Easy Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
Easy Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce- all you need is 3 simple ingredients (not including water) to make this easy homemade cranberry sauce that’s so much better than store bought!
Raise your hand if you used to love the thick gelatinous Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce that came in a can!
Me neither.
That stuff is loaded with nasty high fructose corn syrup. Plus the texture is far from appetizing. There will be no thanks for giving that to anyone. However there will be thanks for this super easy homemade cranberry sauce made with pure maple syrup.
I hear you, maple syrup is still sugar. I know. But it isn’t processed like high fructose corn syrup which means there isn’t any preservatives or additives. It’s more of a whole food, if you will.
Besides I’m not sure if you’ve ever had straight cranberries but they are tart enough to make a lemon look like a walk in the park. They need some sugar.
So what’s great about making your own cranberry sauce is that you only need 3 simple ingredients: cranberries, orange juice and pure maple syrup. You just pour them in a slow cooker, stir and the rest is history.
Another thing that’s great about making your own is that you can adjust to your liking. You can add more sugar if you like it really sweet or you can cook it longer if you like a thicker texture. I usually cook mine between 3 to 4 hours on high heat for a semi-thick cranberry sauce.
You can also cook it up to 2 days in advance if you want to free up time on Thanksgiving day. It holds up great sealed in the refrigerator!
Easy Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
Yield: 14 ounces
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup*
- splash of vanilla extract (optional)
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a slow cooker. Set to high heat, cover and cook for 3 hours. Stir halfway through, using the back of the spoon to smash the cranberries. The sauce will thicken as it cools. If you prefer a thicker sauce you can allow to cook for another hour before cooling.
*1/2 cup maple syrup yields a lightly sweet, tart cranberry sauce. You can substitute honey for a sweeter cranberry sauce or add a few tablespoons of sugar, such as coconut sugar or organic cane sugar.
Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback! 
Oh, how I love cranberry sauce, and this is a must to make for the holidays.
It sure is! Love you. xo :)
How many quarts is the slow cooker you used? Thank you.
Hi Cindy! My slow cooker is 7-quarts but for the recipe you could definitely get away with a 4-QT. It doesn’t make a huge amount of cranberry sauce but you can always double the recipe if you want more. I hope that helps!
Oh yeah, this is way better then the canned stuff (why did I ever?)! Love the simplicity and hands off Sarah! Let those cranberries shine! <3
haha I so agree – plain fresh cranberries are way too tart for me on their own! They definitely need at least some sweetness! And I’m with you – the canned stuff always freaked me out as a kid – I mean, it holds the shape of the can – so weird. lol But I LOVE homemade cranberry sauce like this!
So weird that it looks like the can, lol!
I love cranberry sauce. It’s actually really good on steel cut oats too!
I love that idea!
Cranberries are easily the most overlooked dish on Thanksgiving, in my opinion. But they’re my favourite! These look completely and utterly dreamy–I am loving the addition of orange juice and zest!
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Hi Sarah! Looking forward to making this tomorrow. What should I do if I don’t have a slow cooker? Thank you!!
You can cook it in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the cranberries pop. It will thicken as it cools. Happy Thanksgiving! :)
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