Looking for something to add a little wow to your holiday table? Want to make a delicious homemade cranberry sauce? This vanilla bourbon cranberry sauce will wow your taste buds and its so easy to make!
It is my humble opinion that on Thanksgiving the most important food is the side dishes. I mean really, who needs turkey?? Mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, sweet potatoes… yum!! I love love love the deliciousness that is Thanksgiving and Christmas side dishes.
One of my favorites is cranberry sauce. I’ve always been a fan of that fun can shaped chunk of cranberry jelly that pops out onto a plate to grace our holiday tables. However, several years ago I decided to make some from scratch. I’ve tried a few recipes over the years and this one has stuck around as a favorite. Even though my dear sweet super hubby makes most of our Thanksgiving dinner I pride my self on a kick ass cranberry sauce as an addition.
I’d love to give credit to where ever this recipe came from but I have no idea. It is written in pencil on a yellow post it and stuck in a folder of all of my hubby’s favorite recipes along with his turkey brine recipe and an amazing sweet potato soup. So I cannot give credit to the original source, but I thank them wholeheartedly for coming up with this recipe!
A couple of things before we get started. Yes, you need that much vanilla, I know it seems like a lot. And yes the alcohol cooks out of the sauce. No worries for having kiddos eat this up, which they will! The bourbon gives this such a rich delicious taste and brings out the flavor of the vanilla and cranberries beautifully. I can eat the whole bowl myself!!
Here’s what you’ll need for this Vanilla Bourbon Cranberry Sauce-
1- 12- 14oz. Bag of Fresh Cranberries
1- Cup Sugar (I used cane sugar)
1- Cup Water
2-Tbsp. Bourbon
1- Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
Place your cranberries in a colander and rinse them before starting, unless they are pre-washed.
Put your cranberries into a large pan, and pour in your sugar and water. Heat over medium/ high and heat bring it to a rolling boil. Reduce to a simmer and add in your bourbon and vanilla.
Let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until its a nice jam-like consistency. If you want it a little thicker boil longer, a little soupier boil a little less!
Let it cool and serve!!
See? Super simple and the end result is an amazing addition to your holiday (or everyday) dinner!!
This is a great dish to take to a potluck because it travels beautifully. You can also make it a couple of days ahead so that you have on less thing to cook the day of your holiday gathering.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? Have you ever made cranberry sauce from scratch? Come back and let me know if you try this vanilla bourbon cranberry sauce!
Vanilla Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
This homemade cranberry sauce is full of delicious flavor! The taste of vanilla and bourbon make it rich and amazing!
Ingredients
- 1- 12- 14oz. Bag of Fresh Cranberries
- 1- Cup Sugar (I used cane sugar)
- 1- Cup Water
- 2-Tbsp. Bourbon
- 1- Tbsp. Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- In an large pan combine your cranberries, sugar and water.
- Bring to a boil
- Reduce to a simmer and add vanilla and bourbon and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
- let cool before serving
Andrew says
Just heads up the picture is inaccurate Jack Daniel’s is a whiskey not Bourbon. Bourbon can only be from Kentucky and will say its Bourbon. Either way in sure this is something in going to try either way….
Carolyn Hoelzle says
OMG! The cranberry sauce is so easy and DELICIOUS.
Sandy J says
Made this today. As usual, I put my own spin on the recipe. Added a cinnamon stick, some fresh orange peel, & a bay leaf. I was afraid to add the full 2 tbsp. of bourbon in fear of it tasting too alcholish, so reduced it to 1 tbsp. I think I could have used the whole 2 tbps, because it didn’t taste of alcohol, one bit! I make cranberry sauce every year, but this is the very best recipe, hands down!!! Delish ❤️
Krista says
So glad you loved it! Your additions sound amazing! I’ll have to try that with my next batch!
Krista says
So glad you love it! It is our favorite!
Staci says
I didn’t have bourbon, so I substituted brandy, and subbed 1//3 cup of the water with orange juice. It’s amazing! You were absolutely right about the vanilla. Thanks for the recipe!
Staci says
I didn’t have bourbon, so I substituted brandy, and subbed 1//3 cup of the water with orange juice. It’s amazing! You were absolutely right about the vanilla. Thanks for the recipe!
TheCatsMother says
Thanks for the post – this sounds epic. Love your blog name BTW, I’m diabetic and we have GF eaters and yeast allergies in the family too, so meal planning is tricky, and usually results in sourcing far from normal ingredients!
I’m gonna try this for Xmas day – I’m doing Moroccan Meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce for the main dish, served with Cauliflower rice, but I’m also making a turkey-mince meatloaf with a chickpea (no bread) sage & onion stuffing core, so this sounds perfect to go with that!
I’m going to try using coconut palm sugar instead though (it’s not quite as sweet but a LOT lower GI, so better for me) and I might try Staci’s suggestion with subbing 1/3rd of the water for fresh squeezed OJ to help sweeten things up a bit.
Thanks for the ideas guys! Merry Xmas (or happy holidays / Hanukkah or Id-E-Milad) to you all 🙂
TheCatsMother says
I’m back, and….
O.M.(F.)G!! That has got to be the BEST Cran Sauce I’ve ever tried!
I did it as I said, with the coconut-palm-sugar and 1/3rd OJ (well it turned out to be Clementine juice actually, hubby picked up the wrong bottle at Tesco’s) and I used a full 50ml mini bottle of JD I had (so 3 tblsp + 1tsp) and reduced it all down for a good 20+ minutes.
It’s already made an appearance (still hot from the pan) on a couple of chicken wraps ( I had some shredded chicken in the fridge from yesterday) and the rest of it is cooling in a pyrex jug before I tub it up to go in the fridge. Made just over a pint of sauce (according to the markings on the pyrex jug)
I can see it’s going to take some will-power for there to be any left for Christmas day!! LOL
Krista says
That sounds like an amazing meal!! I actually just discovered coconut palm sugar myself and am going to be doing a lot more experimenting with it! Glad to know it worked in this recipe! Thanks so much for letting me know how it worked out for you! Come back again!
Heather says
Can this be prepared the day before and warmed the day of?
Krista says
Absolutely! A day in the fridge helps the flavors blend together even more, it will be delicious!
Amy says
This sounds amazing! I love anything and everything cranberry! I make my own vanilla. I actually made a bottle of bourbon vanilla. So, question is, since my bourbon and vanilla is all one, would you recommend 3 tbsp?? Thanks
Patti says
This sound delish. Was wondering if this would be safe to can using water bath method. That way u could have it year round.
Meredith says
How far ahead can you make this?
Krista says
It keeps well so I’d say 3 or 4 days!
Anonymous says
Can I make this a day ahead of time?
Laurie says
So I’m going to try this tomorrow. I have a vanilla burbon do you think it would be to much vanilla?
Marcia says
Made this for thanksgiving and I am making again for Christmas! Thanks for a wonderful recipe. Totally different from my usual cranberry relish and such a nice change it is,.
sportpsyc says
Great recipe. But the big question is…have you posted the recipe for the awesome sweet potato soup as well? You can’t bait us like that and then not come thru…:-)
Francine says
What a unique twist on a traditional cranberry sauce! I love orange as a flavour to make seasonal recipes more festive, so I added a teaspoon of orange zest.
Wendy says
Can I can this ?
ERIN says
I love this recipe! I made it last year in my crock-pot! Amazing the next day on toast or English muffins. Making it again tomorrow.
Jo Spehar says
Thank you for this recipe. I don’t normally make cranberry sauce, but really wanted to try it this year. I made it on Thursday and plan to make it on Saturday for another family gathering. I ended up adding 3/4 c water and 1/4 c orange juice. My niece said this is her favorite version of cranberry sauce.
Rockelle Heathcock says
Does this keep well? Really want to take to my Daughter-in-loves dinner.
I have rheumatoid arthritis & can’t stand for long, so I try to prepare holiday dishes ahead.
Krista says
It keeps beautifully! I usually make it a couple of days before Thanksgiving so we don’t have as much to do Thanksgiving day!
Rockelle Heathcock says
I’m out of bourbon, been looking forward to making, found my bottle empty. Was thinking amaretto, Drambuie or vanilla vodka. Would one of these work? Don’t want a fail this week.
Christine Shipley says
This was excellent! I’ll definitely make it again.
Joyce says
LOVED IT !! But I too tweaked it. Boiled in ginger ale instead of water added extra 1/ cup sugar and a good amount of cinnamon sugar. Cooked it way down & it made a real firm jelly sauce. An added note it’s GREAT on grilled turkey sandwiches (one slice of bread-mayo on other)
Krista says
Thanks for sharing! I love hearing how people make it their own! Sounds delicious!
Judy says
Could you can this recipe?
Allyson says
Thank you for this amazing recipe. I also add in an orange rind for some extra flavor. This has become the primary “must have” of Thanksgiving for my husband. I no longer have to make gravy, as he puts this stuff on everything. Thank you again!!
Brianna says
This is awesome! I made with honey, a splash of maple syrup and a few serving spoon splashes of sugar. I cut the water with half orange juice, and added a cinnamon stick. The depth of all flavors together are amazing!! I can imagine the recipe is as is is incredibly tasty, i just love orange mixed with my cranberry and cinnamon. Yum, yum, yum.
Pat H says
Just made this and it is the very best. I did substitute 1/2 cup orange juice for part of the liquid and then cut back on the sugar. For sure it is a keeper for future Thanksgiving dinners.
Anonymous says
2nd year I am making this. My family loves it. It’s delicious, especially on cornbread. Thank you for the recipe!!!
KellyJean says
I think EVERYONE should make this sauce. It was amazing on it’s own but when I made the perfect bite of turkey, gravy and the sauce, I was in heaven. I can not wait to have leftovers later tonight….
Michele says
I am thinking of making as a substitute for lingonberry jam to go with swedish meatballs. Do you think this would work well?
Anonymous says
Have made this several years now.. . I Use Birddog blackberry whiskey and it turns out excellent a real crowd pleaser!
Krista says
That sounds like an amazing whiskey to use! So glad you enjoy this recipe!
Rhonda says
I made this for Thanksgiving and it is still good in my fridge but I am making another batch for Christmas dinner. It was absolutely delicious and yes the picture is deceiving because it is made with Bourbon not whiskey. Love it!
Rebecca B. says
This was such a simple recipe that even I didn’t mess it up haha It’s the perfect addition to a thanksgiving meal. Just be careful it doesn’t get on your carpet. It will definitely stain. Thanks to carpet cleaners I was able to get the stain out in preparation for Thanksgiving. Thanks again for the recipe!
Sally says
Has anyone added walnuts or jalapeñoS?
Karen R says
This is a wonderful recipe! I added orange zest, and a diced Granny Smith apple while it was cooking. Just fabulous!
Armida Sandoval says
I made the recipe as you noted. For me…it was too much vanilla It took away from the tartness of the sauce. If I make this again I might delete the vanilla altogether. But it’s still good.
Krista says
If you want it to be more tart I would maybe reduce the sugar. You could start with half the sugar and then add more to taste as it cooks. Hope that helps!
Krista says
That sounds like an amazing addition!
Elizabeth says
We made this and substituted Pisa Hazelnut Liquor instead of the Bourbon, it’s delicious!