Cranberry sauce is a staple for any Thanksgiving meal. But what if you can’t find fresh cranberries? No problem – you can make your cranberry sauce from dried cranberries! No one will know the difference!
Ingredients needed
- Dried cranberries, sweetened (Craisins)
- Cranberry juice
- Sugar
- 1 orange, juiced and zested
- Salt
- Cornstarch for thickening
How to make cranberry sauce from dried cranberries
I was really surprised at how easy it is to make cranberry sauce using dried cranberries. It’s actually very similar to using fresh cranberries. Unlike my cranberry-apricot sauce, this one only needs the juice of one orange. More liquid comes from cranberry juice – a great way to replace the liquid normally present in fresh cranberries. Orange zest and sugar complete the flavors.
Place everything in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the cranberries plump up. This takes about 5-10 minutes. Then, add a slurry made of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
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Recipe FAQs
The sauce is both tart and sweet, which to me is the perfect combination in a cranberry sauce. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, increase the sugar to ⅓ cup.
Yes, the only difference is that you’ll need to increase the sugar to ⅓ cup. That will replace that extra sugar you would otherwise get from the Craisins.
For me, this is an easy choice. If I buy unsweetened, I’m always wondering what to do with the leftovers. Sweetened cranberries (Craisins) are entirely snackable on their own, and never go uneaten in this house!
Many consider cranberries a superfood due to their high levels of antioxidants and nutrients. Research has linked the nutrients in cranberries to a lower risk of urinary tract infection, the prevention of cancer, improved immune function, and decreased blood pressure. (Medical News Today)
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Cranberry Sauce from Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1½ cups dried cranberries sweetened
- ¾ cup cranberry juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- Zest of one orange
- Juice from one orange
- Dash of salt
To thicken:
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- Add cranberries, orange juice and zest, cranberry juice, sugar and a dash of salt to a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling.
- Reduce heat to simmer and cook until the cranberries plump up, about 5 to 10 minutes.
- Make a slurry with the cornstarch and water. Slowly drizzle into the sauce mixture while stirring. Stir for at least one minute, until the sauce thickens. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Cory
Made this today and it came out great. One thing I changed was instead of juicing the orange I peeled it and then finely diced the pulp with a knife. The added pectin from bits of pith seemed to help thicken the sauce - I only needed 2 tsp of cornstarch to get it to set nicely. I also used cranberry juice in the cornstarch slurry as another commenter suggested.
Sula
Lovely - thanks for sharing!
Hi from the Amazon!
Help please!
I've made this recipe before and it's great! But now I live in a place without cranberry juice. Does anyone have any recommendations? Plain water? More orange juice? Another fruit juice in a berry family (we have like a local blackberry-ish juice)? Grape juice?
I really want to keep the cranberry flavor prominent if possible.
*My husband said, "just experiement" but dried cranberries are WAY too expensive here to be experimenting
Sula
I think I would use orange juice, I love the orange flavor with cranberries! Or maybe apple juice, if you don't want a strong orange flavor. (I personally love CranApple juice so that's what I'm basing this on)
Colleen
I used cognac and it came out great!
Sula
sounds awesome - thanks for sharing!
Adriana Gutierrez
I’m curious whether this could be cooked with pectin for a firm sliceable cranberry jelly?
Sula
I've been experimenting with cranberry Jello to get that same effect. I think pectin would work too, I just can't tell you how much you need as I've never tried it.
Suzanne
I recommend using a natural pectin. It is done by putting the seeds of citrus fruits in a tea strainer ball, cooking them with the other ingredients and then using a garlic press to extract pectin from the seeds and adding to the cranberry sauce. It works wonderfully😊
Sula
Lovely, thanks for your tips!
Ally Thorpe
Hi I was wondering how long this will keep in fridge after making.
Sula
generally, I'd say about 7 to 10 days in an airtight container.
PamE
Thank you for this recipe. I made a few improvisations such as making my cranberry sauce from dried cranberries and added some other cheeses that I needed to use up. However, this dip was loved by everyone. I should have made a double batch as the dish was scraped clean.
Sula
Sounds like a marvelous dip!
Melissa
Greetings from Greece! Thank you for this recipe, it was absolutely delicious and perfectly suited our home-away-from-home Thanksgiving!! I used 4 small sheets of gelatin, then panicked and doubled it - the result was cRuNcHy lol so gelatin does work as long as you know how to use it ;D
Sula
Ha - thanks for the tip Melissa! And I'm glad I could make your celebration a little bit more complete. 🙂
Elaine
Thanks for sharing the recipe, Sula! I'm in Italy and, like a lot of the other posters, dried cranberries are the only ones we get! Question, could I add gelatin to mold this? TIA.
Sula
I've never tried to add gelatin, but I'm sure it would work. Have fun!
Angela
Hi, I’m from Colombia. My husband is from US. We’ve been living here for over 10 years, celebrating thanksgiving every year. It’s not easy to find canned cranberries so I’m going to try your recipe. Thanks for sharing. Happy thanksgiving!
Sula
I'm glad you found me Angela! Enjoy Thanksgiving!
Troy
I live in South Korea and made this recipe for the first time last Thanksgiving. Both my American and French guests really loved it. Making it this weekend for Americans and Koreans. Can't wait to see how my Korean friends like it.
Sula
I love that you're sharing this with guests from so many different cultures! I hope your Korean friends love it like we do. Happy Thanksgiving!
Kathy
Thank you, thank you for this recipe. Living in Athens, Greece. I used to find cranberry jelly in some supermarkets but now nothing and when I happened to find, it was too expensive for a small jar. Happy Thanksgiving, now mine will be happy too❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Sula
So happy you found me Kathy! Cranberry sauce is what makes Thanksgiving complete!
Tiffany
I'm in the same boat over here in Tajikistan and crying happy tears at finding this recipe! Just last week I found some imported dried cranberries... and bought out the store. Ha! 🙂 This will be the perfect addition to Thanksgiving this year. Thanks for helping us expats enjoy a taste of "home"!
Sula
I'm so happy you found me Tiffany! Happy Thanksgiving!
Mackenzie
Would it be possible to pulse this a few times with an immersion blender before adding the slurry to make it smoother? Would it still thicken?
Sula
Yes, it will still thicken. I've never tried to make it smooth though, so let me know how it goes!
Liz
Hi!
My family is from the US but we live in Uganda, east Africa… I’m SO excited to see this simple but delicious (I’m assuming) recipe and will be making it for our expat Thanksgiving celebration! We also can not find sauce here, but I recently discovered dried cranberries in town… so yes, Thank you for this recipe! : )
Sula
Liz, I'm so happy you found my recipe! I hope it makes your Thanksgiving celebration special. Please let me know how you like it!
Sharon
This is the best cranberry sauce ever! Quick and easy to make, too.
So much better than canned and with none of the preservatives or high fructose corn syrup (looking at you, Ocean Spray).
Sula
Thank you Sharon, I'm glad you enjoy it!
Kotye
I love your recipe. I make mine in the same manner but I use either a blood orange or the little cutties/tangerines. And for the slurry I use lemon juice. My family loves tart stuff...
Sula
I've never tried using lemon juice but have definitely used tangerines for the oranges. They work just fine!
Pam
I'm in Germany making your recipe today - thanks!
Sula
Enjoy your holiday!
Courtney
Can you use cherry or pomegranate juice instead of cranberry juice?
Sula
I don't know why not! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!
Darren L Barringer
Great recipe! Are we able to can this or only refrigerate!
Sula
I've never tried to can it, but it should work. If I want to keep it for a few weeks I freeze it.
Kerrie
This recipe is pure genius. I’ve been living in Brazil for a year now and no fresh cranberries or jars of sauce. Found dry cranberries in the market and bought 3 packs which is 1 1/2 cups!!! I’m delighted thank you
Sula
Kerrie, it warms my heart to think of someone in Brazil making my recipe. Thank you so much for letting me know!
Kasey
I’m in Australia and have the same problem as Kerrie every Thanksgiving! I usually make a cherry sauce but so happy to have you recipe this year. Thank you! (:
Sula
You're welcome, but really thank YOU for your comment. It warms my heart to hear from people all over the world who are making this sauce. Happy Thanksgiving!
Deborah
Hi Kerrie! I'm Brazilian and use this recipe too. When I couldn't find cranberry juice I decided to use jabuticaba juice. You get it by boiling the jabuticaba skins for a few minutes. The drink has a very similar taste profile to real cranberry juice. My American friends loved the result. Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I've got my jabuticaba juice frozen and ready to become cranberry sauce!
Sula
Thanks for sharing Deborah!
cayte
i’m im brazil too and could only find dried cranberries. happy to know this worked out well! going to try tomorrow 😊
Sula
So excellent! Enjoy your holiday!
Dina
We made this and I think it will be delicious. One thing though, instead of using water to make the slurry why not use some of the cranberry juice? I wish I would have thought of it before I made the slurry, but I think it would have enhanced the cranberry taste. The texture though was perfect and this came together super fast! Great idea, especially now when it is not easy to just run to the store for something quick.
Sula
Dina - I agree and I like the way you think! I've never tried it with cranberry juice for the slurry but I'm sure it would be great that way too!
Karina
I’m Brazilian and I miss cranberry sauce so much. I also found for the first time dried cranberries in the market and making cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving today. Thank you for your recipe.
Sula
I'm delighted you'll get to enjoy this sauce! Happy Thanksgiving!
Maurice Bruet
Hi, can I make this ahead and freeze for Thanksgiving.?
Thanks
Sula
I've never tried to freeze it but I think it should work just fine.
Heather
Hi, once made can I heat this sauce up?
Thanks
Sula
If you like to serve it warm, then yes you should be able to heat this sauce up after making it. Enjoy!