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Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce

Basic slow cooker cranberry sauce recipe with fresh cranberries & oranges - no sugar! Use cinnamon, vanilla and/or bourbon to make it unique & gourmet.

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Let this easy cranberry sauce recipe cook in the crockpot while you make the rest of your Thanksgiving sides. Tart, fresh, and tangy, you’ll love the lightly sweetened flavor!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 oz cranberries (fresh or frozen)
  • 34 medium to large oranges (I used clementines)
  • 24 Tbsp maple syrup
  • tiniest pinch of salt
  • Optional Flavors: a splash of vanilla extract, ground cinnamon OR whole cinnamon sticks, a pinch of ground or freshly grated ginger, spiced wine or bourbon, apples or pears, pecans or walnuts (as tempting as it may be to pick all of them, it’s really best to pick just one or two)

Instructions

Slow Cooker

  1. Place cranberries in the slow cooker.
  2. Zest and juice all 3 oranges. You need about ½ cup of fresh orange juice, so zest and juice the additional orange if necessary.
  3. Add 2 Tbsp of maple syrup plus any additional flavors, if desired (remember to pick just one or two!).
  4. Cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours.
  5. The cranberries will be very soft by this point, so you can mash them with the back of a wooden spoon until they reach your desired consistency.

Instant Pot

  1. Place cranberries, orange juice and zest, maple syrup, and optional flavor ingredients in the Instant Pot.
  2. Set the “slow cook” function on the Instant Pot.
  3. Adjust the pressure to “normal.”
  4. Set the timer for 4 hours.

Stovetop

  1. Place cranberries, orange juice and zest, maple syrup, and optional flavor ingredients in a medium saucepan.
  2. Put the saucepan over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
  3. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
  4. Remove from the heat and let it cool before serving.

Notes

  • The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools.
  • Taste, and add additional sweeter and/or optional flavors as desired.
  • Store this homemade cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 10-14 days. You can store this in the freezer for up to 2 months.

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