This Apple Cranberry Sauce is an easy and delicious twist on a classic Thanksgiving side that everyone will enjoy. Adding chopped apples adds subtle sweetness and tons of flavor!
Make-ahead
Minimal prep
You’ll Learn: The necessary adjustment if using frozen cranberries
Worth It: It adds charm to many meals
Bonus: Simple swaps to match what’s in your pantry
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Updated twist – I love apple sauce, and I love cranberry sauce! And nothing beats homemade applesauce. I love this combo for a fun update on both classics.
- Make ahead – If you are making this for the holiday, it’s great to make ahead! It makes the day of much easier to already have this side dish ready to go.
- Winter favorite – These classic winter flavors are so delicious and comforting. It’s great for holiday meals, but it’s also an amazing option for anytime during the season.
Serving Suggestions
This homemade cranberry applesauce is the perfect side for your Thanksgiving feast! To fill out your sides, make some creamy mashed potatoes and sausage stuffing. I also love serving these crispy maple bacon brussels sprouts and a salad with apple cider vinaigrette. If you are having a smaller Thanksgiving, you could opt for a turkey breast instead of a whole turkey. For a bigger Thanksgiving, make this dry brine turkey.
I love making a winter drink for the day, like a cranberry Kentucky mule or apple cider sangria. For dessert, you could mix it up and do a pumpkin cake in place of a pumpkin pie.
If you are making this for something other than Thanksgiving, it would be so good with lemon herb spatchcock chicken or pork chops.
Ingredients
- Fresh cranberries – I recommend a 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries for this recipe for the best results
- Apple – you can use your favorite sweet apple here. I love a honeycrisp
- Sugar – some white sugar helps sweeten up the sauce and cut through the tartness of the berries
- Water – water will help you get your cranberry apple sauce to the perfect consistency
- Lemon zest – a bit of lemon zest adds so much flavor and complements the cranberries and apple so well
- Ground cinnamon, kosher salt, ground nutmeg – this spice combination adds all of the classic winter and holiday flavors to your sauce
Ingredient Substitutions
If you can only find frozen cranberries, that’s no problem! You can use frozen, but adjust your water as necessary because the frozen cranberries will have a bit more water content.
I love a honey crisp apple, but fuji, gala, pink lady, or any other sweeter apples will be delicious. Granny smiths are rather tart and I find them a bit overpowering for this sauce, but if you like it tart, you can use granny smith apples. The lemon zest is perfect for this recipe, but you can use orange zest and even a bit of lemon juice or orange juice if you like to taste a bit more citrus.
I used white sugar, but you can substitute brown sugar, coconut sugar, or pure maple syrup. If you have fresh nutmeg or cinnamon sticks, you can use a zester or grater to grind it into your cranberry applesauce. Feel free to use more than a teaspoon ground cinnamon. A bit of ground cloves would also be delicious in this sauce.
How to Make
Step 1: Add Ingredients to pan
Add the apples (Image 1) and cranberries (Image 2) to a medium saucepan, then add all other ingredients (Image 3) and mix together until evenly combined and the sugar is mostly dissolved (Image 4).
Step 2: heat the sauce
Boil over medium heat until the liquid just begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to low and cover to simmer.
Step 3: Mash and simmer
Simmer covered for 20 minutes until the cranberries pop – stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, remove the cover and smash the cranberries and apples with a potato masher (Image 5), a wooden spoon or the back of a fork.
Simmer for another 10-20 minutes uncovered until the mixture reaches desired thickness (Image 6).
If you like a really smooth sauce, feel free to use an immersion blender to blend your sauce.
Step 4: Enjoy!
Storage and reheating
Once prepared, store this sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
I love enjoying leftovers as a snack or on a leftover turkey sandwich the next day.
Check out these other Holiday recipes!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
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Recipe
Apple Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 1 apple – peeled and cut into small cubes
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup water
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and mix together until evenly combined and the sugar is mostly dissolved.
- Heat over medium-high heat until the liquid just begins to bubble. Reduce the heat to low and cover to simmer.
- Simmer covered for 20 minutes – stirring occasionally. After 20 minutes, remove the cover and smash the cranberries and apples with a potato masher or the back of a fork.
- Simmer for another 10-20 minutes uncovered until the cranberries sauce reaches desired thickness
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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