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    Home » Recipes » Holiday Sides

    October 13, 2019 13 Comments

    The Best Easy Vegan Cranberry Sauce

    1.6K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    First of all, yes, most cranberry sauce is vegan. Even the canned kind is usually vegan. BUT there's a reason I wanted to share this recipe with you. You see, this is the best easy vegan cranberry sauce out there. Not only is it super simple to make- just 4 ingredients and takes just 15 minutes to whip up, but it is also the perfect combo of sweet and tart, with a final touch of lemon zest for the perfect zing.

    This easy cranberry sauce tastes SO much better than that canned stuff (isn't homemade always better)? Simple to prepare and absolutely delicious - how can you go wrong with cranberry sauce?

    The best easy vegan cranberry sauce! Just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make. It's best made ahead of time making this the perfect stress-free addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday feast. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganthanksgiving

    Better yet, this vegan cranberry sauce is best made ahead of time and will keep for up to a week (or even a little longer) when stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. Talk about a perfect stress-free addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday feast!

    The best easy vegan cranberry sauce! Just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make. It's best made ahead of time making this the perfect stress-free addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday feast. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganthanksgiving

    I've actually shared this recipe before in my post of 8 Traditional Thanksgiving & Christmas Sides Made Vegan, but since that post is super old and multiple recipes were combined into the same post, the recipe was a little difficult to track down on my blog. I love this recipe and make it every year, so I wanted to bring it to your attention again.

    I also plan to do the same for many of the other recipes in that post. Which ones would you like me to refresh?

    How to make the best easy vegan cranberry sauce:

    Just add the 4 ingredients to make this easy cranberry sauce.

    Add the cranberries, sugar, water, and lemon zest to a medium saucepan.

    Then cook the easy cranberry sauce for 10 to 15 minutes.

    Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and it looks all saucy and delicious. It will be thin when the sauce is hot,  but will thicken up as it cools.

    The best easy vegan cranberry sauce! Just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make. It's best made ahead of time making this the perfect stress-free addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday feast. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #veganthanksgiving

    This cranberry sauce goes with other vegan holiday favourites such as my puff pastry wrapped lentil loaf, stuffed butternut squash, vegan creamed corn, cheesy scalloped potatoes, stovetop stuffing, or my lentil shepherd's pie (to name a few).

    Common Questions:

    Can cranberry sauce be frozen?

    Yes it can.  Just be sure to either refrigerate it or let it cool down first. Putting warm cranberry sauce in the freezer could cause excess moisture which would then turn into ice. Pouring into a freezer bag that seals tight or using an air-tight container both work great.

    Can cranberry sauce be made ahead of time?

    Sure can! You can make cranberry sauce ahead of time, refrigerate and then reheat or serve cold - whichever your preference is!

    Can cranberry sauce be left out overnight? 

    This not the best idea. Be sure to store any cranberry sauce in an air-tight container and refrigerate or freeze. Anything left out overnight, it's best to dispose of it.

     

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam.

    Print Recipe
    5 from 7 votes

    The Best Easy Vegan Cranberry Sauce

    Just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes to make. It's best made ahead of time making this the perfect stress-free addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday feast.
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Course: sauce, Side Dish
    Cuisine: American, Canadian
    Servings: 8 (makes about 1 ½ cups)
    Calories: 120kcal
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    • 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
    • 1 cup white sugar
    • 1 cup water
    • 1 lemon, zested
    US Customary - Metric
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add all of the ingredients to a medium sauce pan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the cranberries have popped and it looks all saucy and delicious. It will be thin, but will thicken as it cools.

    Notes

    Vegan cranberry sauce is perfect made ahead of time and can be stored in an air-tight contianer in the fridge for up to one week, or can be frozen for later.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 8) | Calories: 120kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken


    « 5 Minute Vegan Creamed Corn
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Merry says

      November 24, 2020 at 9:05 pm

      Sam — I love your recipes because they are simple, use accessible ingredients, and have tons of flavor. I just made this cranberry sauce and am blown away by how fresh and tasty it is. And it came together in just a handful of minutes. Thank you.

      Reply
    2. The Compassionate Dreamer says

      December 03, 2019 at 7:51 pm

      5 stars
      Hi Sam! I am a vegan teen, and I cannot express to you how much I love you and your blog. Your recipes and enthusiastic personality bring me joy and I love to try your recipes out in the kitchen. I made this cranberry sauce as a part of my family's vegan Thanksgiving feast this year, and it was a crowd favorite! I would 100% make it again. I wrote about our feast here on my blog: Thank you so much for all of your amazing recipes, and for inspiring me to be the very best chef that I can be! ❤️

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        December 06, 2019 at 11:34 am

        Aww thrilled you enjoyed it so much!!

        Reply
    3. Karen says

      October 14, 2019 at 11:31 am

      Happy Thanksgiving, Sam!
      And thanks for rolling out all of these traditional side dish recipes. Whenever folks say to me "you're vegan and don't eat turkey, what do you eat at Thanksgiving?" My response is "everything else!" Yay, for veggies, and homemade vegan stovetop stuffing (om, nom nom). 🙂

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 16, 2019 at 5:57 pm

        Thank you, Karen!! And you're most welcome! So happy my recipes are helping people make delicious feasts 🙂

        Reply
    4. Meg says

      October 13, 2019 at 12:13 pm

      I do this but add a diced tart apple and some corset chopped walnuts.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 16, 2019 at 5:51 pm

        Oooh sounds lovely 🙂

        Reply
        • Chamron says

          November 27, 2019 at 11:22 pm

          5 stars
          Thank you for having a cranberry relish recipe without orange! This is so tasty and took me no time to make! Absolutely delicious!

        • Sam Turnbull says

          November 30, 2019 at 10:57 am

          Thrilled you enjoyed it!

    5. Michelle Meehan says

      October 13, 2019 at 11:30 am

      Love your blog, but the title of this recipe confuses me. Why not just call this Cranberry Sauce? Vegan Cranberry Sauce definitely implies that other cranberry sauces are not. I've never even had one that's not vegan.

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 16, 2019 at 5:51 pm

        Hi Michelle, yes you're correct most cranberry sauce is vegan (hence the opening line of this post). I call my recipe "vegan cranberry sauce" because I noticed that ut was a search term people were looking for and I wanted to make sure anyone looking to prepare a vegan-friendly holiday feast would have some great recipes to work with 🙂

        Reply
        • Shannon says

          December 08, 2019 at 9:14 am

          5 stars
          Whenever i am looking up recipes online i always type the word vegan in front of it! Even if it is normally vegan i still type it in anyways. I love this recipe by the way! I could never bring myself to eat that red blob from the can lol

        • Sam Turnbull says

          December 11, 2019 at 7:57 am

          Haha! Glad you enjoy, Shannon 🙂

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