Dried Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Low Sugar!)

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This dried cranberry sauce recipe is made with simple ingredients and has less sugar than traditional cranberry sauce. It's an easy cranberry sauce recipe that is the perfect addition for any Thanksgiving meal!

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dried cranberry sauce recipe in a pink bowl with a spoon in it

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Why You'll Love This Dried Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
How to Make
Variations & Substitutions
Pro Tips
Storing, Serving, & Making Ahead
What to do with Leftover Cranberry Sauce
Recipe FAQ
Other Recipes You May Enjoy
Dried Cranberry Sauce Recipe (Low Sugar!)

Why You'll Love This Dried Cranberry Sauce Recipe

This delicious homemade cranberry sauce is a flexible recipe that can be used as a cranberry relish or more of a smooth sauce, or somewhere in between! It's an easy recipe with basic ingredients. Fresh cranberries can be hard to find, especially out of the holiday season, so this is an easy year-round recipe!

One of the best parts of this recipe is it has a lower sugar content than store-bought tradition cranberry sauce! Making cranberry sauce at home is a great way to cut back on the amount of sugar commonly found in holiday recipes.

dried cranberry sauce recipe in a pink bowl with a spoon in it and a linen and cinnamon sticks around it.

Equipment

Medium saucepan - you want a saucepan that holds at least 5 cups, just to prevent overfilling.
Rubber spatula - this recipe can get sticky so a rubber spatula is perfect!

Ingredients

Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

No sugar added dried cranberries - you can use regular, but if you're trying to cut back on sugar content, I like to use reduced-sugar!
Cranberry juice cocktail - this simply enhances the cranberry flavor!
100% apple juice - you can use apple or orange juice, it just depends on your preference.
Honey - I prefer using honey over white sugar because it's less processed. I still like to add some sweetener, like honey or even pure maple syrup, to cut back on the tartness of the cranberries!
Ground cinnamon - cinnamon adds the perfect amount of warm spice to this delicious cranberry sauce! You can also add 1-2 whole cinnamon sticks if you want more cinnamon flavor.

How to Make

ingredients to make dried cranberry sauce in a medium saucepan

1: Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

ingredients to make dried cranberry sauce in a medium saucepan after being stirred and brought to a boil

2: Reduce to medium heat to bring the mixture to a low boil and cook until cranberries plump up and rehydrate, about 50-55 minutes. Stir occasionally.

dried cranberry sauce recipe in a medium sauce pan after its cooled with a rubber spatula

3: Remove from heat and squash the berries with the back of a rubber spatula to break them apart.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes (the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools!).

*Note: if you like a smooth cranberry sauce, put the cooled mixture into a blender or food processor. Blend on high for 20-30 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached.

Variations & Substitutions

You can add a Tablespoon of fresh orange zest to this recipe if you want a hint of orange flavor!
Orange juice can be used in lieu of apple juice if you like the orange flavor.
Add 1-2 whole cinnamon sticks for a stronger cinnamon flavor!
For unique spins on the classic cranberry sauce flavor, you can add the following as it cooks:
- A Tablespoon of fresh lemon juice
- A teaspoon of orange liqeueur
- A teaspoon of grated fresh ginger

Pro Tips

Use the back of the rubber spatula to squish the cranberries and break them apart after cooking. This will give the dried cranberry sauce a better texture!
Let the sauce cool for at least 30 minutes (ideally longer!). It will thicken as it cools.
You can put the cooked cranberry mixture in a blender or food processor and blend on high for 20-30 seconds if you prefer a smoother cranberry sauce!
If the consistency becomes too thick either as your cooking or after it cools, you can loosen it up with a Tablespoon of either of the fruit juices or water until your desired consistency is reached.

dried cranberry sauce in a pink bowl with a spoon and linen next to it with dried cranberries scattered around.

Storing, Serving, & Making Ahead

STORING: Store this dried cranberry sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months!
SERVING: This is a fantastic side dish to serve in a fancy serving dish on the holiday table with turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, althought it's great any time of year! You can serve it chilled or at room temperature, whichever you prefer.
MAKING AHEAD: Since this recipe stores really well, I recommend making it 2-3 days ahead of when you plan to serve it to save time on the day of (hello Thanksgiving dinner craziness!). Plus, it thickens as the sauce cools so it'll be the perfect consistency!

What to do with Leftover Cranberry Sauce

If you have leftover cranberry sauce, there are many things you can do with it! Here are some of my favorite ideas:

Whisk it into a salad dressing
Spread it on leftover turkey sandwiches
Dollop some onto pumpkin spice oatmeal
Make a PB&CS (peanut butter and cranberry sauce) sandwich
Mix into a fruit salad or salsa
Swirl into muffin batter before baking to make a delicious cranberry muffin

dried cranberry sauce recipe in a pink bowl with a spoon, linen, and dried cranberries around it.

Recipe FAQ

Do dried cranberries need to be soaked?

Dried cranberries do not need to be soaked for this dried cranberry sauce recipe! Cooking them long enough in the juices in this recipe allows them to rehydrate perfectly.

Why is homemade cranberry sauce better for you?

You can control the amount of sugar you add to homemade cranberry sauce, whereas store-bought cranberry sauce is loaded with added sugar like high fructose corn syrup and regular corn syrup.

Is homemade cranberry sauce worth it?

Absolutely! Canned cranberry sauce is fairly high in added sugar and other preservatives. Homemade cranberry sauce is just the right amount of tartness and you can adjust the sweetness to your preference.

Do dried cranberries need to be refrigerated after opening?

Nope! If you have any dried cranberries left after making this recipe, they do not need to be refrigerated. I love throwing them in a homemade trailmix or a salad if you have any left!

Other Recipes You May Enjoy

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