No fresh cranberries?! No problem! You can easily make a homemade Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cranberries instead. This is just one of those dishes that is just as easy as it is delicious! If you're on a quest for a simple and convenient cranberry sauce, perfect for the busy holiday season, you need to whip this one up with just 8 ingredients and 4 simple steps. It's way better than the store-bought canned stuff!

This homemade cranberry sauce is made using dried cranberries, cranberry juice, brown sugar, fresh orange juice, and orange zest. It comes together SO quickly using just a medium saucepan!
After testing multiple batches, I made sure to create a cranberry sauce that's equally as thick as the store-bought kind. This one is perfectly jammy, yet spreadable and will effortlessly coat a juicy piece of Thanksgiving turkey or pile of mashed potatoes.
It also has that classic balance of both sweet and tart flavors, making it a great pairing for a savory meal. I LOVE using dried cranberries because they are available all year round - allowing you to create an easy, delicious cranberry sauce any time you'd like! No need to worry about buying fresh cranberries during the short holiday season or eating the sad-looking can-shaped stuff.
And there's also no need to worry about scrambling last minute to get this cranberry sauce on the table, simply make it ahead of time! It'll stay fresh in your fridge for about 1 week and will just need to come to room temperature just before serving. Keep dried cranberries in your pantry year-round for any time you want instant cranberry sauce. Or better yet, use them to make these buttery cranberry orange shortbread cookies too!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Step 1: Add all ingredients, besides water and cornstarch, to a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Step 3: In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add to the saucepan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce thickens.
- Step 3: Serve cranberry sauce warm or room temperature. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.
⭐️ Quick Tip! If using cranberry juice with added sugar, you may want to use less brown sugar and adjust to taste. However, I highly recommend using a brand that just has “cranberry juice” as the only ingredient.
My Top Tips!
⭐️ The cinnamon stick and orange zest add some extra flavor. However, they aren't 100% necessary, so they can easily be left out if you don't have any on hand! Brown sugar helps add some sweetness, but can be adjusted more or less to taste.
⭐️ Make sure you use the cornstarch and water! They are vital to helping the sauce thicken. The sauce will also thicken more as it cools. (If you are making this for Thanksgiving, this will help it coat your turkey and other fixings!)
Related Recipes
Looking for more cranberry recipes? Try these:
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!
The EASIEST Cranberry Sauce with Dried Cranberries
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dried cranberries
- 1 cup cranberry juice (no sugar added) SEE NOTES
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
- Zest from 1 orange
- Juice from 1 orange
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Small pinch of kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- To a medium saucepan over medium heat, add dried cranberries, cranberry juice, brown sugar, zest and juice of 1 orange, cinnamon stick, and salt.
- Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries rehydrate and turn plump. Discard the cinnamon stick.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water. Add to the cranberry sauce and stir to combine. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute more until the sauce thickens.
- Serve warm or room temperature. The cranberry sauce will thicken more as it cools.
Notes
- If using cranberry juice with added sugar, you may want to use less brown sugar and adjust to taste. However, I highly recommend using a brand that just has “cranberry juice” as the only ingredient.
Nutrition
Want more recipes like this delivered right to your inbox? Be sure to subscribe above and never miss a thing!
Angela Jones says
OUTSTANDING!! All I had was grape juice, and it workout beautifully! And everyone loved it ! Ty
Alana Lieberman says
So glad this worked well for you! Thanks for giving it a try!