Super simple cranberry sauce recipe made with fresh cranberries, maple syrup, and freshly squeezed orange juice! Delicious and fat-free. A great side for Thanksgiving or any other holiday meal.

Don’t you dare serve any of that red corn syrup crap from a can! You and yours deserve better for the holidays.

What you need to do is make your own cranberry sauce! Relax. It couldn’t be easier. It’s also much healthier and will make you look like a boss.

HOW TO MAKE FRESH HOMEMADE CRANBERRY SAUCE

Start with 2 1/2 – 3 cups of fresh cranberries(12-ounce bag). Nothing from a can!

Rinse and drain the cranberries. Then, pick through and get out all the squishy ones. Blah!

You don’t want one bad cranberry spoiling the whole bunch!

Next, throw the cranberries in a sauce pan with the water and your chosen sweetener.

Get everything boiling over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes. But, stir occasionally because you don’t want your cranberry sauce to burn. That would really suck!

Because you’d have to start all over and that ain’t cool. I speak from experience.

Now, it’s time to reduce the heat down to medium-low. Let your mixture simmer for about 10 minutes or so. You want to allow the cranberries to pop and thicken until it’s the way you like it. But, remember to keep stirring every now and then.

Once it thickens and looks like cranberry sauce, remove from the heat, stir in the orange juice, and let cool until it’s room temperature.

This would be a good time to taste and add more sweetener if you like. But, remember. Cranberry sauce is supposed to be a little tart and twangy. Not a freaking sugar blob. So, go easy. You don’t want to send your pancreas into shock.

That’s it! You just made cranberry sauce.

Now, all that’s left is to let it chill in the fridge for a couple hours. But, it’s even better if you let it sit overnight.

And, when you’re ready to impress your guests, sprinkle with pecans, serve, and be prepared for many compliments.

Trust me. This cranberry sauce is so much better than that pre-made crap. Why? Because it’s…

Fast & easy

Tangy

Sweet

Vegan (make with maple syrup)

Fresh

Fat-free

Wholesome

Healthy

The perfect Thanksgiving or holiday side dish

& Absolutely delicious

Looking for more holiday dishes? Check out my Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole, Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, & Homemade Vegan Creamed Corn.

If you’re looking for more Fall, Winter or holiday meal inspiration, you can check out my 7 Easy Delicious Plant-Based Thanksgiving Recipes.

Did you make this dish? Be sure and let me know! Leave a comment, RATE IT, and tag a photo #shaneandsimple on Instagram. Happy Fall, everyone!