Red Wine Cranberry Sauce — 🫐🍷😍 Move over, boring cranberry sauce! Cranberries are so much better with blueberries and wine! Make your own fresh cranberry and blueberry sauce in 30 minutes. It’s so EASY, and everyone LOVES it!
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The BEST Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Drinking wine and eating jam are two things I’m great at. Doing them under the guise of ‘cranberry sauce’ is the best idea I’ve had for elevating cranberry sauce from a side dish to a starring dish.
I love fresh cranberry sauce, but I never make it with just cranberries. Too boring.
Instead, I add pineapple and mango or work in oranges and ginger. This year, I doctored up the cranberries with cabernet sauvignon and blueberries, and this blend is my favorite ever. I had to refrain from eating the whole batch in a day. So good.
This blueberry and cranberry sauce is like drinking wine and eating jam all in one, with texture, sweetness, tartness, and juicy berries in full force.
If you’ve never made cranberry sauce using fresh cranberries and your only experience with it is traditional cranberry sauce from a can, and you think you ‘don’t like cranberries’, I don’t blame you.
That’s like saying you don’t like cheese if your only experience has been eating Cheeze Whiz. There’s just no comparison.
Fresh cranberry sauce is supremely easy to make, and I always wonder why people buy it in cans or containers.
From start to finish, it takes 30 minutes, and all you need to do is toss everything into a kettle, stir intermittently, and a half hour later, you’ve got rich sauce with supreme depth of flavor.
If you’re into wine, you’re going to go head over heels for this sauce. While it simmers, the scent of the wine reducing with the cinnamon and berries is heavenly. You don’t need scented candles with this simmering.
As I was shoveling it by the spoonful, I kept thinking about how many great antioxidants I was getting from the blueberries and all those great heart-healthy flavonoids found in red wine, and what a great service I was doing my body. Right.
Since I rarely eat roasted turkey, or stuffing, and I’ve never been into mashed potatoes or gravy, and usually most vegetables are way too mushy and overcooked for my taste, Thanksgiving has never been a meal I look forward to, with the exception of the cranberry sauce.
You can have your turkey, stuffing, and everything else on your Thanksgiving menu. I’m having this. And apple crumble pie.
What’s in the Red Wine Cranberry Sauce?
To make this unique Thanksgiving cranberry sauce with blueberries, you’ll need:
- Fresh cranberries
- Frozen blueberries – If you have a mixed berry blend with blackberries, strawberries, and raspberries, that would be lovely, too
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Granulated sugar
- Cinnamon – I use ground cinnamon instead of a cinnamon stick. If you’re not a cinnamon fan you may want to reduce the one tablespoon I used down to one teaspoon
- Ground cloves – Cut the amount of cloves in half if you don’t want your sauce to be as boldly flavored
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Red Wine Cranberry Sauce
When I say this unique Thanksgiving side is so easy, I mean it!
Follow these very simple directions for the best-ever cranberry sauce:
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium to large kettle, making sure the kettle has enough room for the sauce to at least triple in volume.
- Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring intermittently.
- Reduce the heat to low, and allow your sauce to simmer until it reduces and thickens slightly.
- Transfer the sauce to a heat-safe jar or containers with lids.
- Serve immediately, or allow your red wine cranberry sauce to cool completely before storing.
What to Serve with Cranberry Sauce
Storage
In the Refrigerator: Once cooled to room temperature, homemade cranberry sauce will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10-14 days.
In the Freezer: Once the red wine cranberry sauce has cooled completely in the fridge, it can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To Serve: Thaw frozen sauce overnight in the fridge. Serve it cold, or warm it in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat.
Recipe FAQs
I used two-buck Chuck (Trader Joe’s Charles Shaw $2.49 cabernet), but any type of merlot, shiraz, Pinot Noir, or your favorite dry red wine will work.
Not into wine? You can use water, but that defeats the purpose and the flavor will not be nearly as rich and robust. I don’t know how much alcohol cooks off and how much doesn’t.
I would surmise most is cooked off, but it’s your call if this is appropriate for you or your family members.
I put it into the same category as beer bread. There’s not enough and it’s stretched over too many servings, and it’s heated anyway. So, no one will be catching a buzz from cranberries. Darn.
This fresh cranberry sauce was originally posted in 2014, and I have been asked that many times. I’ve never personally canned this cabernet cranberry and blueberry sauce, but there are people who have, and they’ve written about what they did in the comments.
If that’s something that interests you, I encourage you to read over the older comments and put your canning expertise to work.
Chances are, if you’re asking about canning this cranberry sauce, then you know how to can. I am not an expert in canning and haven’t dabbled with it with this recipe.
If you love a zesty cranberry sauce, feel free to use a mixture of blueberries, cranberries, oranges, and spices. You can also add orange zest or lemon zest for a citrusy kick. Or, simply add more sugar or increase the amount of spices included. Just keep in mind that this recipe is pretty bold. So, be sure to taste it before adjusting the ingredients.
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Cabernet Cranberry and Blueberry Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Large Kettle
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ounce) bag fresh cranberries
- 6 ounces frozen blueberries, about 1 1/2 cups, unthawed
- 1 cup cabernet sauvignon, or shiraz, merlot, or a favorite red wine
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon, or to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium to large kettle, and bring to a rolling boil, stirring intermittently. Make sure kettle has room for sauce to at least triple in volume. The juices from the berries release and as the mixture boils rapidly, it will foam and a too-small pot will easily overflow.
- Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes, or until reduced and thickened slightly, and most of the cranberries have burst. Sauce will thicken more as it cools.
- Transfer to heat-safe jars or containers with lids. Allow sauce to cool at room temperature before refrigerating.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Cranberry Recipes:
Spiced Cranberry Sauce with Apples — Spice up your holiday celebrations with this scrumptious FAST and EASY homemade cranberry sauce that’s made with cranberries, apples, apple cider, cinnamon sticks, and allspice for the PERFECT must-make side dish! A lovely balance of sweet-yet-tart with warmly spiced flavors so you’ll never want to think about using store bought sauce again!
Cranberry Orange Bread with Sweet Orange Glaze — The fresh cranberries in this cranberry orange bread contrast nicely with the sweet orange glaze, making it the perfect blend of sweet and tart!
Cranberry Bliss Bars {Starbucks Copycat recipe} – Dangerously good and a dead ringer for the Starbucks version!
Crustless Cranberry Pie — Somewhere in between pie, cake, and blondies is what you get with this FESTIVE recipe! Take advantage of those fresh cranberries!
Cranberry and White Chocolate Chip Cookies – Cranberry Bliss Bar flavors, in cookie form. Tender, soft, pillowy centers and a 2012 Top 10 Favorite
Cabernet Cranberry and Currant Sauce – Make your own EASY homemade cranberry sauce in 30 minutes! It’ll be the star side dish of your holiday meal! Cranberries are so much BETTER with wine!
Cranberry Oatmeal Crumble Bars — The bars are soft, slightly chewy, and the hearty oats with big crumbles are a perfect contrast to the juicy cranberry filling.
Cranberry Chocolate Chip Blondies — The soft, buttery, caramely, brown sugary, blondie base is the perfect complement to the chewy, tart cranberries.
Originally posted November 2014 and reposted November 2019 with updated text.
This sauce is so very good! My mom is a wine drinker and since my folks are coming to our house for thanksgiving I thought this would be perfect! I made it today and think it is the most elegant tasting cranberry sauce I have ever had. I thought that making it a couple weeks ahead of time might be better so that the flavors can totally marry, I hope I made a good decision, but I will taste it several times before then because it’s a very delicious flavor that keeps calling me back. I took your advise and decided to make this year be the year I make my own cranberry sauce, so so glad that I did! Thank you so much Averie! Your description of this sauce is what sold me, even over your beautiful photos!
What an awesome comment! First, “the most elegant tasting cranberry sauce I have ever had” – thank you! And I am so glad my description sold you, even over the photos. Wow, that’s pretty high praise. Thank you!
And I’m sure the flavors will marry more as time goes on but honestly I was not able to keep my spoon out of the jar and literally was having a half-cup here, a third-cup there, and the 1 full mason jar and about half to 2/3-full that I got in a second jar, well, they are long gone and I’ve since re-made it and will probably remake again..LOL
So happy you love it and that this was the year you made your own sauce! LMK what your mom thinks!
Drinking wine and eating jam are hobbies of mine too! And you’re so right about homemade cranberry sauce, there’s just no comparison with its store bought counterpart. I’d definitely be eating this via spoon! Gorgeous photos!!
Valerie this is SO YOU! The blueberry and fruit-based pies you make, and I know you like jam and wine…omg I think this would be your fave cran sauce ever! It’s definitely mine!
Amen to your comparison of canned cranberry sauce to Cheese Wiz. This looks amazing! I just made some cranberry sauce spiked with brandy, which was like my baby step towards this recipe. This will definitely be next.
Just dying over your photos! Stunning! Cranberry Sauce is so hard to photograph too, so well done you!
Glad you like the comparison! And the pics (and you’re right – dark things like this tend to just look like sludge unless you’re careful) and your cran sauce sounds more intense than mine if you’re hitting the hard stuff :)
Just pinned your molasses cookies!
I don’t comment much at all but have been following you for some time. I have watched your photography grow and grow and grow and the photos in this post are just FABULOUS and I may be even going to try the recipes. You have just forced me to pick up my camera again and get out of AUTO!
Thanks for the nice comment and for following me. I hope you try the recipe and have fun playing with your own camera and photography!
Averie, this is one gorgeous sauce. I love that you paired tart cranberries with sweet blueberries. Pinned.
Thanks for pinning!
Wine in my cranberry sauce? LOVE IT! I just made a traditional version but I love your boozy twist. And thanks for the cranberry pin! You’re the best! :)
I know you posted them and they look so good! So pure and innocent! Mine are evil and adulterated :)
I am digging this idea :) so perfect!!
OH MY GAWD….what a genius idea! I love that we both used booze in cranberry sauce. Great minds ;)
oh wow blueberry and cranberry together sounds lovely! yum!
THIS is gorgeous Averie!
We just finished an early lunch as I was dying to try this. It is positively superb–cranberries never had it so good!!! My husband said it was perfect over chicken and I had it over a mountain of spinach…and I couldn’t seem to keep my spoon out of the saucepan while it was cooling. I think it has such versatility and will go with so much–cheese and crackers, proteins, vanilla bean ice cream. The wine and spices are just right together and it is nice and thick after reducing. You have really created something special with this Averie–I can’t gush enough about it!! Oh–and thanks so much for the e-mail about the sugar too:). Have a great weekend–this recipe just got mine off to a happy start!
So glad you got that email..LOL So many irons in the fire some days (most days) that the details get a little fuzzy :)
Anyway though this sauce – so glad you loved it! I agree that cranberries never had it so good! I was thinking that it could be good as anything from a sauce over pork/salmon/chicken (I eat none so can’t really say firsthand) or as a sauce over waffles, over plain cheesecake, on top of cracker & cheese, or a smear of cream cheese on a cracker then this sauce – sooo many options.
I am glad you love it and feel I came up with something special. Thank you! :)
A whole cup of wine! I love it! Pinning!
Yes indeed! :)
And thanks for pinning!
Very clever twist, chef Averie! My mouth is watering – and I have fresh cranberries and blueberries in the fridge. Maybe I will blow up the planned chutney experiment and make your luscious sauce…
Liz it’s excellent and I hope you do try it!
This sounds delicious, do you think I could put it in a hot water bath to preserve it? I think it would make a great gift!
Yes I’m sure you can hot water bath/can it to preserve it but being that I didn’t test it, I can’t say for sure how long to process for, etc. but I would just treat it like you’d treat blueberry jam or similar. Lmk how it goes!
Seriously!! It’s only 5am and I want this now!!! I can’t stress that enough! I know what my Sunday project is!
Wow wee. The colour of this is so intense. Can’t waitvto try this out. Ps. How can you not like stuffing or mashed potatoes? Turkey I understand.