Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce (5-Ingredient)

This slow cooker cranberry sauce comes together with just 5-ingredients and zero stovetop babysitting. Fresh or frozen cranberries simmer with orange juice, brown sugar, and vanilla until bright, jammy, and perfectly tart-sweet. Make it up to 3 days ahead and check one more thing off the holiday to-do list.

Crockpot Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice

If you’re bringing a dish to a holiday party this year, then slow cooker cranberry sauce is the perfect holiday classic to bring along. It will seem so special that you made it, and only you & I will know that it’s secretly simple to make.

And honestly, can you get any simpler than 4 ingredients? Trust me, your friends & family will be piling this sauce on their plates like it’s nobody’s business. I absolutely love leaning on my trusty ol’ slow cooker for holiday prep, like my slow cooker sweet potato casserole, and this homemade cranberry sauce is no exception.

It has the best texture when it’s refrigerated then served chilled or at room temperature, so it’s literally the perfect dish to make ahead! If you’re planning a Thanksgiving or holiday meal, this can be made up to THREE days ahead of time! Now, let’s have a moment for the star of this show – cranberries. Did you know that cranberry sauce doesn’t have to be hogged by Thanksgiving & Christmas?

In fact, this sauce freezes really well. So if you happen to snag a bunch of fresh cranberries when they’re in season, you can make this sauce and freeze it for later. I love leftover cranberry sauce in turkey sandwiches (no brainer), served over cream cheese as the easiest app ever, and even blended into smoothies. Yum!

Quick note, too, that when it comes to the orange juice, you can buy a little bottle of freshly squeezed orange juice to make your life easier. Finally I use two kinds of sugar because brown sugar adds depth while the flavor of pure cane sugar is pure magic. If all you have on hand is granulated sugar, you can swap that out for both. And don’t miss my slow cooker turkey breast, which pairs beautifully with this cranberry sauce for an easy, make-ahead holiday meal.

Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Crockpot Cranberry Sauce

Testing Notes for the Perfect Homemade Cranberry Sauce

• Sweeten to Taste: Now listen, I personally prefer my cranberry sauce a little tart. But if you prefer sweeter sauce, use 1 cup or more of sugar. If you’re not sure which camp you fall in, go with the ⅔ cup then taste it. If it’s not sweet enough for your liking, add more sugar and cook it a little longer to dissolve the sugar.
• Only Pure Vanilla, Please: For the vanilla, only add it if you have pure vanilla extract, which adds a lovely floral, sweet flavor. If you have imitation vanilla, don’t add it, since that’ll make your cranberry sauce taste like a fake birthday cake. We’re getting festive here, but not that festive. 
• Timing Matters: Finally, if your slow cooker runs hot or if you’re worried about your cranberry sauce browning, give it a good stir halfway through. Everyone’s slow cooker is different, so keep a close eye on your sauce if it’s your first go-around making it from scratch.

5 stars (3 ratings)

Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce (5-Ingredient)

Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs

Servings: 6

Cook: 2 hours hrs

Cooling Time: 1 hour hr

Total: 3 hours hrs

Make-ahead slow cooker cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries, orange juice, and brown sugar. Just 5 ingredients and perfect for the holidays.

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Ingredients

• 12 oz whole cranberries, fresh or frozen-defrosted (about 4 cups)
• ⅓ cup fresh orange juice
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ⅓ cup pure cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Instructions 

• Combine all the ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker, stirring to combine.
• Cook on high for 2-3 hours, or low for 4-5, or until the cranberries are very soft, begin to pop, and smash easily.
If you think your slow cooker cooks hot, you have the option to stir the sauce once or twice during cooking to avoid the edges burning. Just be sure to remove the lid, stir, and quickly recover to avoid dropping the heat of the slow cooker too much.
• Once the cranberries have popped, stir well and mash some of the cranberries lightly with a wooden spoon. Taste and adjust for sweetness.
• If the sauce is too tart, add more sugar ⅓ cup at a time until desired sweetness level is reached. If adding more sugar, set to low for 30 more minutes for the sugar to dissolve.
• Note: At this point the sauce will still seem thin and watery. Allow to cool to at least room temperature (about 1-2 hours) before serving so the sauce can thicken up.
• Carefully transfer the sauce to a bowl or serving container. Serve at room temperature, or refrigerate and serve cold.

Notes

• Make this Recipe Ahead! When it’s done, the sauce will seem thin and watery. It will thicken as it cools (about 1-2 hours) to the perfect spoonable consistency. If making the day you plan to serve, be sure to leave at least an hour for the sauce to thicken after it’s cooked.
• Vanilla: Only use PURE vanilla extract, NOT imitation vanilla extract/vanilla flavor, as it will overpower the sauce. If all you only have imitation vanilla extract, just skip this ingredient.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 6, 1/4 cup servings), Calories: 122kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 0.4g, Fat: 0.1g, Saturated Fat: 0.01g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.04g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g, Sodium: 5mg, Potassium: 90mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 62IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition disclaimer

Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

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