Instant Pot Cranberry Apple Sauce – Naturally Sweetened

Naturally sweetened, quick and easy, this Instant Pot Cranberry Apple Sauce will play a starring role at any holiday meal.

This recipe was first published in 2017.  I’ve updated the recipe, images, and text to make it even better!

In my world, the only reason turkey is a star at any holiday table is because of the cranberry sauce that accompanies it.

My grandma, bless her sweet soul, was famous for dry, bland turkey, but next to a blob of her famous, jello-like, cranberry sauce (I didn’t know or care at the time that it came from a can), it was one of my favorite things to eat.

Now that we all know we can make a foolproof Instant Pot Turkey, we need to make sure we have an incredible homemade cranberry sauce to pair with it.  Are you ever going to flip over this sauce!

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS NATURALLY SWEETENED CRANBERRY SAUCE

• No splatters all over your stove top (hate that!)
• No more arm burns from said splatters
• Soooooo Easy!  The hardest part is chopping the apple
• Instead of a pound of sugar to balance the bitter/sour taste of cranberries, we’re using apples, apple and orange juice, and a little bit of maple syrup, yay!  Perfect balance of tart and sweet here!
• Leftovers are amazing in yogurt, on toast, over pancakes, etc, etc.  
• Freezes like a dream

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST CRANBERRY SAUCE

1. Prep work: Zest an orange, peel and chop an apple . . . that’s pretty much it
2. Add all your ingredients to the pot, stir
3. Let cool, to thicken

This sauce will be perfectly thick, once it cools, so don’t stress when you open the pot.  Serve it warm or cold, it’s amazing either way.

Whether you are on the chunky, smooth, or cylinder shaped cranberry sauce team, give this beauty a try.  You will fall in love with it for the simplicity and again for the downright drinkable flavor. Your turkey just got a new best friend.

WAYS TO USE LEFTOVER THANKSGIVING CRANBERRY SAUCE

• My favorite panini of all time: Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey, smashed avocado, Bacon, Brie (or pepper jack), the best mayo in the world, and a huge spread of cranberry sauce – YUM!
• Melt Brie on a crostini, top with cranberry sauce
• Over ice cream or yogurt
• On top of this Hasselback Chicken – YES PLEASE!
• Stirred into Maple Cinnamon Oatmeal

TOOLS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT CRANBERRY APPLE SAUCE

• Instant Pot

Instant Pot Cranberry Apple Sauce

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Made with maple syrup and the natural sweetness of a Honeycrisp apple, this cranberry sauce will take a starring role at any holiday table!

• Author: Marci
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins
• Total Time: 15 mins
• Yield: About 2 cups
• Category: Sauce
• Method: Pressure cooker
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed
• zest and juice of 1 large orange
• 1 Honeycrisp apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• ½ cup apple cider
• 1/3 – 1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Instructions

1. Add all of the ingredients to the pressure cooker pot and stir well.
2. Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes.
3. When cooking is complete, use a natural release for 5 minutes and then release any remaining pressure. If liquid sprays while releasing the pressure, quickly turn the valve to the sealed position and wait 5 more minutes.
4. Stir well.  The sauce will thicken further as it cools.
5. Serve warm or chilled.
6. Can be made up to a week in advance and stored in the fridge. Freezes very well.

Notes

• Fresh cranberries freeze well.  Buy extra bags and store them in the freezer for making this Cranberry Apple Sauce all year round.
• The addition of an apple, apple cider, and orange juice helps tame the bitterness of the cranberries without needing to add a lot of white sugar.  Use between 1/3 – 1/2 cup of maple syrup, depending on your ideal sweet/tart level

Keywords: instant pot sauce, Thanksgiving, festive recipe

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