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...

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.

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!

DIY Cranberry Liqueur

When life gives you cranberries—which it always does this time of year—make cranberry liqueur. This bright red, tart liqueur can keep you in festive cocktails from Thanksgiving to Christmas and beyond.

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 Daiquiri

This Cranberry Daiquiri recipe is a festive rum cranberry cocktail perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, and all the days in between.

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.

The World's Easiest Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce

We're saying it: this is officially The World's Easiest Cranberry Sauce, and is also incredibly simple to tweak for your own tastes and preferences.

Cranberry Chutney with Orange and Crystalized Ginger

A one-pot wonder that cooks in 15 minutes, this cranberry chutney brings together the holiday flavors of sweet-tart cranberries, bright orange, and spicy ginger. It's a touch exotic and touch homey all at once.

Pear and Ginger Cranberry Sauce

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