I feel like cranberry sauce is sort of like cilantro in that you either love it or hate it. I’m in the team of loving it. I also happen to love this Instant Pot Orange Cranberry Sauce version. Admittedly, my family has always just had the canned, jellied cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving. I never even knew what I was missing until a couple of years ago when I started hosting Thanksgiving myself. In doing so, I decided to make it myself one year. Well… now I know what I was missing. Nothing against the canned version, but dang! Homemade is where it’s at for me.
One benefit to making your cranberry sauce homemade is that if you’re on a special diet like keto, low carb, WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers) or any diet in general looking to lower the sugar content this is a good way to do it. You can opt to use a sugar substitute in place of the sugar to have it tailored to your specific needs.
For Thanksgiving, I’m sort of the type that says it’s one meal and I’d rather just have the fatty, sugary, full scale versions of my food for that one meal and then return to my healthy habits after that meal is over. With that said, I would say if you choose to use a sugar substitute, I found that Swerve (although expensive) does make a great flavor substitute in this recipe.
Cranberry Sauce Instant Pot Ingredients
- fresh cranberries
- orange juice
- sugar or sugar substitute
- grated orange peel
- cinnamon stick
How to make Cranberry Sauce in Instant Pot
(full recipe card below)
- Place your cranberries, orange juice, and cinnamon stick into the Instant Pot.
- Secure lid and set pressure valve to SEALING.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 2 minutes.
- Press CANCEL.
- Quick-release the pressure valve.
- Press SAUTE.
- Stir in the sugar (or sugar substitute) and grated orange peel.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until cranberries burst and sauce is thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Press CANCEL.
- Remove from the Instant Pot and allow to cool completely.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. It will thicken further in the refrigerator.
Can this be made ahead of time?
It can be. I would say especially if you like it a little thicker, make it a day or so ahead of time and put it in the fridge. It’ll get even thicker while in the refrigerator.
Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Tips and Tricks
- If you like it to have a stronger orange flavor, add more orange zest.
- Adjust the sugar to your tastes. If you like sweeter version, add more sugar. Taste test as you go.
- We like to use orange juice with a lot of pulp because it seems to add more orange flavor, but you can use juice without pulp too.
ALTERATIONS FOR PICKY EATERS
- If texture is an issue, you can blend the mixture up in a blender or food processor until it’s smooth.
- Add more sweetener… yes, more sugar. A lot of times the unwillingness to eat cranberry sauce comes because it isn’t sweet enough.
How to store IP Cranberry Sauce
To store leftover Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce, place it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Cranberry Sauce Recipe Instant Pot FAQ
The bitterness of cranberry sauce is countered by the orange juice and sugar in this recipe.
No, cranberry sauce does not need a thickener. As the cranberries burst and cool the sauce will thicken on its own.
Homemade cranberry sauce will thicken as the cranberries burst and it cools down.
When stored properly, homemade cranberry sauce will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
Cranberry sauce should have a little bit of both in flavor. It’s a sweetened sauce with a sour undertone.
What to serve with this Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Recipe
More Recipes You’ll Love
Some other recipes you might enjoy for your Thanksgiving made in the Instant Pot include:
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Cranberry Sauce Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1 3/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute I recommend Swerve as a substitute
- 2 tsp grated orange peel aka orange zest
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- Place your cranberries, orange juice, and cinnamon stick into the Instant Pot.
- Secure lid and set pressure valve to SEALING.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 2 minutes.
- Press CANCEL.
- Quick-release the pressure valve.
- Press SAUTE.
- Stir in the sugar (or sugar substitute) and grated orange peel.
- Cook, stirring frequently, until cranberries burst and sauce is thickened (about 5 minutes).
- Press CANCEL.
- Remove from the Instant Pot and allow to cool completely.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve. It will thicken further in the refrigerator.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
