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Crockpot Cranberry Sauce

Crockpot cranberry sauce with orange juice and cinnamon sticks cooks until the berries burst, creating a glossy, spoon-thick texture. This slow-cooker method is simple: stir once halfway, then mash lightly for the perfect spreadable finish.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 3 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 8 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 221
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cranberry sauce base
  • 24 oz fresh cranberries Use fresh cranberries for the best burst and natural thickness.
  • 1.5 cup sugar
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 2 count cinnamon sticks
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 0.06 tsp salt A pinch to balance the tartness.

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Add ingredients to the crockpot
  1. Add cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, cinnamon sticks, orange zest, and salt to the crockpot.
  2. Stir well to combine until the sugar is mostly moistened and the mixture looks evenly speckled with cranberries.
Slow cook until berries burst
  1. Cover and cook on HIGH 2 1/2-3 hours, stirring once halfway, until the berries burst and the sauce turns glossy.
Finish texture and serve
  1. Uncover, mash lightly to thicken and break up berries, and cook 15-20 minutes more if you want it thicker.
  2. Remove cinnamon sticks, then cool and chill for serving later or keep on WARM until ready to serve.

Notes

Pro tip: Stir once at the halfway mark so the bottom doesn’t scorch and the sauce sets up evenly. Refrigerate in a covered container up to 5 days; freeze up to 2 months (thaw overnight in the fridge and rewarm gently). For a lighter option, reduce sugar by about 1/4 cup and add more orange juice to maintain pourable texture.