Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce Recipe
From the heart of the pilgrim country comes a recipe for a Classic Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce made with a handful of ingredients in about 10 minutes, plus chilling time.
If you love cranberry condiments, also try this 3 ingredient homemade cranberry sauce.
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What I Love About This Sauce
Have you ever made your own cranberry sauce? It's easier than you would think. And oh-so-delicious. So good, in fact, you'll always want to make your own.
A while back, a friend on Facebook asked if I had a favorite "tried and true" recipe I could share. At the time, I didn't.
I've been on a quest for years to find a recipe I loved. And while I've tried so many I've lost count, I hadn't found one I wanted to make again.
Pilmoth Plantation and Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce
Cape Cod cranberries have long been part of the New England table, and this sauce reflects that heritage with its old-fashioned combination of cranberries, fruit, and warm seasonal flavor. It's a simple recipe, but one that feels especially fitting for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any meal that celebrates the traditions of the season.
Yes, cranberry sauce can come from a can. But homemade cranberry sauce is incredibly easy to make-and the flavor is in a completely different league.
If you love cranberry recipes, you might also enjoy Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti cookies, or bake a loaf of Orange Cranberry Bread or a batch of these healthy cranberry muffins!
Classic Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
All of the ingredients you'll need to make your own delicious, Plimoth-style cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving. The exact ingredient measurements are in the recipe card below.
Here's what you need:
- Fresh cranberries are the base for this recipe.
- Brown sugar richly sweetens the tartness of the berries
- Apple cider vinegar brings balance to the sauce
- Seasoning: cinnamon stick, ground cloves, and a pinch of salt
- Fruit: raisins and fresh apple, diced
How to Make Cranberry Sauce
There are only 3 steps to this delicious 10-minute cranberry sauce, plus chilling time. Step-by-step recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post.
- Bring cranberries, water, brown sugar, raisins, vinegar, cinnamon stick, cloves, and salt to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 6 minutes.
- Add apple and cook until the cranberries pop and the mixture thickens, about another 4 minutes.
- Discard cinnamon, spoon into a serving dish, cover, and chill for about 3 hours.
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Classic Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) package cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 5 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- 1 pinch salt
- ¾ cup water
- 1 apple peeled and diced into ½-inch dice
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, heat cranberries, brown sugar, raisins, vinegar, cinnamon stick, cloves, salt and ¾ cup water to a boil over high heat. Reduced heat to medium-low and simmer 6 minutes.
- Add diced apple and cook until most of the cranberries pop and mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes longer.
- Discard cinnamon stick. Spoon into a serving dish and refrigerate, covered, until chilled, about 3 hours.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
I have been making something called Cranberry Fluff for the past 40 years or more. My son, who is now in his 50’s, loves it and I was growing tired of it and was looking for a new recipe when I discovered yours. This is just amazing….we just love it. The raisins and apples add their own sweetness and taste to the cranberries which is appreciated. Since some apples are sweeter than others, the brown sugar can easily be adjusted to individual tastes. At last I have found the PERFECT cranberry sauce after all these years! Thank you so much..
Hi Ruth, I am thrilled that you tried this recipe. I love the historial context and the flavor is so much better than canned. Thank you for your sweet words and for trying the recipe!
What size package of cranberries? I see 10 oz or 2lb options at the store
Hi Monica— you will need a 12 ounce package of fresh or frozen cranberries (about 4 cups).
I LOVE this recipe! I replace 1/4 cup of the water with 1/4 cup of orange juice. I also add a bit of orange zest. I also use apple cider vinegar in place of the cider vinegar. Totally yummy!
I love it too! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for trying it and letting us know how you like it and changes you made!
I’ve made this every year for thanksgiving, it’s always a favourite!
Hi Sarah! Thank you for sharing that— you made my day ❤️❤️. I’m so happy you enjoy the recipe.