Homemade crockpot cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries! The combination of orange juice, fresh cranberries, cinnamon and sugars create delicious flavors – and your house will smell amazing!
Cranberry sauce was not a part of our Thanksgiving growing up. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever bought fresh cranberries. Sure, I’ve thought about stringing them by a fire at Christmas, but slow cooking them in a crockpot? Last year our church had our annual Thanksgiving meal together. I received the email with my instructions to make “cranberry sauce”. Do you just buy the can of the stuff?
I decided to do a little digging and decided to make a fantastic Cranberry Sauce Slow Cooker Recipe. It was so easy to make and it looks just beautiful. What I loved about this recipe is that I could make it with my kiddo. He helped me prepare it and then we turned on the crockpot. And the smell. Who needs Yankee when you can make homemade cranberry sauce?!
Combine all ingredients except for the cranberries in your slow cooker.
Rinse the cranberries with water. Let’s just talk about how pretty cranberries are. I mean, really. They are fun to photograph because of the rich red color.
Add the cranberries to the crockpot and give it a good stir. Turn on high.
Stir the sauce with the cranberries after one hour on high in the slow cooker and every hour after that until you get to three hours. Your house will smell amazing!
The sauce will be thick and delicious. If you like your cranberries cooked down even more, you can leave them in the crockpot for longer, just keep an eye on them!
Can you make cranberry sauce ahead of time?
This cranberry sauce can be made the day before and served on your holiday table. There is such a difference between homemade cranberry sauce and the canned stuff. Make your own! You won’t regret it! 🙂
Enjoy!
More Crockpot Recipes
Here’s my FAVORITE crockpot I use all the time in my home! Purchase it HERE.
Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe
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Crockpot Cranberry Sauce
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 6
- Category: side
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade crockpot cranberry sauce combining orange juice, fresh cranberries, sugars and cinnamon.
Ingredients
- ½ Cup brown sugar
- ½ Cup white sugar
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ Cup orange juice
- ½ Cup water
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the cranberries in the crockpot. Stir well.
- Add cranberries and evenly coat.
- Turn on the crockpot to high for 3 hours, stirring the cranberries every hour.
- After three hours on high, mash the cranberries. Continue to heat on high with the lid off, for 45 minutes.
- Let cool and transfer to serving dish.
Notes
Make this the day before Thanksgiving. The house will smell amazing and you’ll have something finished!
Keywords: crockpot cranberry sauce, slow cooker cranberry sauce, best cranberry sauce
My kids (ages 11, 13, and 16) have been making this recipe for at least 4 years. It has become a family tradition and a staple on our Thanksgiving table. It’s a way for the kids to play a central role creating the magic that is Thanksgiving dinner. Thank you so much for posting this. The gift of such a legacy to pass down to future generations is something we are thankful for.
★★★★★
Also, fun fact, I triple the amount. Not because of the amount of people being served, but because I want leftovers I can eat at least 2x daily for a week, lol.
Did you triple the sugar too?
Lynette, do you refrigerate it after it cools down or serve it warm.
Do you think this would work in slow cooker overnight on low?
I’ve never tried it, but it sounds like it could work. You will still have to remove the lid and let some of the liquid evaporate at the end. Let me know how it turns out!
Can this be frozen?
Yes. I’ve frozen it with success. I would make sure it’s fully cool before refrigerating. Then let it thaw in the refrigerator before serving.
Hi, what is a possible substitute for orange juice, one of the people coming for christmas has a citrus allergy.
I will be doubling the recipe so I I was thinking 3/4 cup grape, with 1/4cup of cranberry juice.
This recipe sounds amazing. But since it is basically a jelly or preserve wouldn’t it be ok to make it today, the Monday before Thanksgiving ?
Yes! You can make it a few days ahead of time. Once cool store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you’re ready to enjoy.
When doubling the recipe, 24 oz of cranberries? 1 cup of each the sugar, etc? Does the cook time need to be doubled as well?
You will need to double all the ingredients. I would plan on additional cooking time in the slow cooker but it may not need double the time. You’ll have to test it every half hour after the initial time until it reaches the desired consistency.
When I doubled the recipe, the cranberries did not double.
Was this a glitch? Should I use 24 oz. of cranberries, and increase the cooking time? I hope to make it next week.
Hi! Yes, you will need 24 oz of cranberries. I think the doubling was an error on my part as I put the oz after the description. I’ve since updated it and it’s working now. Thank you for letting me know and enjoy the cranberry sauce next week! 🙂
How much does this make? I see 6 servings, but what is the serving size?
Hi! The serving size would be approximately 2 oz per person.