Fresh Baked Cranberry Sauce
An easy, make ahead cranberry sauce that bakes itself in the oven. Lightly sweetened with maple syrup and orange juice, it’s the perfect Thanksgiving side.
The holidays consistently have me stressed, so I tend to prep quite a bit leading up to Thanksgiving to keep my sanity intact. Now, usually a day or two before, I’ll go ahead and make my Miso Mushroom Gravy and cranberry sauce. And the thing I love about the cranberry sauce in particular, is that it bakes itself in the oven, which I can go ahead and prep other things. No fuss, great flavor, and one less headache to worry about!
Why You’ll Love This Version of Cranberry Sauce
- Balanced flavors. Spiced with fresh cinnamon and vanilla then followed with a splash of fresh orange juice to help balance the tart and sweet flavors of cranberry sauce we love.
- A nice hands free recipe. You just put your ingredients in a dish pan and place in the oven to bake. No stirring required as it bakes. Then mix in your orange juice and salt at the end.
- Prep ahead. Make in advance so you don’t have to stress about an extra recipe on the big day.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cranberries: This works for fresh or frozen cranberries. Fresh cranberries with nothing added to them are naturally very tart and bitter.
- Maple Syrup: Alternatively, try this with agave syrup.
- Cinnamon: For the best flavor, use a cinnamon stick. Ginger or a pinch of allspice would also be lovely in this.
- Vanilla Extract: Helps to enhance the sweetness of this dish. If you don’t happen to have this on hand, it is totally okay to leave out.
- Orange Juice: Fresh squeezed or bottled can work here. I prefer using bottled to help minimize work.
How to Make Fresh Baked Cranberry Sauce
Prep for Baking: Add your cranberries to an 8 in x 8 in baking dish. Pour in your maple syrup, water and vanilla extract. Then stick your cinnamon stick in the middle of the dish.
Bake It: Cover the baking dish with foil or an oven safe lid. Place the cranberries in the oven to bake for an hour.
Finish and Serve: Remove the lid then mash your cranberries with a spoon. Add in your orange juice and a pinch of salt and give a good mix to fully combine. The cranberry sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. Feel free to taste and adjust based on your sweetness preference and enjoy.
Tips for the Perfect Baked Cranberry Sauce
- Cover your baking dish. Use a lid if your baking dish comes with one or use foil to tightly cover the cranberries before placing in the oven. If you bake without covering, the cranberries will burn.
- Adjust the sweetness . Use this recipe as a base and add more sweetener as desired.
- Mellow some the bitterness, add a small pinch of salt and stir into your cranberry sauce well. Salt actually helps with reducing the sensation of bitterness notes on our taste receptors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Freshly made cranberry sauce is normally more bitter because fresh cranberries are really tart and bitter. This is why most canned or homemade versions will add a lot of sugar to remove that bitterness. Make sure to not bake the cranberries with the orange juice as this will add more bitterness. Once baked, add your juice and a pinch of kosher salt, then taste the sauce. Add additional maple syrup in small amounts until your sauce tastes the way you want it to.
Adding salt helps to reduce bitter flavors. It will also help to enhance the natural sweet flavors of the orange juice and maple syrup without having to over sweeten the cranberry sauce.
Cranberries on their own are very nutritious! Cranberries are very high in antioxidants in the form of plant polyphenols and can be helpful for preventing chronic disease. However, cranberries are often not eaten fresh as they are very bitter and tart in flavor. Since most prepared cranberry products are usually loaded with sugar, I wanted to share a few tips to help keep you in control of the amount of sugar you add. While maple syrup is still a sugar, we’ve reduced this level of sweetness by half compared to other recipes. The splash of orange juice, vanilla and the cinnamon also help to enhance the sweetness without having to add much more to the dish. Stirring the orange juice at the end also helps to add more antioxidants to this version of the recipe.
How to Serve
Cranberry sauce is generally served alongside holiday proteins and sides. I love to serve mine with this Brown Sugar Glazed Tofu or this Herb Roasted Chickpea Vegetable Wellington. And if you have leftovers, you can use them to make this leftovers sandwich or spoon some on top of oatmeal.
Storing Leftovers
Place leftover cooled cranberry sauce in an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. When properly stored, homemade cranberry sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 10 to 14 days. To store for longer, place the cranberry sauce in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge then enjoy as is or warm through on the stove if desired.
More Plant-Based Recipes to Include on Your Holiday Table
- Maple Sage Glazed Carrots with Crispy Chickpeas
- Herby Lentil Mushroom Stuffed Honeynut Squashes
- Moro de Guandules con Coco
- Garlic Sage Toasted Quinoa Salad
- Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Creamy Scallion Date Dressing
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
Print
Fresh Baked Cranberry Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
An easy, make ahead cranberry sauce that bakes itself in the oven. Lightly sweetened with maple syrup and orange juice, it’s the perfect Thanksgiving side.
Ingredients
- 12 oz bag fresh cranberries, rinsed well
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/8 tsp salt (about a pinch)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F. In an 8 in x 8 in baking dish, pour in your cranberries. Pour overtop your maple syrup, water and vanilla extract and give everything a quick toss.
- Place your cinnamon stick down into the center of the dish, then cover the baking dish with an oven safe lid or wrap with some foil.
- Now place your baking dish into then oven and bake for 60 minutes. Do not remove lid.
- After baking, allow to sit covered for a few minutes to cool. Remove the cinnamon stick and with the back of a large spoon, carefully mash your cranberries. Pour in your orange juice and add a pinch of salt and stir your cranberries really well until they have thickened.
- Add more maple syrup or orange juice as desired to adjust to your taste preference then serve.
Notes
Cover your baking dish. Use a lid if your baking dish comes with one or use foil to tightly cover the cranberries before placing in the oven. If you bake without covering, the cranberries will burn.
Adjust the sweetness. Use this recipe as a base and add more sweetener as desired.
Mellow the bitterness, add a small pinch of salt and stir into your cranberry sauce well. Salt actually helps with reducing the sensation of bitterness notes on our taste receptors.
This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you purchase from those links. I only recommend and share products that I know, trust and personally use myself!
Made this for Thanksgiving and LOVED it. Making it a second time to have as topping for oatmeal and anything else I can think of. Thanks for a simple winner!
That is the best thing to hear! Thank you Cammy and love that you made extra for oatmeal. That’s exactly what I did too!
This was so easy and yummy! I will keep this one on rotation.
So glad to hear that Catherine! It’s such a fav around here. Thank you so much for making it!