This instant pot cranberry sauce recipe uses dried cranberries. It’s easy to make and goes well with a turkey dinner, meatballs, appetizers or turkey sandwiches!
Have you tried making pressure cooker cranberry sauce? If not, here is your chance. This recipe can be easily adjusted to your taste.
Can you make cranberry sauce with dried cranberries?
Absolutely! Just follow the recipe and you are sorted.
This pressure cooker cranberry sauce is perfect for those who can’t buy fresh or frozen cranberries in their corner of the world or anyone who likes to give this recipe a go.
Make this instant pot cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving “feast” or Christmas dinner. Use it for appetizers (cranberry cheese ball) or leftover turkey meals (turkey sandwich, casserole, meatballs).
Now speaking of Thanksgiving – Instant pot braised red cabbage is also a delicious instant pot side dish. I am also addicted to parmesan roasted potatoes and corned beef mashed potatoes. Both recipes are easy and crowds love them!
How to make cranberry sauce in Instant Pot
The preparation is pretty easy and straightforward. Throw the dried cranberries into the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker. Add orange zest, orange juice and cranberry juice.
Then, lock the lid into its position and pressure cook for 12 minutes.
After this time, wait 5 minutes and then manually release the pressure. Turn off the pot. Taste it. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. The Instant Pot will still be hot enough to melt the sugar so there is no need for sautéing.
Now puree the cranberries to the desired consistency. Use an immersion blender to do this. If you feel like the sauce is way too thick to your liking I suggest adding more orange or cranberry juice and just bringing it to a boil (using the sauté function).
Note that sometimes you might find that the cranberries are softer, other times they are harder. This depends on how dry they are.
Useful tips
- White sugar (either granulated or superfine) can be used instead of brown sugar.
- The color of your cranberry sauce might be different – either darker or lighter. In general, brown sugar makes the sauce darker looking.
- I like adding the sugar at the very end, after tasting the cranberries. If they are sweet enough, you don’t need to add that much of sugar. Also, the sweetness will depend on the amount of sugar the cranberry juice contains. That is why it’s better to add less and increase the amount (if needed).
- Adding lemon juice gives this instant pot cranberry sauce a nice flavor and also helps reduce the sweetness.
- Those who need help with organizing a Thanksgiving dinner might like this post: How to host a Thanksgiving dinner.
- The sauce will thicken more while cooling down.
Guys, if you make this cranberry sauce in instant pot, let me know what your thoughts are in the comments section below!
Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1½ cup dried cranberries (180 grams)
- 1½ cup cranberry juice (360 milliliters)
- orange (zest from one orange)
- orange (juice from one orange)
- ¼ cup brown sugar (30 grams)
- lemon juice , optional
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Instructions
- Place dried cranberries into the inner pot of your instant pot pressure cooker. Add cranberry juice, zest from 1 orange and juice from 1 orange.
- Lock the lid into its position. Press MANUAL (pressure cooking) and set the time to 12 minutes. When ready, wait 5 minutes before releasing the pressure manually (you can also wait until the pressure drops itself).
- Puree the cranberries with an immersion blender to your desired consistency. Taste it and stir in sugar (add less if you feel that the cranberry sauce is way too sweet). Squeeze some lemon juice in for a little tartness (optional).
- Spoon/pour into a serving dish and enjoy.
Notes
- If you don’t have brown sugar, use white sugar instead.
- Taste the sauce before adding the sugar in as the cranberry juice might contain some.
- If you feel that the sauce is way too thick, add more orange or cranberry juice. If it is too thin, you can thicken it with cornstarch.
- The amount of cranberry sauce you will get out of this recipe might vary slightly, depending on how thick you want your sauce. When you follow this recipe you will get 1½ cups of sauce.
- This recipe was developed for a 6-quart/6-liter instant pot.
- The overall time does not include the time the pot needs to come to pressure and release its pressure count with an extra 16 minutes.
Tina says
I think orange juice and cranberries are perfect together. I was just looking up TG recipes and came across this, it looks delicious. Going to send this to my daughter, I need to make this.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Tina :). Hope you like it!
Danielle Wolter says
This is such an awesome idea! I never though to use dried cranberries to make cranberry sauce. Yum!!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks! :)
Danielle says
This would be a great little time saver for Christmas day.
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Definitely! :)
Chris Collins says
I’ve never made cranberry sauce with dried cranberries, but after reading this I’m definitely gonna have to give it a go! Yum!!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
I am glad to hear that, Chris!
Adrianne says
What a perfect Christmas or Thanksgiving dish! It looks straight forward but with complex tastes and is sure to appeal. Cheers!
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Thanks, Adrianne!
Angela says
Quote, “5. This recipe is not developed for a 6-quart/6-liter instant pot.”
What size Instant Pot did you use?
TIA
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Angela! I did use the 6quart/6liter instant pot. Thanks for spotting that typo, it has already been fixed. I apologize for the confusion.
Brenda Riggs says
Thank You!….The only cranberries I could find recently was dried ones. This post was just what I needed! I Added the brown sugar after is a wonderful idea! You thought on using a sugar substitute say Stevia?
Julia | Happy Foods Tube says
Hi Brenda. Thanks so much for your feedback!I have to say I have not tried using Stevia as a substitute. If you do in the future, please let us know!