Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce

Instant Pot cranberry sauce is a delicious side dish to make this holiday season without using an extra burner! Ditch the can and make it for your next celebration.

Few things stress me out more than manning all the burners at once when I am cooking a big holiday dinner.

I don’t like doing it.

So I don’t. I look for ways to make things ahead of time.

And if I can’t make it ahead of time, I look for dump and go recipes that use my slow cooker or my Instant Pot.

And that’s what this cranberry sauce recipe is!

An easy dump and go Instant Pot solution to manning an extra burner on the stove to make cranberry sauce.

The result?

Perfectly sweet, a little tart cranberry sauce that is so much better than anything you’d ever get in a can.

Ingredients

To make this you need:

• Fresh or frozen cranberries
• orange zest
• cinnamon
• orange juice
• sugar

I prefer using fresh cranberries, but trust me that frozen will work just fine! 

I also always use no pulp orange orange juice, but that’s only because that’s what I buy for my family to drink. 

Pulpy OJ, or even fresh squeezed work well too.

How to Make

To make this easy pressure cooker cranberry sauce, add all the ingredients to the inner liner of your Instant Pot except for the sugar.

Once all the ingredients are added, sprinkle the sugar evenly out over top of the cranberries. Do NOT stir.

Secure the lid on the Pot and set the valve to seal.

Cook on high pressure for 2 minutes.

Once the Pot beeps, let the Pot naturally release for 5 minutes.

Then carefully turn the vent valve to release the remaining steam.

When the steam has released, open the the lid and whisk the cranberry sauce well.

Carefully taste it and more sugar if desired.

Serve immediately or store in a jar and use within a couple days.

The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Preventing A Burn Notice

To prevent getting the burn notice, make sure you add the sugar on top of the other ingredients and do not stir after you add the sugar.

If you add the sugar first or stir the ingredients after you’ve added the sugar, the sugar may stick to the bottom of the Pot.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

I find this especially helpful when cooking for holiday meals since I can make it ahead of time.

To serve, heat it in a pot on the stove over low heat until it’s smooth and heated through.

To Double the Recipe

Having a big gathering? This can be doubled if you use an 8 qt. Instant Pot.

Don’t do it in a 6 qt or smaller because the cranberries foam when they burst and release extra moisture. 

To double the recipe if you only have a 6 quart, making two separate batches would be best.

Tips and Tricks

• This cranberry sauce can be made a day ahead of time, then stored, and chilled.
• Don’t skip the natural release time! The cranberries need time to cool so the sauce doesn’t splatter when you do the release.
• Even when you do a quick release after natural releasing, it may be helpful to release the steam in short bursts when using a smaller pot to prevent splatters.
• Taste the sauce when done and adjust the sweetness to your liking.

Other Instant Pot Holiday Recipes

This Instant Pot Cranberry sauce will have you never buying canned sauce again!

Make it this holiday season and enjoy.

Looking for other Instant Pot holiday recipes?

Try these:

• Instant Pot Turkey Breast
• Instant Pork Collard Greens
• Instant Pot Herbed Turkey Gravy
• Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes

If you’ve tried this INSTANT POT CRANBERRY SAUCE recipe, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!