Learn how to make Homemade Apple Cranberry Sauce with tart cranberries, crisp apple, and less sugar in 15 minutes from a dietitian!
If you ask me, this is the best homemade cranberry sauce! While I've always loved cranberry sauce (even the canned cranberry relish from the grocery store;), cranberry apple sauce is my favorite!
It wasn't until I was married that I made homemade cranberry sauce for the first time. Let's just say it was 'love at first bite,' and became my go-to recipe for the holiday season!
I got the idea of adding fresh apples to help sweeten the sauce from a friend's mom when I was in college. She came into town and cooked us a little holiday dinner to celebrate their Canadian Thanksgiving. It was so good!
Although this recipe is different than classic cranberry sauce, it tastes just as good (even better, actually!) and makes a tasty side dish at holiday meals. I can't wait for you to try it!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Cranberry sauce is a classic Thanksgiving side dish. What sets this recipe apart from others is that it's made with fresh apples, oranges, and cinnamon which makes it more of a spiced apple cranberry sauce. You're going to love it!
- Kid-Approved My pickiest eater loves this cranberry sauce so much that she asks to have it as a snack. Now that's saying something!
- Quick and Easy This recipe is easy to make and easy to serve and takes only 15 minutes to make. With a handful of ingredients that are easy to find you'll have the best cranberry sauce ready to serve for your next holiday meal in no time!
- Versatile Recipe If you don't have fresh orange juice or don't like the flavor of oranges, use apple juice or apple cider instead. Or, to turn this into more of a basic cranberry sauce, leave the cinnamon and orange juice out and add more brown sugar (just a little bit more).
- Holiday Side Dish Just like a Thanksgiving salad made with fresh fruit, homemade cranberry sauce is an easy side dish that blends perfectly with pretty much any holiday dinner. 😍
- Less 'added sugar' than traditional cranberry sauce recipes. Fresh apple and the juice of fresh oranges are added for sweetness because this dietitian mom prefers to save added sugar for dessert. 😉
Dietitian Tip
Using fresh fruit in place of sugar in recipes is an easy way to increase fruit consumption, add variety to your diet, and reduce the amount of added sugar.
For instance, the recipe ranked #1 when I just searched for a homemade cranberry sauce recipe calls for one cup of sugar per 4 cups of cranberries, which is more than double what this recipe calls for.
Using fresh apple and orange juice to make cranberry sauce adds natural sweetness, a variety of nutrients, and incredible flavor that would otherwise be missing if all you used was cranberries, water, and sugar to make cranberry sauce.
Ingredient Notes
- Cranberries Beautiful in color, have a tart flavor, and are a rich source of bioactive compounds, including anthocyanins. Whole fresh cranberries can be found in the produce section of most grocery stores during the holiday season. Frozen whole cranberries can be found in the frozen fruit section of the grocery store.
- Honeycrisp Apple Sweet and delicious. Honeycrisp apples are typically larger than other sweet apples. So, if you use a different kind of apple, like Gala apples, use two small apples instead of one large Honeycrisp apple. Only use Granny Smith apples if you like extra tart apple cranberry sauce.
- Orange Juice Use fresh orange juice, if possible.
- Cinnamon Added for flavor. If you don't have ground cinnamon, let a cinnamon stick simmer with the cranberries and apples (remove the cinnamon stick before mashing everything together).
- Brown Sugar A small amount of brown sugar helps balance out the tartness of the cranberries. Use brown sugar, not white sugar.
- Optional: Orange Zest. If your kids like the flavor of orange zest, add one teaspoon of orange zest at the end, while the cranberry sauce is still hot.
How to Make Apple Cranberry Sauce
Here is a quick overview of the steps to make this homemade fresh cranberry sauce. For a full list of ingredients and instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Peel, core, and chop the apple into small pieces.
- Place apple pieces in a medium or large saucepan with one-quarter cup of water and cook over medium heat or medium-high heat for about five minutes. Use a wooden spoon to stir periodically. Once the apples are softened, combine cranberries and the softened apple pieces and continue to cook for another three minutes, until cranberries pop.
- Using a food masher, mash cranberries and apple together.
- Last, add orange juice, cinnamon, and brown sugar and mix well. Cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until all ingredients are combined. Remove from heat and let cool.
Helpful Tips
- This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
- You can use fresh or frozen whole cranberries.
- To reduce cooking time, cut the apple into very small pieces.
- Orange juice is not a must in this recipe. If you make this without orange juice, you'll want to increase the amount of sugar.
- This recipe can be made a day or two ahead.
How to Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce
While most people only think to serve cranberry sauce as a Thanksgiving side dish, my kids enjoy it served as a side with a variety of meals. Two of my kids even like to eat it as a snack. So, be ready to double or triple this recipe. Just saying!
- Cranberry sauce is not just for your Thanksgiving meal. Serve this as a side dish alongside Rosemary Pork Tenderloin, barbecue chicken, or creamed chicken. Yum!
- Spread on a layer of cranberry sauce when making leftover turkey sandwiches. It's the perfect complement to turkey and stuffing!!
- There's nothing like cranberry sauce served with cheese and crackers, especially on the appetizer section of the holiday table.
- Use this cranberry sauce as a substitute for jam or jelly when making sandwiches or a turkey wrap.
- This might sound strange but two of my kids love to eat this cranberry sauce just the way it is, as a snack.
- While I've never tried it, I've heard that leftover cranberry sauce tastes delicious with vanilla ice cream. Let me know if you've tried it this way!
Questions You May Have
Yes, it can! I usually make this a day or two ahead of time. Then I either serve it chilled or at room temperature.
Yes! Fresh cranberry sauce freezes nicely. Pack it in an airtight container or in a resealable freezer bag before freezing.
Serve cranberry sauce with any meal or with cheese and crackers as a snack. Also, try serving cranberry sauce in place of jam on bread or crackers. And of course, it is delicious on turkey sandwiched and when served as a side with leftover turkey and sweet potato casserole.
Fresh cranberries can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. Personally, I buy extra bags of cranberries around the holidays and put the bags directly in my freezer so I can use them throughout the year. So easy!
📖 Recipe
Easy Homemade Apple Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries Rinse well.
- 1 Honeycrisp apple 1 large apple, or approximately 1½ cups chopped sweet apple
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Peel, core, and chop the apple into small pieces.1 Honeycrisp apple
- Add chopped apple and water to a medium sauce pan.1 Honeycrisp apple, ¼ cup water
- Cook apple for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Add cranberries to the cooked apples and continue to cook.2 cups fresh cranberries
- After about three minutes the cranberries will start to pop. When they start to soften and pop, mash cranberries and apples using a food masher.
- Add orange juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 2 minutes.¼ cup orange juice, 3 tablespoon brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- Remove from heat and let cool.
- Optional: add 1 teaspoon of orange zest and one additional tablespoon of brown sugar, depending on preference.
Notes
- Honeycrisp apple can be substituted with a different sweet apple. However, because they are usually much larger than other apples, you may need more than one apple if using an apple like Gala.
- Larger apple pieces will take longer to cook.
- If using frozen cranberries, cook time will be a little longer.
- If you don't have orange juice, add a little more water and brown sugar.
- This recipe is easily doubled or tripled.
- Kids love leftover cranberry sauce served by itself, with crackers or pretzels, or as a side dish with dinner.
- Leftover fresh cranberries can be frozen in a resealable freezer-safe bag to be used later.
Melanie Anders says
I make this at Thanksgiving. Our family likes it so much that I have made it with other fall/winter meals
Kristi Ruth RD says
I'm so glad! I stock up on cranberries to keep in the freezer so I can make it whenever, too! Happy Thanksgiving!!