All you need is some cranberries, sugar, oranges and an Instant Pot and you have the easiest Easy Cranberry Sauce! To make the flavor even better this Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice also features a slight cinnamon flavor. And you’ll love the 2 minute cook time almost as much as you love the taste 😉
My family on Thanksgiving is split into two teams: Team “I love Cranberry Sauce” and Team “I Couldn’t Care Less about Cranberry Sauce.” I was always on the latter…. That is, until I tried this recipe!
Since making this recipe once, I’ve been slathering it on toast, pairing it with turkey, and even adding it into my oatmeal! The best part is that this Easy Cranberry Sauce is ready in just 7 minutes in the Instant Pot. How can you beat that?!
Why Make this Recipe
- Hands Off: Thanksgiving is full of recipes that need quite a bit of attention… Turkey, stuffing, even mashed potatoes. If there’s something that we can take off of your Thanksgiving plate and make it as hands-off as possible, Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce is the way to go! Throw this into the Instant Pot and forget about it! It’ll be ready when you need it.
- A Thanksgiving Classic with a Twist: Whenever we made cranberry sauce growing up, it never included orange juice! The orange juice is my favorite part of this recipe, as it adds a little burst of flavor!
What Ingredients are in this Recipe
- Cranberries: For this recipe, I used a 12 oz package of fresh Ocean Spray cranberries. You can use frozen, fresh cranberries if you’d like. If this is the case, there is no need to thaw the cranberries before placing them in the Instant Pot. Do not use dried cranberries.
- Orange Juice: For this orange juice, I bought a naval orange and juiced it in order to add to the recipe. I only needed one orange in order to get ½ cup of orange juice, but I would recommend buying 2 oranges just in case. Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice is always the most delicious way to go!
- Orange Zest: In order to zest my orange, I used the smallest setting on my cheese grater. I only used one large naval orange in order to get 2 tsp of orange zest, but I would recommend buying 2 oranges just in case. Zest your orange before juicing.
- Sugar: I used white, granulated sugar for this recipe. If you’d like you can replace this with a light brown sugar, but I found that granulated sugar creates the best texture and taste.
How to Make this Recipe
Step 1: Add Ingredients and Cook
Place all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Lock the lid in place. Cook on HIGH for 2 minutes.
Step 2: Release Pressure
Once the cook time has completed, allow for a Natural Pressure Release for 5 minutes. Perform a Quick Release after. Enjoy!
Watch my Cranberry Sauce Story for more information.
Expert Tips
- The recipe calls for ¾ cup sugar, but if you want a more tart cranberry sauce, you can reduce the amount of sugar. You can also add more sugar if you want a sweeter cranberry sauce.
- When releasing the pressure in the Instant Pot, place a towel over the pressure valve. The amount of liquid in this recipe sometimes makes it so that liquid will squirt out of the pressure valve if you open it too early. Adding a towel over the pressure valve is a good precaution so that you don’t get burned or make a mess.
- If you need a good way to use up any extra cranberry sauce that you have leftover, try adding it to your oatmeal in the morning! This will sweeten up your morning oats as well as give them a unique fall flavor.
Recipe FAQs
How Do You Thicken Up Cranberry Sauce?
When you open the lid to your Instant Pot, your cranberry sauce will appear pretty liquidy. Once you store it in a glass or plastic container and place it in the fridge, it will thicken up considerably!
Why Is My Cranberry Sauce Bitter?
If it’s bitter, you most likely didn’t add enough sugar to accommodate for your taste. In that case, stir a bit more sugar into the sauce 1 tablespoon at a time while the sauce is still warm. Do this until it reaches your desired sweetness!
Is it Possible to Overcook this Recipe?
Yes! This is a great reason to make your Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce in the Instant Pot instead of on the stove.
Overcooking your sauce will make the sugar caramelize in the sauce and it could lead to a burn! A 2 minute cook time in the Instant Pot is hardly enough to burn any of your Cranberry Sauce, so you should have no fear of creating a mess with this recipe.
Did you like this recipe? If so, make sure to check out these other recipes that I’m sure you’ll love:
- Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes
- Instant Pot Sweet Potato Casserole
- Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
Easy Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 oz package of cranberries
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tsp orange zest
- Pinch of cinnamon
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in the Instant Pot. Lock the lid in place. Cook on HIGH for 2 minutes.
- Once the cook time has completed, allow for a Natural Pressure Release for 5 minutes. Perform a Quick Release after. Enjoy!
Notes
- Cranberries: For this recipe, I used a 12 oz package of fresh Ocean Spray cranberries. You can use frozen, fresh cranberries if you’d like. If this is the case, there is no need to thaw the cranberries before placing them in the Instant Pot. Do not use dried cranberries.
- Orange Juice: For this orange juice, I bought a naval orange and juiced it in order to add to the recipe. I only needed one orange in order to get ½ cup of orange juice, but I would recommend buying 2 oranges just in case. Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice is always the most delicious way to go!
- Orange Zest: In order to zest my orange, I used the smallest setting on my cheese grater. I only used one large naval orange in order to get 2 tsp of orange zest, but I would recommend buying 2 oranges just in case. Zest your orange before juicing.
- Sugar: I used white, granulated sugar for this recipe. If you’d like you can replace this with a light brown sugar, but I found that granulated sugar creates the best texture and taste.
- The recipe calls for ¾ cup sugar, but if you want a more tart cranberry sauce, you can reduce the amount of sugar. You can also add more sugar if you want a sweeter cranberry sauce.
- When releasing the pressure in the Instant Pot, place a towel over the pressure valve. The amount of liquid in this recipe sometimes makes it so that liquid will squirt out of the pressure valve if you open it too early. Adding a towel over the pressure valve is a good precaution so that you don’t get burned or make a mess.
- If you need a good way to use up any extra cranberry sauce that you have leftover, try adding it to your oatmeal in the morning! This will sweeten up your morning oats as well as give them a unique fall flavor.
Jess says
Made this for Thanksgiving and it was so easy and delicious! Definitely saving this recipe for next year!
The Foreign Fork says
So glad you liked it Jess, thank you for the review! 🙂
Kathleen says
I find my mini food processor handy when a recipe calls for citrus rind and granulated sugar. You have to wash it, or a grater, either way, but the processor slips into the dishwasher.
Use a potato peeler to get that rind before squeezing juice: it’s easier to peel and squeeze in that order. Put the sugar and peel in the processor and whirl. The sugar makes the peel flow into the propeller. Note a potato peeler only gets the zest, not the white pith you don’t want.
The Foreign Fork says
Such a great tip, Kathleen, thank you!
Erika says
Can you use maple syrup instead or sugar? If so how much do l use?
The Foreign Fork says
Hi Erika,
I have never tried this before, and I would be nervous to advocate for something I haven’t tried yet! However, I have seen some recipes use 1/2 cup of maple syrup in place of sugar. If you try it out, let me know what you think!