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Crockpot Cranberry Sauce

Crockpot cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries for a glossy, jammy texture. Slow-cooked until the berries burst, then lightly mashed and finished to your preferred thickness.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 170
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 24 oz fresh cranberries
  • 1.5 cup sugar
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 2 count cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 1 pinch salt

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Combine in the crockpot
  1. Add fresh cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, cinnamon sticks, orange zest, and salt to the crockpot.
  2. Stir well to combine, so the sugar dissolves into the liquid and coats the berries.
Slow-cook until the berries burst
  1. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 1/2-3 hours, stirring once halfway, until the berries burst and the sauce looks glossy.
Finish to your thickness
  1. Uncover, mash lightly with a spoon, and cook 15-20 minutes more to thicken if you want a more set texture.
  2. Remove the cinnamon sticks, then cool and chill the sauce or keep it on WARM for serving.

Notes

For a smoother sauce, mash more heavily after the first uncovered simmer; for a chunkier spoonable texture, mash lightly and serve. Store chilled in an airtight container up to 5 days; freeze up to 2 months (thaw in the fridge and re-warm gently). For a lower-sugar option, replace sugar with a 1:1 baking-style sweetener intended for cooking to keep the same thick, glossy consistency.