Sweet and spicy, Drunken Cranberry Sauce pairs perfectly with a traditional holiday dishes like turkey, gravy and stuffing. Ready within 15 minutes, this lightning fast spiced cranberry sauce side dish adds sweetness to a meal. Makes 6-8 servings.
Love easy holiday side dishes? Don’t miss Vegan Green Beans with Toasted Pine Nuts, Roasted Lemon Brussels Sprouts and Honey Roasted Whole Carrots!
This Drunken Cranberry Sauce recipe was originally published on November 13, 2013. The blog post was updated and republished in November 2020.
This dish sounds a lot boozier than it actually is.
The cranberries aren’t really drunk; they’re just jazzed up by a little spiced rum. Because rum jazzes us all up sometimes, right? Right.
This dish was conceived and executed about, oh, 10 minutes before we sat down for a Friendsgiving dinner years ago.
I’d purchased cranberries, knowing I wanted to make a simple cranberry sauce for the meal with them, and I completely forgot about them until everyone was at our home, and we were carving the turkey.
There’s something so sweet and lovely about a simple side, and this cranberry sauce is that to a tee.
This spiced cranberry sauce is sweet, simple and pretty darn tasty.
Other holiday recipes that involve cranberries: Cranberry Turkey Puff Pastry Tartlets | Cranberry Feta Brussels Sprout Salad with Candied Pecans and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette | Baked Brie with Cranberry Chutney
Need holiday food inspiration? Be sure to swing by my Thanksgiving Recipe Index for tons of recipes!
What you need to make Spiced Cranberry Sauce
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- Saucepan
- Citrus juicer if you’re juicing an orange for this cranberry sauce recipe
In addition to the tools above, you’ll need a few ingredients, too.
- Fresh cranberries
- Spiced rum
- Orange juice—freshly squeezed, if possible, but the bottled stuff works, too
- Brown sugar—my recipe says to use dark brown sugar, but light brown sugar works, as well.
Cranberries and brown sugar in a saucepan before cooking 
Orange juice is poured into a saucepan with cranberries and brown sugar 
A hand sprinkles salt on top of cranberries and brown sugar in a skillet 
How to make Drunken Cranberry Sauce
In a large saucepan, combine the cranberries with the rum, orange juice and brown sugar.
Cook until the cranberries have popped (watch out! they’ll be hot!) and the sauce begins thickening. This takes around 10 minutes, depending on how hot your stove gets and how evenly your pan cooks.
When the sauce has thickened, remove from the saucepan, and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve it warm or cold at the holiday table!
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips and Tricks
There’s not much more quentessential than homemade cranberry sauce at the holiday table, and I love this recipe for entertaining.
Why? It’s so simple!
Here are a few tips and tricks for making this cranberry sauce recipe for a crowd:
- Make it in advance. This Spiced Cranberry Sauce can be served warm or cold, and it keeps well in the fridge. Cook it 1-2 days before your gathering, and keep it cool in the refrigerator until it’s serving time.
- Double the recipe. If your people love cranberry sauce, you’ll definitely want to do this! This recipe never lasts long with my family because we adore the combination of sweet and tart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What spice goes well with cranberries?
Warming spices, like cinnamon, ginger, allspice and nutmeg, pair beautifully with cranberries. Consequently, you can get hints of these spices in this cranberry sauce from the spiced rum.
How do you thicken homemade cranberry sauce?
This homemade cranberry sauce recipe thickens because of the combination of cranberry juices paired with the sugar. We want the cranberries to burst as they cook and release those juices and mingle with the sugar… and then cook off a little so the sauce gets sticky. 🙂
How long will homemade cranberry sauce keep?
When stored in a food-safe storage container in the refrigerator, this spiced cranberry sauce can last for 5-7 days.
What other dishes can I serve alongside this Drunken Cranberry Sauce at the holiday table?
Here are a few of our favorite holiday dishes…
- Vegan Fresh Green Bean Casserole
- Bacon and Baguette Stuffing
- Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole
- Creamed Cornbread Casserole
- Browned Butter Sage Turkey
Interested in making this super simple, super flavorful cranberry sauce at home this holiday season?
Scroll on down to learn how you can make it at home!
Drunken Cranberry Sauce
Sweet and spicy, Drunken Cranberry Sauce pairs perfectly with a traditional holiday dinner of turkey, gravy and stuffing. Ready within 15 minutes, this lightning fast side dish adds sweetness to a meal. Fresh cranberries cook with spiced rum, orange juice and brown sugar to make this delightful recipe. Drunken Cranberry Sauce is what you'll want to serve at the Thanksgiving, Christmas and holiday party tables!
Ingredients
- 12 oz. fresh cranberries, whole
- 1 oz. spiced rum
- ½ cup orange juice
- 1 cup brown sugar (dark brown or light brown OK)
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the cranberries with the orange juice and brown sugar.
- Heat over medium heat, and cook, for about 10 minutes, or until cranberries have popped and the sauce has thickened.
- Pour in the rum, and stir, cooking until it has evaporated.
- Serve warm or cold as a side dish at the holiday table.
Notes
In recent years, I've used ¾ cup of brown sugar instead of a full cup, and I really like how the cranberries are a bit more tart. If you're concerned that this might be too sweet for you, try ¾ cup instead of the full cup!
How to Store: When the cranberry sauce has finished cooking, transfer to a serving dish, and let cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator up to 4 days before you're planning to serve it. When it's time to serve, simply unwrap it and transfer to the table!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
1 servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 121Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 2gSugar: 25gProtein: 0g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.
Do you make cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving?
Katherine says
I have to admit that while I love cranberry sauce (more like the gel that comes from a can, let’s be honest), I have yet to make it myself. It just seems intimidating. Thanks for this recipe, which looks simple and delicious. And the rum can’t hurt. 🙂
Erin says
Girl, I hadn’t made cranberry sauce until two years ago, so I feel you on the nerves and being intimidated by it. (My grandmother’s homemade cranberry salad is the actual BEST, and making it under the guidance of my mom made it a little less scary.) If you give making your own a try, I’d love to know what you think of this… and you’re right, the rum does NOT hurt. 😉
Alli says
This looks yummy. My homemade cranberry sauce is probably what I’m most “known for.” It’s the one and only thing I make that I swear could go head to head with a professional chef. Funny enough your recipe, which really does look delish, is somewhat similar to mine.
Erin says
I love that you’re known for your cranberry sauce and that you’d go head-to-head with a professional chef with your recipe. I’m curious what yours calls for and how you make it now!
Kelly @ hidden fruits and veggies says
I’ve always just eaten (and loved) the weird can go. I’ll have to try making this!
Erin says
Hey, nothing wrong with that! We’ve all got our own things. 🙂 If you do make this, I’d love to know your thoughts!
Prototype Mama says
I feel terrible but we eat cranberry sauce out of the can–yikes! My parents hate it but I just can’t make it 🙂 I’m going to have to try this out
Erin says
Pssh. Everybody does their own thing, and I know so many people who eat their sauce out of the can. But IF you do try out this recipe, let me know what you think!
Aubrey (@highheeledlove) says
This dish sounds amazing! I love how simple it is. Thanks for sharing.
Erin says
Thanks so much, Aubrey! Sometimes, the simple stuff is just the best.
Lindsay says
I love this recipe! I was searching for a little something different to do with cranberries this year and you had me at drunken 😉 I’m definitely going to try this!
Eleanor says
Hi there can you store this in sterilised jars and if so how long for?
Thank you xxx
Erin says
Hey Eleanor. I’ve never stored these in sterilized jars before, so I can’t say for sure what time this would work for, long-term. I would look up canning information for similar fruit-based sauces/jams and see how long those last. (And if you’re looking for short-term, we kept some in our fridge for a few days afterward!)
Emily says
Has anyone tried the recipe yet and if so how did it taste?? Not sure how the dark brown sugar will taste
Erin says
Hey Emily! I extensively test all the recipes that I share here at The Speckled Palate. The recipe will work if you substitute granulated sugar or light brown sugar, but I like the robustness that the dark brown sugar to them the best. This is a recipe we make yearly, and we think it’s absolutely delicious.
Maiya says
Omg this is the best! Added some raisins to make it more of a relish.
Erin says
Thanks so much, Maiya! Happy this turned out for you and that you added some pizzaz! ENJOY!
Susan Strange says
I made this for Thanksgiving, and it was a real hit. Maybe because I did exactly what the receipt called for except I put in SIX tablespoons of Gosling’s Black Seal 80 Proof Bermuda Black Rum!! We ran out of this cranberry sauce, so next year I’ll make a double recipe.
Erin says
I am SO thrilled to hear this, Susan! And I love that you added a bit more of the rum because it’s DELICIOUS. I’m gonna have to try that brand next time I’m looking for some rum and love to hear that this was such a hit! Well done!
Bob W says
I just made this for our Thanksgiving tomorrow. I substituted Splenda Blend Brown sugar to save a few calories and it tastes great. 15 minutes and I was done, I used to make a very similar relish but it took almost 2 hours !! Thanks !
Erin says
Bob, I am SO happy to hear this worked out so well for you! I hope you and yours enjoyed this cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving!