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For a sweet and simple twist on the classic Thanksgiving side dish, try Cranberry Apple Sauce. It’s a tasty without getting too crazy on a menu that is rooted in tradition.
In my family, Thanksgiving is all about traditions. The turkey goes in the oven, not in a barrel for deep-frying. We do not add gorgonzola, pears, and walnuts to our stuffing. Our potatoes are mashed, not roasted. And our dinner rolls are the ones Grandma used to make.
So when it comes to cranberry sauce, there isn’t a whole lot of wiggle room. It must still look and mostly taste like cranberry sauce. But I can get away with adding apples! Apples add an element of surprise without upsetting anyone, and apples mixed with cranberries somehow make a lot of sense.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries freeze really well, so stock up when you see them. If your cranberries are already frozen, no need to thaw. Just cook them straight from the freezer and add 2 minutes to the simmering time.
- Apples: I like tart Granny Smith apples because they hold their shape in the Apple Cranberry Sauce. But you can use your favorites like Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add sugar, water, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, and stir occasionally until sugar is dissolved. Stir in cranberries and apples.
- Simmer over medium-low heat until slightly thickened and the berries begin to pop, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature or chill.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes 3 cups of sauce, enough for 12 (¼ cup) servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Make ahead: Cranberry sauce is a great recipe to make ahead of time. Cool the sauce completely, then keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Cooled sauce can be frozen up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
- More sweeteners: This recipe calls for white sugar, but you can substitute brown sugar, coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, or honey (the flavor will change, but not in a bad way).
- Customize your flavors: Try vanilla extract, a splash of red wine, orange zest, lemon juice, a cinnamon stick, or warming spices such as ginger and cloves.
- Super smooth: For the smoothest possible cranberry sauce, blend your cooked sauce with an immersion blender.
- Classic Cranberry Sauce: Sweetened with orange juice and sugar, this classic Thanksgiving side dish is perfect for cutting through all the richness of the other holiday recipes.
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce: When stove-top and oven space are in high demand, Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce is a no-brainer.
- Cranberry Relish: This no-cook version is 3 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep (plus 8 hours of chilling time so the flavors can blend).
- Small batch: My Cranberry Sauce for Two has been scaled down for a pair.
- Homemade Cranberry Applesauce: Stir fresh cranberries into your next batch of Homemade Applesauce.
- Leftovers: Extra cranberry sauce is delicious on Leftover Turkey Sandwiches or folded into my favorite Cranberry Cheesecake Galette. You can also drizzle it over ice cream for dessert (maybe add a handful of pecans?), pancakes, waffles, and crepes.
Frequently Asked Questions
You’ll start seeing cranberries at grocery stores in November, and they should be stocked all through December. I usually stock up and vacuum-seal a few bags for the freezer because once they’re gone, they’re gone!
Just five states produce all the cranberries in the United States. More than half come from Wisconsin. Massachusetts grows the second largest amount, about 30%, and the rest come from New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington.
More recipes with apples
Drink Recipes
Apple Cider Drink Recipe
Cake Recipes
Cinnamon Apple Cake
Fruit Dessert Recipes
Apple Crisp with Oatmeal
Main Dishes
Pork Cutlets with Apples
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Cranberry Apple Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries picked over and rinsed (see note 1)
- 1 cup tart apples peeled and diced (see note 2)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, water, cinnamon, and salt to boil. Stir occasionally to dissolve the sugar.
- Stir in cranberries and apples. Simmer until slightly thickened and the berries begin to pop, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature or chill.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries freeze really well, so stock up when you see them. If your cranberries are already frozen, no need to thaw. Just cook them straight from the freezer and add 2 minutes to the simmering time.
- Apples: I like tart Granny Smith apples because they hold their shape in the sauce.
- Yield: This recipe makes 3 c. of sauce, enough for 12 (¼ c.) servings.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
This sauce in so delicious, in our house it started out as a relish for the thanksgiving turkey but it soon became such a hit, try eating it hot with vanilla ice cream.
Yumm
There is way too much sugar in this for my taste; I think half is plenty. I like cardamom addition to the cinnamon and ginger is great too.
Made it for Thanksgiving, everyone loved it! I only made 1 mistake, I tried to make a double batch and it wasn’t as thick as I would have liked but it tasted so good I could have eaten it all myself.
Thank you so much for your kind words Cheryl!
Easy and delicious! I actually added a lot of things I like to put in when I didn’t use apples- a sprinkle of nutmeg and ground cloves, orange zest and juice of an orange (but used less sugar) with water if needed to make 3/4 cup liquid, honey crisp apple, splash of balsamic vinegar for depth of flavor.
Hi Darlene, this sounds amazing. Your version is definitely better than mine! I’m stealing all your ideas for my next batch! Thanks. -Meggan
I made this Cranberry Sauce today.I probably should have made less considering that my brother really doesn’t care for it and my mother is in the Hospital. It was very easy to make.Next time I think I will use a half cup of sugar because its rather sweet but it is still good.I can’t wait to make it again.
I tried this recipe and we loved it! I will be serving this on thanksgiving to share with the family!!!
Delicious the only thing I add half a cup of red wine that made it even better
Very tasty the only think I add half a cup of red wine
I LOVE this recipe! I make it all winter long and eat it in the morning on top of oatmeal. Sometimes I add walnuts when I make the cranberry sauce, and they are a great crunchy addition.
I’m thinking this recipe might pair well with pears (pun intended!) in place of the apples. You would have to add the pears later, obviously, perhaps after the cranberries have popped. Since our Thanksgiving guests are many, I may make two versions this year, one with apples and one with pears.
Hi Kate! Pears sound so divine. And I agree, adding them later will prevent them from completely disintegrating into pear mush. I love a good pun! -Meggan