Basic Cranberry Sauce
The traditional or basic cranberry sauce has only 3 ingredients and is the standard American recipe that appears on the back of nearly every Ocean Spray bag sold in the U.S. and Canada since the 1940s. No orange juice, no spices, no extras. Just cranberries, sugar, and water, simmered 10 minutes. That’s the baseline most households use for Thanksgiving.
Traditional Cranberry Sauce Recipe
- 🔴 3 Cups fresh cranberries – 12 ounces (340 g)
- 🔴 1 cup granulated sugar – (200g)
- 🔴 1 cup water – (240 ml)
Pour all 3 ingredients into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until berries burst and sauce thickens. Remove from heat; cool to room temperature. Serve or refrigerate up to 1 week.
If all you want is the basic recipe without any bells ad whistles – which is still very good by the way – then the standard one above is what you are looking for. Easy, fast and perfect for the Thanksgiving table or for any other use you fancy.
Version 2.0 – Orange Juice & Zest Upgrade
Cranberry Sauce w/ Orange Juice & Zest
The next most common version of cranberry sauce is the basic recipe above with orange juice and zest. It’s printed on many Ocean Spray bags right under the plain version and shows up in 70%+ of “upgraded” home recipes on sites like Allrecipes and Food Network.
Basic Recipe + Orange Juice & Zest
- 🔴 3 Cups fresh cranberries – 12 ounces (340 g)
- 🔴 3/4 cup granulated sugar – (150g)
- 🔴 1/2 cup orange juice – (120 ml)
- 🔴 1 tsp orange zest
Combine all in a saucepan like before. Boil, then simmer 10 min until berries burst. Cool; refrigerate. That’s it. The orange cuts tartness and adds a citrus scent. It’s the “standard American upgrade” without spices or extras.k.
This one is a bit sweeter due to the addition of the orange juice, and for some households, IS the standard or basic cranberry sauce recipe. They won’t have it any other way as it’s been on their family table for decades.
Version 3.0 – Spiced Orange Cranberry Sauce
Basic + Orange + Spice
The next most common upgrade after the orange version above is adding warm spices. And when I say spices I mean cinnamon and cloves. Sometimes it’s a cinnamon stick and a pinch of ground cloves. Or instead of cloves it’s allspice. This spiced cranberry sauce is very popular on holiday tables and appears in:
- 60%+ of top Google ranked recipes
- Major food magazines like Bon Appétit, Food & Wine
- Most grocery store premium labels (ex: Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s)
Basic + Orange + Spice
- 🔴 3 Cups fresh cranberries – 12 ounces (340 g)
- 🔴 3/4 cup granulated sugar – (150g)
- 🔴 1/2 cup orange juice – (120 ml)
- 🔴 1/2 cup water – (120 ml)
- 🔴 1 tsp orange zest
- 🔴 1 cinnamon stick – (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)
- 🔴 ⅛ tsp ground cloves – (or 2 whole cloves)
The directions here are the same as the ones above it except if you happen to use a cinnamon stick you remove that before cooling.
Now, there are variations upon variations of this version of adding spice to your cranberry sauce. The one above is the most common but there are a few others that are still very popular and for the sake of brevity I’ll list them quickly below.
Spiced Variations
All start with the spiced orange base — just pick your preferred twist.
*** Remember: All versions use the same 10 minute method above. With these you simply toss extras in at the start (except nuts/dried fruit, which go in at the end). Cool completely to thicken.
Version 4.0 – Spiced, Orange, Apple & Ginger Cranberry Sauce
All of the above + Apple & Ginger
| Evolution Stage | Version | Why It’s Next |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic (cranberries + sugar + water) | Baseline |
| 2 | Orange (OJ + zest) | Bright, fresh |
| 3 | Spiced Orange (cinnamon + cloves) | Holiday aroma |
| 4 | Spiced Apple + Ginger + Brown Sugar | Texture + warmth + depth — the “complete” upgrade |
The Spiced Apple + Ginger + Brown Sugar version is the #1 homemade cranberry sauce in the U.S. — the king of the Thanksgiving bowl.
This evolution, or version of the traditional cranberry sauce is called the King of the holiday bowl. The fact that it has everything in it and all of the ingredients happen to work well together. Too often with recipes, after a certain point, adding in more takes away from the quality and overall enjoyment of the finished product.Not so with the ‘King’ here:
Basic + Orange + Spice + Apple & Ginger
- 🔴 3 Cups fresh cranberries – 12 ounces (340 g)
- 🔴 3/4 cup sugar – (½ white + ¼ brown)
- 🔴 1/2 cup orange juice – (120 ml)
- 🔴 1/2 cup water – (120 ml)
- 🔴 1 tsp orange zest
- 🔴 1 cinnamon stick – (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)
- 🔴 ⅛ tsp ground cloves – (or 2 whole cloves)
- 🔴 1 medium apple – , peeled & diced (Granny Smith)
- 🔴 1 tsp fresh grated ginger – (or ½ tsp ground)
The directions here are, yes, once again, the same as the ones above it which makes cranberry sauce such an easy recipe to work with. One of many reasons why we love it so much.
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There are 4 Major Versions (above) in Total
The versions above are the main ones that most of the population uses when making their holiday cranberry sauce. There are many other slight variations of those variations. Not worth it to create a recipe table for each and every one so I’ll post a summary below:
All = same recipe, different seasoning. You’re not making a new sauce — just remixing the hit.
What’s your Type?
What your preferred version says about you:
Your Cranberry Sauce choice says a lot about You …
🔴 The basic cranberry sauce person sticks to cranberries, sugar, and water. You follow the bag recipe exactly. This says you are practical where the basics in life are generally good enough for you. You like things simple and done fast. Your holidays are about the turkey and football, not fancy sides. You are the reliable one who brings the same dish every year. No drama, just food on the table. But people can count on you and they like that.
🍊The orange cranberry sauce type swaps in orange juice and zest. You want a little upgrade but nothing wild. This means you are balanced. You enjoy a fresh twist but stay safe. Your holidays have some sparkle, like string lights and a citrus candle. You are the planner who adds one new thing each year without going overboard. The guests look forward to each year’s surprise and know they will get a good sauce from you.
🍂 The spiced orange cranberry sauce family adds cinnamon and cloves. You like warm smells filling the house. This shows you are cozy and traditional. You play holiday music early and wear ugly sweaters. Your Thanksgiving feels like a movie scene. You are the host who wants everyone comfy and sniffing the air when they walk in. The guests see you as a huge, warm hug and like to melt in that warmth. They are also glad that you do all that work, and you are glad they enjoy it your way with you.
🍏 The spiced apple-ginger-brown sugar type piles on chunks and kick. You are the bold one. You experiment and don’t fear strong flavors. Your holidays are loud with laughter and extra desserts. You are the cousin who brings two sauces and debates which is best. You live for the full holiday experience and never settle for plain. It doesn’t always work out, and sometimes people (yourself included) are let down by how your latest creation turned out, but they always love having you there to inject life into the scene. Your personality more than the sauce is the contribution to the dinner.
In the end, it’s all Cranberry Sauce
The Co-Star of the Thanksgiving Table
I hope after reading this through that you can take away a few good things from it:
1. A knowledge of what the most basic and common cranberry sauce recipe is.
2. Some common variations for you to discover and enjoy. Once you try a few you can now use them as part of your Thanksgiving recipe arsenal.
3. A deeper understanding of your psyche through your choice of cranberry sauce, as explained in the section above. Hey, if you’re here, why not get a therapy session thrown in for good measure … or at least an oracle reading.
Again cranberry sauce is cranberry sauce and as long as you have some version of it at your table, your Thanksgiving will be a success. Your in-laws, well …
– Cranby
