Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce is a homemade cranberry sauce with orange juice, made with fresh cranberries, but pressure cooked in an Instant Pot instead of cooked on top of the stove. It is so delicious that you’ll never eat canned cranberry sauce again.
Homemade Cranberry Sauce Over Canned Cranberry Sauce
This Homemade Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce, as well as homemade cranberry sauce made on the stove, is so easy and so delicious and tastes way better, infinitely better than the canned cranberry sauce. If you haven’t made the transition yet from canned cranberry sauce to fresh homemade cranberry sauce, do so, whether you make it on the stove or in the Instant Pot. Go for fresh, homemade cranberry sauce because you won’t regret it.
Why Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce In An Instant Pot
In previous years I made my Homemade Cranberry Sauce on top of the stove and it was delicious. However, on Thanksgiving, the stove would get very crowded with all the other Thanksgiving dishes that had to be made on the stovetop.
This year I’ll be making my cranberry sauce in the Instant Pot because it frees up valuable real estate on top of the stove so that can be used for other Thanksgiving recipes, and secondly, because it is super easy!
It takes only 2 minutes to pressure cook! Yes, you read that right. Just set it for 2 minutes. Yes, it will take a few extra minutes for the pressure cooker to come up to pressure and then release pressure, but you don’t have to do anything during that time. The Instant Pot does all the work for you!
Why Make This Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Recipe
This Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Recipe is so easy and delicious that it is almost as easy as canned cranberry sauce but tastes infinitely better.
- This recipe requires only 2 minutes of pressure cooking and a natural release! It is super quick to make.
- Only 3 ingredients are required – Cranberries, orange juice, and sugar, but gives the option of adding orange zest and a cinnamon stick to take the flavor over the top.
- This recipe includes photos of ingredients as well as photos of each step of how to make the recipe to make it as easy to follow as possible.
- This Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Recipe also include tips to help your cranberry sauce turn out perfectly every time.
What Do I need To Make Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
You only need 3 ingredients, and you can add you 2 additional ingredients if you like, and an Instant Pot pressure cooker. I use a 6-quart Instant Pot Duo60. (affiliate link) If you don’t have an Instant Pot, then try my Homemade Cranberry Sauce made on the stove top.
Below is a list of ingredients. For the specific measurements of each ingredient, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post for the printable recipe card.
- Fresh Cranberries
- Orange Juice
- Sugar
- Orange zest (optional)
- Cinnamon Stick (optional)
How Do I Make Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
It is super easy to make cranberry sauce in the Instant Pot. I’m going to give a high level overview of how to make it and include photos of each step in the process.
However, if you are looking for more detailed instructions with specific ingredient amounts, scroll down to the bottom of this blog post to the printable recipe card.
Ingredients To Add BEFORE Pressure Cooking
- Pour orange juice into the bottom of the inner liner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Add fresh cranberries on top of the orange juice.
- Add 1/2 of the sugar, as well as orange zest and a cinnamon stick.
How Long To Pressure Cook Cranberry Sauce
- 2 Minutes! That’s right. Set your Instant Pot to cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 2 minutes. (See the printable recipe card below for the specific steps on how to do that.) NOTE: It takes a several minutes more for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure before it starts pressure cooking and a few minutes for it to depressurize after it has finished pressure cooking.
Steps To Take AFTER Pressure Cooking The Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
- AFTER the Instant Pot has finished pressure cooking for 2 minutes and has release pressure naturally (during this time you do NOTHING!), then carefully open the lid and REMOVE the cinnamon stick and the orange peels.
- ADD the remaining sugar and stir.
- Press the SAUTE button to heat the cranberry sauce and stir continuously until it has the desired thickness and consistency. It may only take 2 or 3 minutes.
- Press CANCEL and unplug the Instant Pot.
- Spoon the cranberry sauce into a serving bowl.
- If you like, garnish it with orange slices, orange zest, or a sprig of rosemary.
Tips For Perfect Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce Every Time
- Be sure to rinse the fresh cranberries first and pick out any mushy, or otherwise bad cranberries.
- Use a good quality orange juice, or even freshly squeezed orange juice.
- ADD LIQUID FIRST. The order of ingredients is important when using an Instant Pot pressure cooker. The liquid needs to be AT THE BOTTOM. Therefore, the first ingredient you add into an Instant Pot should be liquid, in this case, orange juice. ADD THE ORANGE JUICE FIRST before the cranberries or any of the other ingredients.
- DO NOT STIR the ingredients.
- Check the sweetness after pressure cooking. Add only half the sugar before pressure cooking. The reason I do this is 1) everyone’s preference for level of sweetness is different. So, if you prefer the cranberry sauce to be less sweet, then you may not need to add any more sugar.
What To Serve With Cranberry Sauce?
- Turkey! I love to serve it at Thanksgiving or Christmas with my Roasted Turkey recipe, and then add all the trimmings.
- Mashed Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmallows
- Homemade Green Bean Casserole
More Ways To Use Cranberries
Use cranberry sauce in other recipes, like these.
- Turkey Sliders With Cranberry Sriracha Sauce – a great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.
- Cranberry Pork – Pork sautéed in a sweet, tart, tangy, spicy sauce made with cranberries, red wine, and dijon mustard.
- Cranberry Fluff – A Cranberry Salad, made with fresh cranberries, makes a sweet and delicious cranberry salad, side dish, or dessert for a Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday dinner.
- Cranberry Bundt Cake – A Bundt Cake made with fresh cranberries with a sweet orange glaze that will be the hit of the party!
- Banana Cranberry Bread – Banana Bread made with fresh cranberries.
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Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Before Pressure Cooking
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries (1 bag)
- 1 tablespoon orange zest (or orange peel)
- 1 cinnamon stick
After Pressure Cooking
- 1/2 cup sugar (optional)
Instructions
BEFORE Pressure Cooking
- Empty the bag of cranberries in a collander and run cold water over them to rinse them. Remove and discard any mushy or bad cranberries.
- Pour 1/2 cup orange juice into the bottom of the inner liner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Add the rinsed fresh cranberries into the inner liner pot on top of the orange juice.
- Add 1/2 cup sugar on top of the cranberries.
- If you like, add a little orange zest or orange peel, about a tablespoon, to the cranberries. This is optional.
- If you like, throw in a cinnamon stick on top of the cranberries. DO NOT STIR.
Pressure Cook
- Pressure cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 2 Minutes. To do this, press the PRESSURE COOK or MANUAL button (depending on model) and then press the + or - sign to adjust the time to 2 minutes. (NOTE: The Instant Pot takes a few minutes to come up to pressure before it starts the 2-minute Pressure cooking. Then after it finishes pressure cooking, it takes a few minutes to naturally release pressure.)
AFTER Pressure Cooking
- AFTER the Instant Pot has finished pressure cooking for 2 minutes and has released pressure naturally (during this time you do NOTHING!), then carefully open the lid and REMOVE the cinnamon stick and the orange peels.
- ADD the remaining sugar and stir.
- Press the SAUTE button to heat the cranberry sauce and stir continuously until it has the desired thickness and consistency. It may only take 2 or 3 minutes.
- Press CANCEL and unplug the Instant Pot. Spoon the cranberry sauce into a serving bowl. If you like, garnish it with orange slices, orange zest, or a sprig of rosemary.
Video
Notes
- Don't skip the step to rinse the fresh cranberries first and pick out any mushy, or otherwise bad cranberries.
- Use a good quality orange juice, or even freshly squeezed orange juice. ADD LIQUID FIRST. The order of ingredients is important when using an Instant Pot pressure cooker. The liquid needs to be AT THE BOTTOM. Therefore, the first ingredient you add into an Instant Pot should be liquid, in this case, orange juice. ADD THE ORANGE JUICE FIRST before the cranberries or any of the other ingredients.
- DO NOT STIR.
- Check the sweetness after pressure cooking and before adding any more sugar. Add only half the sugar before pressure cooking. The reason I do this is 1) everyone's preference for level of sweetness is different. So, if you prefer the cranberry sauce to be less sweet, then you may not need to add any more sugar.
Made these tonight to test for Thanksgiving- delicious!!! Thank you for sharing!
I’m so glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!