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’ve made this several times, always a hit! I could eat it with a spoon of course.
I think I got some juicy berries because even after chilling it still is pretty thin. I was going to use some leftover to make a cookie topping and it needs to be thicker. Think a reheat and simmer would help? If not I’ve got a bread recipe I try or just pour some over cream cheese and be done!
I could eat it with a spoon too :)
I’ve made it tons of times as well and some batches of berries are just juicer. If you want to try to firm it up, I would re-simmer/boil for 10-15 mins or as needed, and then chill. That could work. Otherwise do as you said with the bread/cream cheese options!
Thanks for the quick reply! I just bought some cream cheese to top with it after giving it a taste together this morning. Heavenly! I might give it an extra simmer to thicken up some, shouldn’t hurt it to try. I have enough left I see that bread recipe happening too!
Well I served it over the cream cheese and talk about a HUGE HIT! Winner for sure and I’ll be freezing what’s left to do the same at Christmas.
An added bonus- it’s perfect with a warm cinnamon spice almond granola and greek yogurt for breakfast. It makes for a nice holiday fancy breakfast or brunch idea with minimal effort and is a good alternative to a heavier dish.
I did re-heat and it was a hit. Thank you for this recipe. btw I used both frozen blueberries and cranberries and it worked fine.
Wonderful that the re-heating worked and that so did frozen berries!
I made this sauce yesterday and oh so yummy coming right off the stove! Now that it has cooled and turned jell-like can I re-heat it to serve warm and will it become somewhat liquidy?
It does firm up as it cools but if it’s so firm that it’s gel-like, I would say yes reheat gently to loosen.
Because cranberries come in silly 12 oz or 32 oz bags, I quadrupled this recipe. Only doubled (not 4x) the sugar, cloves, and cinnamon, and it came out perfect. tart and sweet and with just enough complexity to make you keep eating. It may not last til dinnertime.
I know what you mean about the berry sizing on the bags…annoying for sure! I have made this so many times that I can eyeball the cranberries and blueberries and sometimes it has a bit more of one than the other but is always good. Glad you 4x’ed the berries but just doubled the sugar and spices. That sounds perfect! Glad it may not last! :)
OMG this is the Best.Cranberry.Recipe.Evah!! I read your advice, reduced the cinnamon and the cloves to just 1tsp each. I also added some fresh minced ginger for added warmth. I look forward to serving this at Thanksgiving this year. I made it ahead, to make meal prep as efficient as possible. The only problem will be keeping me away from it for the next 3 days!! I think I will make a big batch next year to give as gifts. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And yes to this: OMG this is the Best.Cranberry.Recipe.Evah!! :)
I just did my own version of this–with thyme and bay–at https://artofnaturalliving.com/2016/11/13/triple-antioxidant-cabernet-blueberry-cranberry-sauce/ Thanks for the inspiration!
Looks great!
There will only be my daughter and myself here for Thanksgiving, and she won’t arrive until 9:00 pm so I’m wanting to try some unconventional stuff this year. She’s not much on stuffing, but this one may change her mind. Also I definitely have to make the cranberry sauce. Cranberry sauce and wine are two of her favorite things. May have to give the rolls a try, too. Thanks, Averie, and have a great holiday!
The cranberry sauce is amazing and if she loves wine, guaranteed home run!
I would love to make this and send it to my mom and aunt (im in CA, they are in MI)….if i made it and shipped it the next day would it keep? Thanks so much
Hmmm…I don’t know if I’d trust RED LIQUID to the post office or UPS etc. If there was a leak it would be so…horrible. I also don’t know about the perishability factor.
I would love to try this recipe but would like to know what else it would be good with besides a holiday meal. It’s hard to figure out what goes with something if you’ve never tried it. Thanks
It would be great with a nice cheese and meat board or a great side dish for a dinner with poultry, pork, etc.
This is finishing up on the stove now and it is delicious. I used cinnamon sticks while it was cooking because it was on hand, excellent flavor.
I made this for Canadian thanksgiving and thought the spices were a little too strong. I had leftovers and we’ve been eating it like jam. Now it’s amazing. I give it ***** and I rarely do that.
Thank you for the superb recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad you’re enjoying it as jam and give it 5 stars! The spices are definitely bold (because I personally like bolder-flavored things) and it sounds like everything worked out for you and you’re enjoying it!
I made your Cabernet Cranberry and Blueberry Sauce for Thanksgiving. People are still raving about it being the best cranberry sauce they ever had. I used Humble Pie Cabernet and did end up reducing the cinnamon and cloves a little. Thank you for sharing this. It will no doubt be a holiday tradition!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! Glad it got the rave reviews and was called the best cranberry sauce ever by your guests!
I’ve talked about this recipe for a couple years. It’s one of my favorites. I used up my bag of whole cranberries the other day but had some dried cranberries…I had to have this sauce so I figured I’d improvise. I doubled the amount of blueberries (I live in Maine and we pick 30lb+ a year and freeze) and added the dried cranberries toward the end. I also cut back the sugar a tad since the dried cranberries are already sweetened.
Still came out delish. I love the smell. Better than a candle!
Funny, whenever I make this, I always say, makes my house smell better than any candle ever could!
Glad your improvising worked great and I’m jealous of all those blueberries you have on hand!
I made this cranberry sauce last night and OMG I couldn’t stop eating it. Ok so i can’t wait to put this over a some cheese with crackers… Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I love it with cheese and crackers, too!
I have this on the stove now, and it smells so good. I am using about double the amount of cranberries with a 12oz bag of blueberries and some supplemental mixed berries that were hanging out in my freezer. I also added some honey, lemon zest and juice of one lemon. Also, I used a lighter red wine. :)
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! I love adding lemon juice to this, too, and also working in any supplemental freezer stashes of random, half-used bags of frozen berries. You really can’t go wrong with this one!
This recipe is what I’m thankful for this year! You did amazing job. We had an early thanksgiving and my guests went crazy for this “cranberry” sauce. I always hated traditional cranberry sauce, but this will be our replacement. Thank you!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you and that I made a believer out of former cranberry sauce hater :)