Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
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Perfect homemade 4 min cranberry sauce recipe, made from scratch! Use frozen or fresh cranberries. Quick, simple, easy, and so good.
Remember the Friends episode where everyone is late to Thanksgiving? Monica is tricked into cooking the entire Thanksgiving meal (a Thanksgiving she didn’t want to host) and Chandler just wants to help out in the sweetest way possible.
Chandler: I’m serious, let me do something, just not the turkey or the stuffing, nothing “high profile”.
Monica: Ok, let’s see… Oh, the cranberry sauce, it is easy to make and no-one really cares about it.
That’s basically all I think about when it comes to cranberry sauce. It really is super easy and some people do care about it, especially on those leftover Thanksgiving sammies.
Yes, I absolutely have an epic leftover Thanksgiving slider recipe coming oh-so-soon. Stay tuned!
But back to the easy cranberry sauce. All it needs is 4 min in the IP and naturally released for 20-30 minutes.
The consistency is just perfect, the sauce is sweet and tangy, and it can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. Make-ahead, quick, simple. Now that’s one thing you can cross off your list for Thanksgiving already!
Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 (12-ounce) packages fresh or frozen cranberries
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 2 3-inch strips of orange zest
- 1 3-inch cinnamon stick
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place cranberries, sugars, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon and cloves into a 6-qt Instant Pot®. Stir until well combined.
- Select manual setting; adjust pressure to high, and set time for 4 minutes. When finished cooking, naturally release pressure according to manufacturer’s directions, about 20-30 minutes.
- Remove orange zest and cinnamon. Using a wooden spoon, mash cranberry mixture until desired consistency is reached; stir in vanilla.
- Let cool completely.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe is super easy and absolutely delicious! It’s not too tart, but also not overly sweet! Thank you!!!
Heaven in a bowl . Followed recipe as written…it’s going into fridge for this Sunday’s feast.
Followed this recipe, with a few tweaks. Delicious!
If I don’t have an instant pot, how long would I cook it for on the stove top?
Have used this recipe several times. I use trivia in place of the sugar and brown sugar, it is excellent.
I didn’t think I liked cranberry sauce until last Thanksgiving when I picked a pint up at a local specialty market. This year I decided they it myself, and this was the recipe I landed on. It was serendipity! If it’s not identical, its darn close. So easy, and so, so good
I don’t have cinnamon sticks. Can I substitute ground cinnamon instead, and how much?
The best, the best, the BEST cranberry sauce I have ever had or certainly ever made myself. Made this last year and it’s kind of all I have been thinking about this week as I prep for Thursday! It’s yummy with the meal of course, then on leftovers, then on yogurt for breakfast every day….yum yum YUM! Thank you for ending my search for the perfect cranberry sauce!
How would you adjust for an 8qt Instant Pot?
As we’re all social distancing During Covid-19, our grocery stores are short on certain products like fresh cranberries. I found 2 bags of frozen, a bit shrivelled, cranberries in my freezer! I reconstituted them in hot water and tried this recipe. I added a splash or two of Grande Marnier to the orange juice and skipped the vanilla. The results are delicious! A bit sweet, a bit tangy with an extra punch of orange juiciness from the liqueur. A keeper of a recipe!
This recipe is the Greatest !! so easy and yummy… never buying store bought again !!!
Made this for Thanksgiving and those of us that liked cranberry really enjoyed this version. But then we had leftovers and I thought, “This would probably be very good in yogurt!” OMG! This is now my favorite thing to add to my yogurt with a little granola, sooooo good! I’ve made it post Thanksgiving and as long as I can find cranberries I’ll keep making it (I do halve the recipe though).
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing, Heather!
I made this exactly as directed, but also forgot to withhold the vanilla until after cooking. The sauce was absolutely delicious! Tart, sweet, and a lovely addition to our family’s Thanksgiving meal. Thank you for this fabulous recipe! (Your recipes include many of my all-time favorites.)
I always try recipes out ahead of time but you have never let me down so I just made this for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving. It’s PERFETION! Thank you (again!) for such an easy, yet impressive side dish.
Amazing! Happy Thanksgiving, Mary! 🙂
I only have 12 oz of fresh cranberries. I can cut the ingredients in half. Would the cooking time be the same?
Yes, same cooking time
Hi Chungah, this is a really nice recipe, and it turned out well. This is my new cranberry sauce recipe to use now. I like that the cinnamon and orange are not overdone, and it’s not too sweet.
I was so excited about adding vanilla (because I never had before) that I added it in with all the other ingredients instead of at the end. Did I alter the flavor any by doing this? I’m still finding my way around the science of pressure cooking! Thanks-Lenore
Berry sauces are exclusively for foodies IMHO. Few people in my circle like them.
I accidentally added the vanilla before cooking! Is this going to make a big difference??
Can’t wait to try the final result!
Could apples or oranges or pears be added to this without changing the amounts of the other ingredients?
Sure!
I love cranberry sauce, but then I’ve always loved fruity sauces with meat. Nice IP recipe, thanks.
Question: I am highly allergic to citrus. Can you recommend another liquid other than water
Danna, water may actually be the best substitute here but as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications. 🙂
I was thinking Apple cider might be just the ticket.
4 minute cranberry sauce – this will be so useful – thank you!
Just what I was looking for. Perfect blend of ingredients – not too sweet nor too tart. Thank you, Chungah. Your recipes are wonderful and you’ve come through for me yet again.
Definitely trying this! Can’t wait for the slider recipe too…