First of all, yes, most cranberry sauce is vegan. Even the canned kind is usually vegan. BUT there's a reason I wanted to share this recipe with you. You see, this is the best easy vegan cranberry sauce out there. Not only is it super simple to make- just 4 ingredients and takes just 15 minutes to whip up, but it is also the perfect combo of sweet and tart, with a final touch of lemon zest for the perfect zing.
This easy cranberry sauce tastes SO much better than that canned stuff (isn't homemade always better)? Simple to prepare and absolutely delicious - how can you go wrong with cranberry sauce?
Better yet, this vegan cranberry sauce is best made ahead of time and will keep for up to a week (or even a little longer) when stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. Talk about a perfect stress-free addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday feast!
I've actually shared this recipe before in my post of 8 Traditional Thanksgiving & Christmas Sides Made Vegan, but since that post is super old and multiple recipes were combined into the same post, the recipe was a little difficult to track down on my blog. I love this recipe and make it every year, so I wanted to bring it to your attention again.
I also plan to do the same for many of the other recipes in that post. Which ones would you like me to refresh?
How to make the best easy vegan cranberry sauce:
Add the cranberries, sugar, water, and lemon zest to a medium saucepan.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and it looks all saucy and delicious. It will be thin when the sauce is hot, but will thicken up as it cools.
This cranberry sauce goes with other vegan holiday favourites such as my puff pastry wrapped lentil loaf, stuffed butternut squash, vegan creamed corn, cheesy scalloped potatoes, stovetop stuffing, or my lentil shepherd's pie (to name a few).
Common Questions:
Can cranberry sauce be frozen?
Yes it can. Just be sure to either refrigerate it or let it cool down first. Putting warm cranberry sauce in the freezer could cause excess moisture which would then turn into ice. Pouring into a freezer bag that seals tight or using an air-tight container both work great.
Can cranberry sauce be made ahead of time?
Sure can! You can make cranberry sauce ahead of time, refrigerate and then reheat or serve cold - whichever your preference is!
Can cranberry sauce be left out overnight?
This not the best idea. Be sure to store any cranberry sauce in an air-tight container and refrigerate or freeze. Anything left out overnight, it's best to dispose of it.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
(click stars to vote)
The Best Easy Vegan Cranberry Sauce
Servings: (makes about 1 ½ cups)
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Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1 lemon,, zested
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and it looks all saucy and delicious. It will be thin, but will thicken as it cools.
Notes
Nutrition
Chynna L Dehoyos says
Hi Sam,
Could we use this recipe for cranberry jam for Xmas cookies?
Or would the cranberry sauce be a little too wet for cookies?
Thanks,
Chynna
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Chynna, This cranberry sauce could work as a filling for Christmas cookies, but you’re right—it may be a bit too wet depending on the type of cookie you’re making.To make it more jam-like and suitable for cookies, you could use less water, cook it a little longer, blend, and chill well. Hopefully that makes it a more jam-like consistency. Enjoy!
Irene says
I have made cranberry sauce lots of ways but this was perfect! I'm going to grab several bags of cranberries and freeze. Why can't we have cranberries all year long? I can't find them in our grocery stores, even in the frozen food section other times of the year. This sauce is wonderful on hot summer days. Thanks!
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Ambitious! That sounds great!
Joe says
what does one lemon zested mean? juice and zest? just zest? thanks ....
Sue Ann says
I'm looking in the comments, as well, to see what it means.
Sam Turnbull says
Jus the zest from one lemon, not the juice. I would always say if you needed the juice too. Enjoy!
vegangel says
Hi!
I’m just checking that only the zest of the lemon is used.
Thanks!
Meredith says
I just came to check the comment section for the same question! haha
vegangel says
Lisa Wagner says
Is this good with crushed pineapple in it?
V Marie says
I should spend more time on this blog. Great recipes. I have made the champagne cupcakes many times in the past.
This recipe was perfectly easy and good. I doubled it. I happened to have grapefruit laying around rather than lemons so I used that for the zest. Worked great!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you're enjoying my recipes! 🙂
Merry says
Sam — I love your recipes because they are simple, use accessible ingredients, and have tons of flavor. I just made this cranberry sauce and am blown away by how fresh and tasty it is. And it came together in just a handful of minutes. Thank you.
The Compassionate Dreamer says
Hi Sam! I am a vegan teen, and I cannot express to you how much I love you and your blog. Your recipes and enthusiastic personality bring me joy and I love to try your recipes out in the kitchen. I made this cranberry sauce as a part of my family's vegan Thanksgiving feast this year, and it was a crowd favorite! I would 100% make it again. I wrote about our feast here on my blog: Thank you so much for all of your amazing recipes, and for inspiring me to be the very best chef that I can be! ❤️
Sam Turnbull says
Aww thrilled you enjoyed it so much!!
Karen says
Happy Thanksgiving, Sam!
And thanks for rolling out all of these traditional side dish recipes. Whenever folks say to me "you're vegan and don't eat turkey, what do you eat at Thanksgiving?" My response is "everything else!" Yay, for veggies, and homemade vegan stovetop stuffing (om, nom nom). 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you, Karen!! And you're most welcome! So happy my recipes are helping people make delicious feasts 🙂
Meg says
I do this but add a diced tart apple and some corset chopped walnuts.
Sam Turnbull says
Oooh sounds lovely 🙂
Chamron says
Thank you for having a cranberry relish recipe without orange! This is so tasty and took me no time to make! Absolutely delicious!
Sam Turnbull says
Thrilled you enjoyed it!
Michelle Meehan says
Love your blog, but the title of this recipe confuses me. Why not just call this Cranberry Sauce? Vegan Cranberry Sauce definitely implies that other cranberry sauces are not. I've never even had one that's not vegan.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Michelle, yes you're correct most cranberry sauce is vegan (hence the opening line of this post). I call my recipe "vegan cranberry sauce" because I noticed that ut was a search term people were looking for and I wanted to make sure anyone looking to prepare a vegan-friendly holiday feast would have some great recipes to work with 🙂
Shannon says
Whenever i am looking up recipes online i always type the word vegan in front of it! Even if it is normally vegan i still type it in anyways. I love this recipe by the way! I could never bring myself to eat that red blob from the can lol
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Glad you enjoy, Shannon 🙂