Fresh blueberries and raspberries add rich color and great flavor to this festive Very Berry Cranberry Sauce. Make it ahead, pop it in the freezer, and check it off your holiday to-do list!
Looking for more? My Orange Cranberry Sauce is another delicious choice for the holidays.
I’ve made a lot of cranberry sauce recipes over time, but I believe this Very Berry Cranberry Sauce just may be my favorite.
The unique triple berry combo of cranberries, blueberries, and raspberries make it just gorgeous on the table and stand out from your run of the mill cranberry sauce. I love the pop of color it adds to my Thanksgiving menu.
The tart-sweet flavor makes it the perfect accompaniment for your holiday turkey. It’s also delicious (and so pretty) spooned over desserts like vanilla ice cream, cheesecake, warm apple crisp, or freshly baked apple pie.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh cranberries: You should start seeing bags of fresh cranberries appearing in the produce section of most grocery stores in October and running through December.
- Granulated sugar: Fresh cranberries are exceptionally tart so the ratio of sugar in this recipe is important to balance them out.
- Spices: Pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon
- Fresh berries: Raspberries and blueberries.
How to Make Very Berry Cranberry Sauce
- Rinse and drain the cranberries and place them in a heavy medium saucepan with the water and sugar.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and when you hear a cranberry or two pop, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, mix well, and remove from the heat.
- Add the blueberries and raspberries.
- Stir the berries into the sauce, breaking them up a bit with the spoon, if desired.
- Transfer the sauce to mason jars or other airtight containers and let it cool for about 30 minutes.
- Then, cover and refrigerate the cranberry sauce for several hours or for up to two days before serving. The sauce will thicken and the flavors will blend as it chills.
Valerie’s Tips
Storage: This recipe makes the perfect amount to fill two pint-sized mason jars. Keep one in the refrigerator for your Thanksgiving meal and freeze the other to thaw and serve at your Christmas gathering. Or, use smaller 8 ounce jelly jars and give them away to friends and family!
Make it ahead: It’s best to prepare it a day or two in advance to allow the flavors to intensify as it chills in the refrigerator so put it on your list of things to do ahead. The recipe card includes freezer instructions if you want to get this task out of the way weeks or even a couple of months before the holiday.
Controlling the texture: Use a wooden spoon to press some of the cranberries against the pan to mash them slightly for a smoother cranberry sauce. Or, leave them whole for a whole berry cranberry sauce.
More Holiday Side Dishes
- Maple Glazed Sweet Potatoes
- Honey Roasted Carrots and Brussels Sprouts
- Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
- Brioche Stuffing
- Easy Turkey Gravy
- For more menu planning inspiration, check out my full collection of Thanksgiving recipes.
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Very Berry Cranberry Sauce
Video
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- ½ cup fresh raspberries
Instructions
- Place the rinsed and drained cranberries in a heavy medium saucepan with the water and sugar. Bring to a boil over MEDIUM-HIGH heat and when you hear a cranberry or two pop, reduce the heat to LOW. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to press some of the cranberries against the pan to mash them slightly. Add the pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Mix well and remove from the heat.
- Mix in the blueberries and raspberries breaking them up a bit with the spoon, if desired. Transfer the sauce to mason jars or other airtight containers and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes.
- Cover and refrigerate for several hours until completely chilled or for up to 2 days before serving. The sauce will thicken and the flavors will blend as it chills.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
This post was originally published on November 21,2001. It has been updated with new text and images.
This is a great recipe, my family loves it. I used cherries instead of raspberries along with blueberries!
I have used this recipe for a couple of years now, but add a little bit of orange liqueur, 1/4 teaspoon cardamom, and chopped pecans for some crunch. Everyone loves it so I volunteer to make cranberry sauce every year. It is quite thick, so if it is a bit tart for your taste, just add a little agave. I also added Ed extra raspberries and blueberries today as I had extra.
Winner winner! I’ve been using this recipe for about five years now. I would never eat cranberry sauce previously as I thought it all came from a can. After finding this recipe, everyone begs me to make my cranberry sauce every year! I even gift it to neighbors and friends. It’s delicious and an absolute compliment to every Thanksgiving dish. Thrilled to have found this recipe!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Erin! Thanks so much for your comment and Happy Thanksgiving. 🙂
This is one of my favorite recipes. Has anyone ever used it as a pie filling? Thinking of trying it..