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This small batch cranberry sauce is made from scratch and perfectly sized for one or two people. Fresh cranberries simmer in orange juice and cinnamon for 15 minutes, until they burst into a thick, sweet-tart sauce.
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Cool Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Equipment: 1-quart saucepan
- Cook Method: Stovetop
- Servings: 1 or 2
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: Bright, tart cranberry sweetened with sugar and rounded out with orange juice, with a hint of cinnamon behind it.
This is the cranberry sauce I’ve made for my family at the holidays for years, scaled down to one small pot that sets up on its own as it cools.
Why You’ll Love This Single Serve Cranberry Sauce
This cranberry sauce is bright and tart, with enough sweetness and orange behind it that you’ll want it on the turkey and on tomorrow’s sandwich. The whole berries give way the moment a fork presses into them. It’s homemade cranberry sauce, and it tastes fresher than anything from a can. It’s made for one or two people.
On most holiday tables, one person loves the cranberry sauce and everyone else passes it by. I wrote this recipe for that person. I scaled it to one small pot, so you get the real thing in the amount you’ll actually eat.
The whole ingredient list is cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and water, with no preservatives. The orange juice gives it a fresh citrus flavor, and a cinnamon stick goes in the pot for a little warmth. It keeps in the refrigerator for a week, so make it days ahead and cross it off the list.
Looking for more small batch Thanksgiving sides? Serve this next to my Roast Split Turkey Breast with Mashed Potatoes For One, Small Batch Cornbread Dressing, and a Small Green Bean Casserole. If any sauce is left, it belongs on Small Batch Turkey Sliders.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Five ingredients go into this small batch of cranberry sauce, and here’s what each one does. For ways to use any leftover ingredients, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder.
Cranberries: Cranberries give the sauce its tart flavor, and the pectin in the berries is what thickens it as it cooks and cools. Fresh or frozen both work, and frozen go into the pot straight from the freezer. Pick through fresh ones and toss any that are soft or wrinkled.
A 12-ounce bag holds about 3 cups, so you’ll have 2 cups left for small batch cranberry jam or a small batch of cranberry orange scones.
Fresh cranberries keep in the refrigerator for up to a month. To freeze the extras, spread them on a tray, freeze for 2 hours, then move them to a freezer bag, where they keep for up to a year.
Sugar: Sugar sweetens the sauce and works with the pectin to help it set. Cut it and the sauce stays loose and much more tart.
Orange juice: Orange juice adds a fresh citrus flavor that water alone can’t give the sauce. Pulp-free juice makes a smoother sauce.
Water: Water thins the sauce so the berries have enough liquid to cook in without scorching.
Cinnamon stick: A cinnamon stick in the pot gives the sauce a light warmth. Pull it out before serving. If you don’t have one, use a pinch of ground cinnamon or a pinch of nutmeg, or leave it out and the sauce is still good. Extra sticks are great when added to homemade hot chocolate.
Recipe Variations
These swaps change the flavor, texture, or serving size of this traditional cranberry sauce recipe.
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Use a vegetable peeler to take a 1-inch strip of peel from an orange, leaving the white pith behind. Add it to the saucepan with the cranberries and cinnamon stick, and pull both out before serving. The peel gives the sauce a deeper orange flavor than the juice alone.
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
Add ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg and a pinch of ground cloves to the saucepan with the cranberries. Keep the cinnamon stick in, and the sauce picks up the warm spice flavor of a holiday pie.
Apple Cranberry Sauce
Peel and finely dice ¼ cup of apple, about a quarter of a small apple, and add it to the saucepan with the cranberries. Cut it small so it softens in the same 10 to 12 minutes the berries take to burst. The apple adds a mellow sweetness that takes the edge off the tartness.
Smooth Cranberry Sauce
For a smoother sauce, mash the cranberries with a fork or potato masher as soon as the saucepan comes off the heat. Mash a little for a chunky sauce, or keep going until most of the skins break down.
Cranberry Sauce For Two
To make cranberry sauce for two with extra for sandwiches, double every ingredient and cook it in a 2-quart saucepan.
How To Make Small Batch Cranberry Sauce
You can make this cranberry sauce with frozen cranberries or fresh ones, and it’s ready to serve in 25 minutes. The full ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Rinse the cranberries: Place the cranberries in a colander and rinse them under cool water. Pick out any soft or damaged berries. Frozen cranberries can go in straight from the freezer, and there’s no need to thaw them.
- Cook the sauce: In a 1-quart saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, and cinnamon stick. Set the pan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. If you’re using frozen cranberries, simmer 2 to 3 minutes longer.
- Cool and serve: Take the pan off the heat and remove the cinnamon stick. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes, and it will keep thickening as it sits. Serve it warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
It makes about ¾ cup
Expert Tips
Stop at 10 to 12 minutes: That’s all the time the berries need to burst. Past that, the sauce cooks down thick and pasty, and overcooked cranberries can turn bitter.
Taste it while it’s warm: Cranberries vary in tartness from bag to bag. If yours taste sharp, stir in another teaspoon of sugar while the sauce is still warm so it dissolves.
Use a 1-quart saucepan: In a bigger pan, the small amount of liquid spreads thin and cooks off before the berries have time to burst.
Troubleshooting
Here’s how to get your small batch of cranberry sauce to the thickness and sweetness you want.
Why is my cranberry sauce runny?
Cranberry sauce looks runny when it’s still hot, because it keeps thickening as it cools. Let it cool for 5 minutes before you judge it. If it’s still thin once it cools, return it to the saucepan and simmer for 2 to 3 more minutes, until most of the berries have burst.
How do I fix cranberry sauce that’s too thick?
Cranberry sauce that’s too thick has usually cooked too long, and a little orange juice loosens it. Stir in orange juice a teaspoon at a time until the sauce is as soft as you like. Water works too, but orange juice keeps the flavor bright.
Why does my cranberry sauce taste bitter?
Cranberry sauce turns bitter when it’s overcooked or made with underripe berries. Stir in a teaspoon of sugar while the sauce is still warm to soften the bitterness. Next time, take it off the heat at 10 to 12 minutes and pick firm, deep red berries.
Why won’t my cranberries burst?
Cranberries won’t burst when the heat is too low or the berries go into the pot frozen. Keep the sauce at a steady simmer and give it 2 to 3 more minutes. If a few berries are still whole, press them against the side of the pan with your spoon.
How do I make cranberry sauce less tart?
To make cranberry sauce less tart, stir in a teaspoon of sugar while the sauce is still warm so it dissolves. Taste and add another teaspoon if it still tastes sharp. Cranberries vary from bag to bag, so one batch can taste more tart than the last.
What To Serve With Cranberry Sauce
This single serving cranberry sauce belongs on a small Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner plate, and it’s just as good on a sandwich the next day.
- Herb Crusted Turkey Roast: A turkey roast sized for one or two, with cranberry sauce on the side, gives you the whole holiday plate.
- Turkey Cutlet With Gravy: Cranberry sauce and a turkey cutlet with gravy put Thanksgiving dinner on the table without a whole bird.
- Roasted Cornish Hen: A whole roasted bird for one makes a Christmas centerpiece, and the tart sauce is a natural match.
- Pork Tenderloin For One: Tart cranberry sauce works with pork the same way applesauce does, so it suits a Christmas dinner just as well.
Spoon any extra over a small cheesecake, or finish the meal with Pumpkin Pie For One and more of my Thanksgiving Desserts For One. For the rest of the plate, browse my Small Batch Thanksgiving Side Dishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Homemade cranberry sauce lasts up to 1 week in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Let it cool completely before you cover it and put it away.
Fresh cranberry sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead and kept in the refrigerator. The flavor settles after a day or two, so making it early is the better plan.
Frozen cranberries go into this cranberry sauce straight from the freezer, with no need to thaw them. Simmer them 2 to 3 minutes longer than fresh berries.
Cranberry sauce freezes well for up to 2 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and give it a stir before serving.
This recipe makes about ¾ cup of cranberry sauce, which is enough for one person with leftovers or two people at a holiday dinner. Double it for four.
Cranberry sauce sets because heat releases the natural pectin in the berries, and the sugar helps it gel as the sauce cools. The sauce is loose while hot and firms up in the refrigerator.
Cranberry sauce is cooked until the berries burst and thicken, while cranberry relish is made from raw cranberries chopped with orange and sugar.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
If you’ve tried this small batch fresh cranberry sauce recipe please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Small Batch Cranberry Sauce For One
Watch How To Make This
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh cranberries , about 4 ounces (or frozen, see Notes)
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries in a colander under cool water and pick out any soft or damaged berries.
- In a 1-quart saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, and cinnamon stick.
- Lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove the pan from the heat and take out the cinnamon stick. Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes; it keeps thickening as it sits.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Perfect timing! This morning I came across a recipe for cranberry cheesecake overnight oats. I can reduce all of it but cranberry sauce is nothing I have ever done. I was planning to come here this evening to see if you had one. You were even nice enough to put a link in the email I got today. Thanks for saving me the time! Off to check on the other recipes you sent. I am sure to find something I save.
Thank you for this recipe! It is definitely on my menu this Thanksgiving. But I don’t understand “let the cranberry sauce cool completely at room temperature, then transfer to a boil. ” Is that supposed to be “bowl”?
It is supposed to be “bowl”. Thank you for catching the mistake, we’ve updated the post.
Nice to have year round!
I love cranberry sauce. One of my favorite things around the holidays. Yours looks terrific!
Yum! That sounds so delicious. I love the whole ingredients. What a creative series. 🙂
Thanks, Jessica!
I seriously love this small batch! Perfect for sandwiches or baked brie too!
Cranberry sauce is seriously so easy to make, I'm not sure why anyone eats it out of the can! I bet the orange flavor is fantastic too!
This is definitely perfect for Thanksgiving!
What's Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce?? This looks great!
Don't you love how quickly homemade cranberry sauce is made? And it's SO much better than what comes in the can. Again, you're rocking the single portions!
I know – it's so easy and tastes so fresh. Thank you, Renee!
I love homemade cranberry sauce! It might be my favorite part of the whole meal!
I love this recipe! Perfect when I'm making a sandwich. Thanks.
Oh this is perfect for me! My strange family actually doesn't like cranberry sauce go figure! This is perfect for me!
This cranberry sauce looks so much more appetizing than the jelly version that comes out of a can. Plus, your photos are just lovely!
I can't wait to give this a try! My husband is not a fan of cranberry sauce, but it's my favorite! This recipe is perfect!
Cranberry sauce is my fave but only my sister and I like it – this looks like a great way to get the perfect size.
What a great idea. I love cranberry sauce!
Cranberry sauce is a must have for Thanksgiving!!! This looks amazing!!!
and I loovvve Cranberry sauce during the holidays <3 I've always eaten ocean spray version from a can though :/ , will try your recipe <3
Not everyone in our family like cranberry sauce so this would be perfect for just a few.