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.
I did make this for Thanksgiving. I used 1 teaspoon cinnamon and just a couple of shakes of cloves. With these modifications I found it to be really delicious.
Great glad to hear it worked out for you!
This was DELICIOUS! I used it to top a baked brie for a Thanksgiving appetizer and it was a huge hit, I will be enjoying the leftover sauce for dessert for a while.
That’s awesome you used it with brie. Mmm, I bet so good! I usually use hot pepper jelly with brie and yes, eat this sauce by the spoonful for dessert :) Or you know, stirred into your morning yogurt or whatever. Thanks for trying it!
I made this last night for today’s Thanksgiving feast, and it was wonderful. Such depth and complexity of flavor! Not to mention a cinch to make. Thank you, and happy Thanksgiving! :)
So glad you tried it and it was a hit (and a cinch! I agree!). Thanks for LMK you made it and Happy TG!
So I made it and the house smelled like happiness and it tastes amazing but…1. It is so thick I could slice it. 2. It feels grainy. Did I over cook it and is the grittiness from the spices? Any thoughts on what might work best to thin it down a little? I was wondering about using some apple juice. I plan on spooning this over cream cheese and serving it with crackers as an appetizer.
Yes you just over-simmered it. You reduced it down to the point where there’s very little liquid left it sounds like, thus it’s very thick and when anything gets that thick, the graininess will be more pronounced. Just add a splash of cranberry juice and stir until you get to your desired consistency and next time, reduce your simmering time :)
I am making this right now and oh my god my apartment smells AMAZING!!!!
Haven’t even had a taste yet but I know this will become a holiday regular for me. I love to cook and never shy away from complex dishes, but during the holidays an easy ‘dump it in the pot and let it boil’ recipe is so nice to have!
The hardest part will be to keep this one to myself, I’m sure everyone who gets a taste (or even just a sniff) of this stuff will want to know how I made it. Thanks for sharing, expect hits on this page of your site to increase in the next few weeks ;)
Thanks for trying it and so glad you’re loving it! I love dump and stir recipes whenever possible – always :) And yes I made some (more!) last night, and my apt smells amazing even still! It lingered, in a good way. LMK what your friends/fam think!
Just made the Cranberry Blueberry Sauce for our holiday meal for tomorrow. It is sooo delicious! I will be sharing this on my blog with a link back to you! Awesome recipe!!!
What do you mean by “unthawed” in reference to the frozen blueberries in your cranberry sauce. Keep them frozen, or thaw them?
You can just add them straight into the pot unthawed (cold, icy, from the freezer – no need to thaw them first)
Cooking up a double batch right now! Though I am not quite sure I did it right. You said “6-oz bag” of Cranberries. I have never seen anything but the 8-oz OceanSpray bags. So I did 1 1/2 bags hoping it was not a typo. I actually have it cooking like this and the normal way on the package with just additional strawberries for the kids. So the kitchen smells awesome!!!
I think you misread the recipe b/c it states:
one 8-ounce bag fresh cranberries
6-ounces frozen blueberries (about 1 1/2 cups), unthawed
I think you probably skimmed it and confused the blueberries for the cranberries. If you were making a double batch, you’d want to use 2 full size bags of cranberries (i.e. Ocean Spray or whatever your grocer has in stock right now fresh for the season – they’re always 8 oz) and then about 12 oz of bb’s, which is about 2 cups, give or take. I’m sure it will all work out but you could have added the second full bag of berries.
Glad your house smells great!
I just made this, and the smell is heavenly! It tastes delicious! I only wish I had doubled it :) Thanks for a great recipe!
You’re the 3rd or 4th person today who’s written and said they made it and most have said they wish they doubled it! I just made another (my 3rd batch – in two weeks!) so that we can put some on the TG dinner table b/c I kept eating the other ones :) Glad you love it and yes it smells so good! One lady said you should make it if you’re trying to sell a house (forget cookies and make this..ha!)
I made your cranberry-blueberry sauce tonight. It’s SO very tasty! Another Thanksgiving tradition is born in this household!! Thank you!
Thanks for telling me it’ll be a tradition! That is awesome! :) Happy TG!
Made this today with cranberries, 1/2 c blueberries and 1/2 tart cherries. Used pinot noir. It is AMAZING !! To try it out I spread it on some French Toast.. and YUM!!
Oh love the combo of cran, BBs, and tart cherries and pinot noir! Wow – that sounds incredible! So glad you did tried it and found it to be amazing! I’d be eating it by the spoonful if I were you :)
This sounds so, so SO yummy! I am the only one who really eats cranberry sauce at the family table so I always bring it with me and then take it home again! Leftovers!! Just wanted to ask… my usual cranberry sauce recipe includes some ground ginger (love it). Do you think that I could add some to this one too? Thanks for the recipe !
Both of these include ginger too – love it! This was the first year I didn’t add any just because I was forcing myself to blog about something new :) But feel free! LMK how it goes.
https://www.averiecooks.com/2011/11/cranberry-orange-ginger-mango-chutney.html
Totally trying it (and then your other cran recipes!). Will def let you know how it goes :)
Great – LMK how they all go!
Okay — the cranberry blueberry sauce was amazing. I did add some ground ginger (1 tsp, maybe?) and it was great. The blueberries (which I was a little worried about at first, not being a blueberry lover) added a gorgeous dark color and complexity and paired so well with the wine and the spices. Seriously — this stuff was good. But HERE IS THE IMPORTANT THING! I’d made some chocolate French Silk pies (if you haven’t made them yet, please do!) that seemed just a touch too sweet/ rich and somehow I ended up spooning some of the cranberry sauce over them (probably because I was spooning it over everything I could find) and LORD have mercy. I may never make ANY pie without this sauce again. Thank you, Averie!!!
added a gorgeous dark color and complexity and paired so well with the wine and the spices = YES totally agreed, 100%
As for the sauce for pie, yes, so good. You could put this stuff over ice cream, really dark chocolate brownies, stuff it in between 2 sugar cookies, top it over roasted veggies like brussles or sweet potatoes or squash – and yes, I’ve done all of those things as well as eating by the spoonful. I bet it’s great with French silk!
AHAHAHA STOP IT!! STOP!!! Those are such good ideas!!! It’s magic sauce! MAGIC SAUCE!!
Can this be made ahead? How does it taste after a few days. I am traveling to my Thanksgiving, and have to work tomorrow night.
You may want to re-read the post. I discussed storage time in it – both in the body of the post as well as on the actual recipe.
Wow! I just made this and the smell perfumed the house. This should be on the stove when you are selling your house because the perfume is intoxicating. I do not like cranberries but was trying out recipes to bring with me to Thanksgiving dinner and the taste is just as good as the smell. Thank you :)
I know, the smell is intoxicating (pun intended..LOL). I totally agree with you that this should be on the stove when you are selling your house! And so glad to hear that even as a non-cran lover, you still loved these!
Looks delicious! I think I will make this for Thanksgiving…love the addition of blueberries!
This looks and sounds absolutely amazing! Do you think I could add more liquid and sugar to make it more jam-like so I can store it longer or give away as Christmas gifts?
Cheers all the way from Denmark!
I wouldn’t add more liquid. Instead simply simmer for less time so that mixture doesn’t reduce down as much. However, I think you’ll find in reality it’s fairly runny. It’s also sweet enough to use on French toast or similar. Make a batch and then alter it after you give it one go-round as written.