Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce is warm and comforting. It’s filled with fresh cranberries, brown sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon and cooked low and slow until it’s thick and all the flavors have melded together. This is one recipe you don’t want to miss this holiday season!

Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce

Name: Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 6 h 30 min
Total time: 6 h 35 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 ounces fresh cranberries; ½ cup water; ½ cup sugar; ½ cup brown sugar; ½ tablespoon orange zest; ½ teaspoon cinnamon; 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons cold water

This homemade cranberry sauce recipe is perfect as a side dish at holiday parties, a filling for cake, or a topping for a dressed-up cheesecake. Don’t let this ordinary-looking side dish fool you, it can really pack a punch! Your friends and family won’t believe the creative ways you use cranberry sauce this year.

There’s no need to buy the canned stuff when you can put the ingredients in the crockpot, set it to cook, and have delicious cranberry sauce just hours later. This gives you plenty of time to make other dishes, spend time with your family, or get ready for the party.

Spray the bowl of the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.

Add the cranberries, water, sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, and cinnamon.

Stir to combine.

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

When the cooking time is up, stir in the cornstarch and water mixture.

Place the lid back on the slow cooker and set to cook on high for 30 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

Tips for success/variations

Here are some tips and variations that will make this the best slow cooker cranberry sauce you’ve ever made.

There is a little orange zest in this recipe, but you may want to add some lemon or orange juice right at the end to give it a bright pop of acid.
Add a little port or brandy at the beginning of cooking for the flavor or at the end for boozy cranberry sauce.
Make your sauce a little spicy by adding chili powder or cayenne powder.
Try different spices like cloves, allspice, or black peppercorns.

How to serve:

Some other appetizers you can pair this cranberry sauce with are Crockpot Cranberry Meatballs, Loaded Ranch Twice Baked Potatoes, or Creamy Christmas “Holly” Avocado Deviled Eggs.

Here are a few meal ideas that also pair well with cranberry sauce: Oven Baked Pork Chops, Slow Cooker Honey Mustard Ham, or Beer Can Chicken.

How to store:

If you have leftover cranberry sauce, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. You can eat it cold or heat it up in the microwave.

You can also freeze it to use later. It’s best to freeze the sauce in small portions so you only thaw what you need. A fun idea is to freeze the sauce in an ice cube tray and then pop them out and transfer them to a freezer bag for easier storage. When you want to use some, you can just grab a small cube or two.

FAQs:

What else can I use cranberry sauce for?

There are lots of ways to use cranberry sauce. Here are a few ideas: in turkey sandwiches, mixed into applesauce, meatballs, or with a pork loin roast.

Can I make cranberry sauce in an Instant Pot?

Yes, you can make fresh cranberry sauce in a pressure cooker. Put all the ingredients in the pot, place the lid on, set to high for five minutes, and then use the quick release to release the pressure.

Is cranberry sauce keto-friendly?

This version of cranberry sauce uses sugar which isn’t keto-friendly, however, it’s easily adapted for this diet. You can use replacement sugar instead.

Yield: 8 servings