Easy bourbon apple cranberry sauce recipe! An elevated twist on Thanksgiving cranberry sauce spiked with bourbon and spiced with cinnamon.
Cranberry sauce is the stuff that Thanksgiving dreams are made of!
It's tart, it's tangy, and it pairs so well with all of those goodies on your Thanksgiving plate. It's not Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce, right?
But, what if we added BOOZE!? And apple cider. And some apples for some natural sweetness. OH YEAH! Now we're talkin.
An elevated holiday classic
This recipe is so much more than your classic holiday cranberry sauce. Classic cranberry sauce is usually made with just cranberries, sugar, and water. But this elevated version replaces the water for apple cider and adds just enough bourbon to make it feel oh so fancy.
This version is a little chunkier than your average cranberry sauce because of the apple. But, that apple gives it a sweetness that allows you to use less sugar than you normally would.
So, your guests will be totally wowed. By the cranberry sauce!
Have you seen our beginner's guide to cranberry?
How to make it
You guys, It's so easy. All you do is toss some fresh (or frozen) cranberries in a pot with the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer. Those cranberries burst and turn into a thick sauce. The apples soften and add to the flavor.
Be sure to stir the sauce often while it's cooking to help those cranberries burst and keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan. This should take about 20 minutes and that's it!
Let it cool down and serve immediately or store it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
How to serve it
We all know that cranberry sauce is great as a side dish on your Thanksgiving plate! But there are so many other great ways to serve it.
- Go with tradition and serve it as a side dish
- Use it as a sauce or chutney over your favorite protein
- Use the leftovers to make cranberry crescent rolls
- Stir it into oatmeal or yogurt
- Top it on some ice cream
Recipe
Easy bourbon apple cranberry sauce recipe! An elevated twist on Thanksgiving cranberry sauce spiked with bourbon and spiced with cinnamon.
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 1 cup spiced apple cider
- 1 cup fuji or honeycrisp apple, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes
- 2 Tbsp bourbon or whiskey
- 4 Tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
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Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer over medium to medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring often.
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Remove from heat when all the cranberries have burst and the apples are very soft. Let cool before serving.
This cranberry sauce can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 1 week. It's great served cold or warmed up.
If you make this recipe, please let us know on social media or in the comments below! Leave a star rating in your comment or tag us on Instagram with #Rhubarbarians.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
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Sara
These photos are really beautiful! This looks like a wonderful Fall/Thanksgiving sauce!
Patricia Bozeman
Thank you so much Sara!
Patricia Bozeman
Thanks Kathryn! I could eat cranberry sauce ALL YEAR! It's one of my favorite foods. 😉
Patricia Bozeman
ha! Oh man, I STILL haven't nailed the action shot! Thank you so much Aggie!
jasmincookbook
Maybe your first "action" shot turned out nice - but the rye whiskey apple sauce turned out perfect 😉
Patricia Bozeman
Oh wow, thank you!