Sam Sifton's Basic Cranberry Sauce

Yes, cranberry sauce is a given. You probably make a homemade version to accompany its canned brethren in order to appease the most strident of canned-sauce believers. But often homemade cranberry sauce recipes include a cascade of spices, fruit, and nuts to distract from the fact that the sauce is simply a frozen bag of bouncy fruits cooked up with far too much sugar. In Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well, Sam Sifton offers a straight-forward, yet well-balanced Basic Cranberry Sauce to counter a...

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

This is a very simple, classic homemade cranberry sauce recipe. It's sweet (but not overly sweet) and tart with a little touch of lemon that I think makes all the difference. It takes all of 3 minutes of active preparation time and 20 minutes on the stove - very low maintenance!

Apple Orange Cranberry Sauce: Quick and Easy for Thanksgiving!

Easy to prepare, gently-spiced, and bursting with fruit flavor, this Apple Orange Cranberry Sauce is a lovely addition to any Thanksgiving feast.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

For this variation, add spices like cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves as well as orange juice and zest, then finish it off with a bit of spiced rum. The end result is incredible: a cranberry sauce that has a multidimensional array of seasonal flavors that fits seamlessly into any Thanksgiving meal.

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

In line with traditional cranberry sauce, the addition of pomegranate pushes the fruity flavor further without covering up that sweet and tart cranberry flavor you expect with your Thanksgiving dinner.

Brandied Cherry Cranberry Sauce

This sweet-tart, lightly-spiced Brandied Cherry Cranberry Sauce is an elegant twist on the classic Thanksgiving side. Alcohol-free substitution ideas included. Make it ahead for easy entertaining!

Cranberry Syrup

Cranberries make a versatile, sweet-tart simple syrup perfect for making holiday drinks.

Apple-Orange Cranberry Sauce

Granny Smith apples build on the already tart and sweet profile of cranberry sauce, and the addition of extra orange juice and orange zest gives adds a brightness.

Pear and Ginger Cranberry Sauce

Pear and ginger are a great contrasting pair, and worked very well in this cranberry sauce variation.

Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce

Make this elegant and cozy Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce for your adult Thanksgiving feast. A sweet-tart combination of two holiday classics.