This Instant Pot cranberry sauce recipe can be prepared in less than 30 minutes and is way tastier than any canned product you might buy.
Everybody has their go-to sides during the holidays - from old fashioned bread stuffing to savory sweet potato casserole to truffle mashed potatoes to maple roasted carrots.
And one of the most popular is cranberry sauce. Now everyone has their opinion on canned vs homemade and obviously I'm a make it at home person. I like it so much, I have a homemade cranberry sauce that isn't made in an Instant Pot.
Luckily, this recipe is about as easy as going to the store and buying the canned stuff. Just throw all of the ingredients except for the vanilla extract and let the Instant Pot do its work.
30 minutes later and you have a delicious sauce which will be the hit of the holidays.
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Ingredient Notes
- Cranberries - always go with fresh if you can as it has just the right tartness.
- Sweetness - I like getting a combination of sweetness from both granulated sugar and maple syrup. You need this so the sauce isn't too tart.
- Oranges - use freshly squeeze orange juice and zest from oranges to add some acid.
- Spices - infusing the cranberry sauce with some cinnamon and nutmeg adds warmth to it.
Ingredient Swap
Like any recipe, you can mix up some of the ingredients. Some variations include:
- While I like fresh cranberries, you can use frozen in a pinch.
- The combination of granulated sugar and maple syrup works great, however you can use all of one or the other or try light brown sugar or honey.
- I'm a fan of oranges for this recipe, but clementines work too.
- If you can't find a cinnamon stick, just use ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon.
Step-by-Step Photos
Add all of the ingredients except the vanilla extract to the Instant Pot. Select manual setting and adjust pressure to high. Cook for 4 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally.
Remove the cinnamon stick and mash to desired consistency. Stir in vanilla extract.
FAQs
The Instant Pot does its work and starts to pop the cranberries which turns it into a jam-like consistency. Remember with this cranberry sauce recipe, it will thicken more as it cools.
Cranberries are naturally rich in pectin, so they gel easily and will thicken as the sauce cools.
Cranberries are naturally very bitter which is where the sugar comes in to offset it. Everyone has different tastes, so if the sauce is still too bitter for you, just add maple syrup 1 tablespoon at a time.
Homemade cranberry sauce will last in the fridge for 10-14 days if placed in an airtight container.
Leftover Cranberry Sauce Ideas
Unless you have a huge gathering, you will probably have some leftover cranberry sauce. Luckily there are a ton of ways to use it. Some options include:
- Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins
- Leftover Cranberry Sauce Coffee Cake
- Cranberry Sauce Breakfast Rolls
- Leftover Cranberry Sauce and Apple Crisp
- Leftover Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce Scones
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- You can use all maple syrup or all granulated sugar. No need to use half and half if you don't want to or don't have one of the ingredients.
- Replace the cinnamon stick with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon if needed.
- If your cranberry sauce is still too bitter, add more maple syrup one tablespoon at a time.
- Cranberry sauce can be served warm or cold.
Other Thanksgiving Recipes
If you’ve tried this Instant Pot cranberry sauce recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the cranberries in a colander and rinse with cold water. You want to discard any damaged cranberries.
- Add the cranberries, sugar, syrup, orange juice, zest, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and salt to Instant Pot.
- Select manual setting and adjust pressure to high. Set time for 4 minutes and then allow the pressure to naturally release.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and mash to desired consistency. Stir in vanilla extract. Let cool to room temperature and transfer to a storage container and place in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
- You can use all maple syrup or all granulated sugar. No need to use half and half if you don't want to or don't have one of the ingredients.
- Replace the cinnamon stick with ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon if needed.
- If your cranberry sauce is still too bitter, add more maple syrup one tablespoon at a time.
- Cranberry sauce can be served warm or cold.
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