Baked Cranberry Sauce
Updated Aug 21, 2025
This Baked Cranberry Sauce takes 2 minutes to prep, uses fresh cranberries, granulated sugar, and bakes in the oven, so it's hands-off.
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Try my make-ahead baked cranberry sauce!
I started making baked cranberry sauce a few years ago, and I haven’t gone back to the stovetop version since. It takes just a couple of minutes to toss everything together, and then the oven does all the work while I focus on the rest of Thanksgiving dinner.
I can make it the day before, which means one less thing on my list when the kitchen turns into pure chaos on the holiday. This baked cranberry sauce is hands-off, stress-free, and somehow tastes even better after sitting overnight.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Baked Cranberry Sauce Ingredients
- Cranberries: I use fresh cranberries around Thanksgiving because they’re in season, but you can also use frozen. Just be sure to thaw them first.
- Sugar: I use simple granulated white sugar for this recipe. A previous version of this recipe used ¾ cup of sugar, but I re-tested it and reduced it to ½ cup.
- Cinnamon: You can also use nutmeg.
- Pecans: Almonds, walnuts, or any other nuts work, too.
- Orange marmalade: Can be found next to the jams and jelly.
How to Make Baked Cranberry Sauce
Baked Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cranberries
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup orange marmalade
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine the cranberries, sugar, water, and cinnamon in an 8×11 baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for one hour, stirring halfway through.
- When the cranberries are tender and bubbly, remove the dish from the oven. Fold in the pecans and orange marmalade.
- Allow to come to room temperature and refrigerate.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Tips
- Learn how to freeze fresh cranberries. I recommend buying fresh cranberries when they’re in season (around Thanksgiving) and freezing them for later use.
- Cover the baking dish with foil in the oven. This traps the moisture in the dish so the cranberry sauce doesn’t dry out or burn.
- Let the sauce cool to room temperature. It will continue to thicken as it cools. Then, refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. This helps enhance the flavor because it has time to develop.
FAQs
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. It’s a great make-ahead dish!
Yes, you can freeze this homemade cranberry sauce for up to 1 month. The texture may be slightly watery when you thaw it, so I recommend reheating it on the stovetop.
Comments
This recipe was so easy! Everyone loved it! My husband mixed it with Greek yogurt as a snack. ๐
This recipe is great! First time making cranberry sauce and not the last. Instant classic. Five stars easy. Thank you for sharing!!
Thank you! That makes me so happy to hear!
This recipe was SO easy, Iโll never go back to stove top cranberry sauce! It just took a few minutes to mix it up and pop it in the oven. I was able to continue working while it baked for an hour and then just another few minutes to finish it up with marmalade and pecans. Good. To. Go. So tasty Iโm going to add it to my Thanksgiving cheese board instead of fig spread!
That’s great to hear! Yay!! Sounds wonderful!
This is a fantastic recipe! Super simple, but delicious! I swapped out the water for Bourbon and it really took it up a notch! This one is going in the recipe book!
Thank you so much! That sounds like a fun switch! Yay!!
Yummy good
Thank you!
Tasted okay. Was a little too sweet. The big problem was that the dish overflowed a huge, red, sugary mess in the oven which took days to clean.
Oh, no! I have when it overflows. Sorry that that happened!
I was looking forward to eating this but a little disappointed that it was too sweet. Is they something I can add to it that can lessen the sweetness? I followed the directions.
Aww sorry to hear that. To lessen the sweetness after it’s cooked, I recommend adding a tablespoon of vinegar and a pinch of salt and give everything a good mix.
These cranberries were amazing and so easy to make. Big hit around my (small) table this Thanksgiving!