Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce is the easiest way to enjoy delicious cranberry sauce from scratch. The sweet and tart combination infused with a hint of orange is bursting with flavor and doesn’t miss a beat. The freshness of these flavors and the ease of the process is something that doesn’t come in a can!
The Instant Pot really works its magic on everything from entire meals to side dishes to desserts. If you’re in the holiday meal planning stages consider Instant Pot Butternut Squash or Instant Pot Garlic & Parmesan Monkey Bread. Both totally different and yet, both so amazing!
Cranberry sauce may be a simple side dish but it packs a punch and is very obvious when it’s missing. A holiday tradition beloved by many, it’s a way to elevate your Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and adds comfort and nostalgia to the dinner table. The bright red color of the cranberries is only enhanced by the sweet brown sugar, the citrus of the orange, and the warmth of the cinnamon.
All of this is made even easier with the magic of the instant pot. It’s a quick set it and forget it pressure cooker recipe that takes so little time and even less effort. It’s exactly what you want during the busy chaos of the holidays, just one more thing to make life a little easier!
Enjoy your holiday celebrations without having to worry about forgetting the cranberry sauce. This homemade recipe can be made ahead of time and stored until ready for use. It also makes enough to serve a crowd and best yet, if you’ve got leftovers, once the flavors have married overnight, it makes the perfect topping for the week long turkey sandwich lunches!
How to Make Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
This recipe will work in both a 6 qt or 8qt Instant Pot. You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries as well as white or brown sugar. Place the cranberries, orange juice, slices of orange peel, water, sugar and salt in the Instant Pot or your pressure cooker.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and turn the dial to sealing. Set the timer to Manual – High Pressure for 5 minutes. It will take a few minutes for it to come to full pressure. The timer will count down from 5 when it’s begun to cook.
Walk away, grab a coffee.
Once the timer goes off, allow it to release the pressure naturally. Once the pressure indicator has gone back down, it is safe to open the lid.
Set the Instant Pot to saute and remove the orange peel strips. Stir and cook for 5 minutes or until desired thickness. Keep in mind, it will continue to thicken as it cools.
You can turn off the pot and allow it to cool completely before putting it in the fridge or you can leave it in the pot to keep it warm. Serve it warm or chilled!
Tips for Success
- Substitute sugar with maple syrup, honey or coconut sugar for an alternative sweetener.
- Don’t forget to remove the orange strips before serving, they are there for flavor only!
- Instead of the whole strips, feel free to use the zest of an orange.
- For a different citrus flavor, swap out the orange for lemon.
- When buying your cranberries, look for ones that are plump and juicy looking and not wrinkled and soft.
- If you have cinnamon sticks, feel free to add those in as well for flavor. Take them out before serving.
How to Store Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
This cranberry sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. I told you this was a great make-ahead recipe! You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
If I am serving a big crowd, can I double this recipe?
Absolutely! The Instant Pot has plenty of room. There are some recipes where you’ll need to increase the cooking time but this isn’t one of them. Doubling the number of ingredients for cranberry sauce won’t affect the pressure cooker time. Easy peasy!
More Holiday Side Dishes
- Roasted Balsamic Cauliflower
- Baked Acorn Squash
- Balsamic Brussel Sprouts
- Roasted Green Beans
- Roasted Turnips
Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 16 ounces cranberries fresh or frozen
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 thin slices orange peel
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- Cinnamon Sticks optional for garnish
Instructions
- Place cranberries, orange juice, orange peel slices, water, sugar, and salt in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
- Place the lid on the Instant and turn the dial on top to pressurize. (turn it toward the top)
- Set the timer to Manual - high pressure for 5 minutes
- When timer goes off, let the pressure release naturally.
- Open and remove the lid and set the Instant Pot to sauté’ mode.
- Remove the orange peel strips.
- Stir and cook for 5 minutes or until desired thickness.
- The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
- Serve warm or chilled.
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