine mesh sieve
- 1 instant-read thermometer
Ingredients (yields about 16 servings)
- 9 cups fresh cranberries
- 4 cups sugar
- The juice of one orange plus enough water to equal 3 1/2 cups total liquid
- The zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- Combine cranberries, orange juice, water, and orange zest in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 8–10 minutes until cranberries pop.
- Blend until mostly smooth with an immersion blender or mash carefully.
- Press the puree through a fine-mesh sieve into a heatproof bowl, then return the strained liquid to the pan.
- Add the sugar, stir until dissolved, and boil until the mixture reaches 215ºF–217ºF.
- Pour into sterile jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. For refrigeration, cool and seal. To can, process jars in a boiling-water canner for 15 minutes, then cool overnight. Store sealed jars up to one year.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. Calculate based on the actual ingredients you use.
Originally published November 2013; updated November 2020 and November 2022 with improved notes and instructions.
