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By Canning Cranberry Sauce, you can enjoy this delicious traditional holiday dish all year long. Learn how to can cranberry sauce for fuss-free holidays.

3 jars of homemade canned cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries on a white board

You’ll love the ease of opening a jar of homemade canned cranberry sauce! It works great for fast holiday side dishes, or any time of the year when you need a hit of this delicious cranberry goodness.

If you’re planning to can cranberry sauce for the holidays, you’ll also love our free printable Thanksgiving checklist and Make-Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes.

For this recipe, I have adapted our Orange Cranberry Sauce to make it “cannable”, but you can also make our Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce and then can that. If canning isn’t for you, check out this tutorial on how to freeze cranberries.

This recipe makes a delicious burst cranberry sauce, but you’ll find notes for making/canning cranberry jelly in the recipe card. 

Supplies for Canning Cranberry Sauce

4 photos showing the process for canning cranberry sauce

How Long Does Homemade Canned Cranberry Sauce Last?

You can store it for 12-18 months in a cool dark place.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • Don’t have time to can? You’re also able to freeze cranberry sauce! Store cooled sauce in a freezer-proof container and freeze for up to six months. 
  • You may use water in place of the orange juice if you prefer.
  • Make the sauce pop even more by adding in a few pieces of dehydrated oranges during the cooking process. Discard prior to serving.
  • Save extra cranberries to make Cranberry Jalapeño Dip.

MORE CANNING RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE

a bowl from canning cranberry sauce surrounded by jars of canned cranberry relish

5 from 1 rating

Canning Cranberry Sauce

Servings: 4 half-pints
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Canning: 15 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
3 jars of homemade canned cranberry sauce with fresh cranberries on a white board
By Canning Cranberry Sauce, you can enjoy this delicious traditional holiday dish all year long.

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tbsp orange zest
  • 12 oz cranberries

Instructions 

  • Prepare your water bath canner by filling it with water. You just need to have enough water to cover the jars by 2 inches once the water is boiling.
  • Set the canner on the stove. Turn the burner to high.
  • Wash and sanitize your jars. You’ll want to keep them warm to avoid having them crack when placed in the canner. You can fill them with hot water, or place them on a tray in the oven at 170 degrees F.
  • Wash your lids and set aside in a clean bowl.
  • In a medium saucepan, combine orange juice and sugar. Bring to a boil.
  • Add the cranberries, and reduce the heat to medium. Allow it to cook until you start to hear the cranberries popping.
  • With a spoon or potato masher, smash down the cranberries until it reaches your desired texture.
  • Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the orange zest.
  • Ladle the warm cranberry sauce into jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Remove any bubbles from the jar (I use a chopstick).
  • Use a wet clean rag and wipe the rim of the jars to make sure it is free of any food.
  • Place a clean lid on the jar. Add a ring, and tighten to fingertip tight.
  • Using canning tongs, place jars in the boiling water. Put the lid on the canner, and once the water is back to a rolling boil, process for 15 minutes.
  • When the 15 minutes are up, remove the canner from the heat, remove the lid and allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
  • Using the canning tongs, remove the jars and place them on a thick towel in a place where they won't be disturbed for 12 hours.
  • After 12 hours, check the seal on the jars by pressing down in the center of the lid. If there is any give, either refrigerate and use those jars in the next month or reprocess.

Notes

Store in a cool dark place for 12-18 months.
 
How to Make/Can Cranberry Jelly (adapted from The National Center of Home Food Preservation):
  1. Combine 4 cups of cranberries and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil until softened. 
  2. Press cranberries through a fine-mesh strainer.
  3. Add 1.5 cups sugar to the strained cranberries, and cook at a low boil for 3 minutes.
  4. Follow canning instructions above.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupCalories: 209kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Canning
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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About Sarah

Helping you serve up budget-friendly sustainable recipes with a side of balanced living.
Come for the food. Stay for the snark.

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2 Comments

  1. I love your cranberry sauce recipe! I know it’s a funny time of year to be making cranberry sauce, but I use it in a crock pot recipe with beef brisket and veggies and small potatoes. Total yum!  I made sure to buy a ton of fresh cranberries last fall and shoved them in my freezer so I would have a supply all year. Sometimes I can it. Sometimes I use the whole batch at once. 

    Every time I make it I learn something new. This time it was not to cook cranberry sauce with a white cotton jacket on! Oh well! That’s what bleach is for. 

    Happy 4th!5 stars

    1. Oh no to the white shirt! Live and learn, I suppose. 🙂

      Glad you liked the recipe so much. It’s one of my favorites and I love sharing it with others. You’re also reminding me that I have a brisket in the freezer.