🫐🍷Move over boring cranberry sauce and make Red Wine Cranberry Sauce instead! 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.
- 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 great 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.
- Not into wine? Use cranberry juice instead.
- 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.
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.
Canning: See the FAQs below.
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 2013, 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.
Cabernet Cranberry and Blueberry Sauce
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 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 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves, or to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium to large kettle, and bring to a rolling boil, stirring intermittently. Tip – 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. Tip – The sauce will thicken much more as it cools so don't judge the thickness when it's on the stove or just removed.
- Transfer to heat-safe jars or containers with lids. Allow sauce to cool at room temperature before refrigerating.
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 2013 and reposted November 2019 with updated text.
This is my favorite! I make this every year for Thanksgiving. I even make it when its not Thanksgiving. It is the best. Thank you for all your delicous recipes. Happy Thankgiving to you and your family have a wonderful holiday
Thanks for the five star review and I love hearing that you make this every year! AND that you even make it when it’s not Thanksgiving! Thank you for your loyal support and have a wonderful holiday season as well!
This is one of my favorites, I make every year give as gifts and always include the recipe, I have enjoyed so many of your recipes, Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for the five star review Deb and for giving it as gifts and enclosing the recipe, that is so kind of you! Have a wonderful holiday season!
I make this sauce every year, it’s a family favorite at Thanksgiving. It’s an amazing topping on Brie too. Make a double batch to share!
Thanks for the five star review and I love hearing that you make this every year! So many people tell me this. I adore this with brie too! Yum!
Followed the original recipe, mostly, then made a second batch with some tweaks. They don’t sell 8oz bags of fresh cranberries by me so 12oz fresh cranberries, as recipe fresh blueberries, reduced Cab Sauv by half, two cinnamon sticks vs ground, ground clove reduced by half, added two large peels from an orange and a bit off track, 1/2 tsp of fresh ground black pepper
Thanks for the five star review and for trying the recipe a couple of times that’s awesome!
It’s one of those recipes that even if you used 8, 10, or 12 ounce of cranberries, I personally don’t think things would be all that different. You could bump the sugar up and down as needed, as well as the amount of cab, and just kind of tweak the seasonings. This is like soup, there’s really not too many rules. 😉 I actually love the idea of black pepper. I think that would be really great. Personally, although I don’t know if anybody else at my Thanksgiving dinner would appreciate it, but I could see taking this a bit spicy-ish, not hot but like sort of a hot pepper jelly concept. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve been using this recipe since 2016. I love love love love it
Thank you Ramona for the five star review and I love hearing that you’ve been using this recipe since 2016 and are a huge fan of it!