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This flavorful cranberry sauce recipe uses apple cider rather than orange juice. Whole cardamom pods, star anise and cinnamon will make this sauce the highlight of your dinner!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
This is a brief summary of the recipe. Jump to the recipe to get the full details.
Jump to RecipePrep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
1 hour
Total Time
1 hour 5 minutes
Servings
12 servings
Difficulty
Easy, stovetop prep
Calories *
84 kcal per serving
Technique
Simmer cranberries with cider, sugars, apple, spices, and zest until thickened.
Flavor Profile
Tart cranberries meet sweet cider and warm spices
* Based on nutrition panel
This recipe has so much more depth than the orange juice versions I’ve tried. I followed the tip to count the cardamom pods first and cooked it low and slow. It was so bright and perfectly spiced. I even went the extra step and pureed it so it turned out smooth! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Lauren
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- This is the only recipe that uses apple cider. Every other cranberry sauce recipe uses orange juice, but this one breaks the formula, and is better for it!
- Cranberry sauce that’s deeply spiced yet balanced. The flavors from the subtle apple and the star anise and cardamom make this recipe tart, warm, and a touch sweet.
- So much better than cranberry sauce from a can. It goes without saying that the texture from the whole berries and the long simmer make this sauce perfectly thick and luscious, not weirdly synthetic from a can.
Table of Contents
Break out of the cranberry sauce rut with this cozy, aromatic twist on a holiday classic. Tart cranberries simmer with brown sugar, apple cider, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, and a hint of tangerine zest for a sauce that’s bright and deeply spiced.
This isn’t Nana’s cranberry chutney! It’s smoother, a little more vibrant, and definitely unexpected. Cranberry sauce is enough for a weeknight roasted chicken, yet special enough for a coveted spot on your Thanksgiving or Christmas table! Try serving it with spicy peach pork chops, spooning it on some cranberry cinnamon jam bars, or on some yogurt for an easy dessert!
However you use it, this one will stand out from any other cranberry sauce throughout the holiday season!
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cranberries: This recipe calls for fresh, whole cranberries. If you can’t find fresh cranberries, you can buy frozen cranberries instead. You don’t even need to thaw them before cooking the cranberry relish! Just keep the heat low until they begin releasing their juices.
- Light Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: You can add more sugar according to your family’s taste preferences but I like to keep this sauce tart.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon is best here as opposed to cinnamon sticks. Cinnamon will add a warm flavor to the sauce that tastes like the holidays.
- Cardamom Pods
- Whole Star Anise
- Natural Apple Cider
- Apple: Peel and core the apple before finely dicing it! Different types of apples will lend different flavors to the sauce. For a more tart sauce, select a green variety like a Granny Smith apple. For something sweeter, try a Honeycrisp apple.
- Orange or Tangerine Zest
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations for Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Make it a little boozy. Replace ¼ cup of apple cider with ruby port wine, it’ll add a rounded sweetness to the sauce.
- Use different citrus zests. Lemons, limes, orange zest or even fresh orange juice all add their own sparkle.
- Swap the apple for pear. Substitute half or all of the apple with finely diced pear. It’s especially lovely with chicken, turkey, and pork!
- Can you make cranberry sauce with dried cranberries? I would not recommend making this recipe with dried cranberries.
Professional Tips
- Test sauce thickness. Test thickness by running a spoon through the sauce, it should slowly close back over itself.
- Tie your spices in a cheesecloth. For ease of removal, you can tie the star anise and cardamom pods in a small piece of cheesecloth tied closed with kitchen twine. This makes removal easier! You can also count the pods before they go in and dig them out!
- Use quality apple cider. If you can get apple cider from a farmers’ market or while out apple picking, these ciders have a more concentrated and full flavor, which will be transferred to your cranberry sauce.
How to Make Cranberry Sauce
Use these instructions to make the perfect cranberry sauce every time! Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Bring cranberries to a boil. In a small saucepan, heat the cranberries, sugars, and apple cider over medium-high heat until the sauce boils and the cranberries pop (photos 1 & 2).
Cutting your apple into a uniform dice will allow it to cook evenly.
Step 2: Simmer with spices. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the star anise and cardamom pods. You could stop cooking it at this point but I like to cook my cranberry sauce for at least an hour (photo 3).
Step 3: Finish and cool. After simmering for an additional 30 minutes, allow to cool or serve warm (photo 4).
Chef Lindsey’s Recipe Tip
For the best flavor, give this recipe ample time to cook. Ideally, you want several hours to allow the cranberries and apple enough time to break down and integrate into the sauce. However, this won’t all be active time. You can let it cook on low and stir occasionally. You can make it in 30 minutes. However, in such a short time, the flavor isn’t as complex and the texture is less cohesive.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Cranberry sauce’s flavor improves as it sits, so it is the ideal make-ahead side.
It’s likely that you didn’t simmer it for long enough. The natural pectin in the cranberries needs to activate in order to thicken the sauce.
Yes, you can can this recipe, but it keeps for a year in the refrigerator when cooled and stored properly even without canning.
Store leftover cranberry sauce in a clean Ball or Weck jar in the refrigerator for up to a year.
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35 Best Thanksgiving Side Dishes
If you tried this recipe and loved it please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you; your comments make my day!
Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries or you can use previously frozen fresh cranberries
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup apple cider natural (not vinegar!)
- 1 small granny smith apple peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 whole star anise
- 5 cardamom pods or more, just make sure you count so you can find them all!
- ½ teaspoon fresh tangerine zest bright orange parts only
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, heat the cranberries, sugars, and apple cider over medium-high heat until the sauce boils and the cranberries pop.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the star anise and cardamom pods. You could stop cooking it at this point but I like to cook my cranberry sauce for at least an hour.
- After simmering for an additional 30 minutes, allow to cool or serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Before You Go
I hope you enjoyed this professional chef-tested recipe. Check out our other delicious, chef-developed Thanksgiving recipes! Or, amp up your apple cider obsession with this apple cider donut recipe!
This recipe has so much more depth than the orange juice versions I’ve tried. I followed the tip to count the cardamom pods first and cooked it low and slow. It was so bright and perfectly spiced. I even went the extra step and pureed it so it turned out smooth! Love!
Question- i’m planning on making a large batch of this so i can jar it and give it out as Christmas treats to family and friends, how long will it last in a glass jar if kept cold???
Hi Natalie! That will be a lovely gift! Technically speaking I should tell you 7-10 days if kept in the refrigerator (unless you can it). I can tell you that my grandmother, mother and I keep cranberry sauce for months open in the refrigerator. After a few weeks the liquid will start to settle at the top but you just stir it back in.
Perfect!! I’m going to seal the jars really tight and then give them out in a week from now so I think they’ll be fine until they get opened! Thanks so much
No problem, Natalie! Happy Holidays!
I do not have access to star anise or cardomom pods. What can I spices can I use to substitute these and how much should I use? Thanks so much! This looks delicious and I’m making the apple cider cupcakes this week!
Hi Mitch! There really is no substitute. Sorry! But! It will still be delicious without them. If you can find ground cardamom you could add 1/4 teaspoon, taste and adjust. You could also add cloves if you like that flavor. Good luck! And have fun with the cupcakes! They were some of my all time favorites! Happy baking!
I just want to say you and this recipe are awesome. God bless you!
Hahah! Thank you so much, Ashley! You made my day. 🙂