• Ree's Life
  • Food and Recipes
  • Home and Life
  • Holiday
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • News and Entertainment
  • Giveaways
  • Subscribe
  • New: Ree's Best Family Meals
  • The Pioneer Woman Products
  • About The Pioneer Woman
  • Newsletter
  • Follow
Privacy NoticeTerms Of Use
Skip to Content
Logo
  • Ree's Life
  • Food & Recipes
  • Weddings
  • Fall Recipes
  • The Pioneer Woman Products
Subscribe
sign in
  1. Food and Cooking
  2. Recipes
  3. Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Instant Pot to the rescue again!

By Lauren Miyashiro; Recipe by Ree DrummondPublished: Oct 15, 2021
Star FillStar FillStar FillStar FillStar Fill
5
1 Rating
Arrow Circle Down IconJump to recipe
can you freeze cranberry sauce
Ralph Smith
Yields:
8 - 10 serving(s)
Prep Time:
10 mins
Total Time:
40 mins

Fact #1: Your oven and stovetop are precious real estate when preparing for your Thanksgiving dinner. Fact #2: Cranberry sauce is often an afterthought because of said not-enough-space situation. This easy Instant Pot cranberry sauce solves both problems. From start to finish, and hardly any hands-on prep, this delicious cranberry sauce comes together beautifully in your beloved pressure cooker. 

Can you overcook cranberry sauce? 

When making cranberry sauce, you want to avoid letting the added sugars (in this case, granulated sugar and maple syrup) burn. Luckily, with the timed pressure of an Instant Pot, that’s hard to do. At the very end of the recipe, when using the Sauté function, you’ll want to watch the sauce closely and cook it until just thickened and syrupy. 

How do you fix bitter cranberry sauce?

Cranberries are extremely tart and need to be offset by added sugar and salt. In this recipe, Ree cooks the cranberries with a combination of granulated sugar (it’ll dissolve in the pressure cooker) and maple syrup to offset the cranberries’ natural bitterness. Using the zest of an orange to infuse the sauce helps as well. 

Can you make cranberry sauce ahead of time?

When stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, cranberry sauce can be made at least 5 days ahead of time. 

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Ingredients

  • 1

    orange

  • 1 1/2 lb.

    fresh or frozen cranberries

  • 1 cup

    pure maple syrup

  • 1 cup

    sugar

  • Pinch of kosher salt

Directions

    1. Step 1Remove 4 large strips of zest from the orange with a vegetable peeler and add to a 6- or 8-quart Instant Pot. Halve the orange and squeeze the juice into the pot. Add the cranberries, maple syrup, sugar and salt. 
    2. Step 2Lock the lid into place, turn the steam valve to the sealing position and set the pot to pressure-cook on high for 4 minutes. When the time is up, use a wooden spoon to turn the valve to the venting position to release the pressure manually. Once all the steam has been released, carefully remove the lid and stir the cranberry sauce.
    3. Step 3Set the Instant Pot to sauté on high. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until thickened and syrupy, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool completely, then transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Thanksgiving

fall nail colors 2025

The Top Nail Colors Defining Fall 2025

best fall cocktail recipes

Cozy Up With Seasonal Fall Cocktail Recipes

fall vegetable dishes

Fall Vegetable Dishes to Celebrate Harvest Season

best apple for apple pie

How to Pick the Best Apples for Homemade Pie

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
close up of maple leaf

The 15 First Signs of Fall

fall wreaths

Welcome Fall With a Wreath on Your Front Door

fall decor ideas

Psst! It's Time to Start Planning Your Fall Décor

best corn mazes

The Most Epic Corn Mazes Around the U.S.

the pioneer woman's pumpkin dip recipe

10-Minute Pumpkin Dip Is The Best Fall Snack

southern thanksgiving menu

30 Recipes for a Homestyle Southern Thanksgiving

thanksgiving slow cooker recipes

40 Easy Thanksgiving Slow Cooker Recipes

funny pumpkin jokes and puns

Oh My Gourd, These Pumpkin Jokes Are So Funny

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Logo
x
tiktok
facebook
instagram
pinterest
SubscribeAbout The Pioneer WomanOther Hearst SubscriptionsNewsletter
A Part of Hearst Digital Media

A Part of Hearst Digital Media

We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.

©2025 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy NoticeCA Notice at CollectionYour CA Privacy Rights/Shine the LightDAA Industry Opt OutTerms of UseSitemap
Cookies Choices