Cranberry Sauce with Port – aka drunken Cranberry Sauce is a nice twist to the traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas recipe. This easy cranberry sauce recipe is quick to make and made with just 3 ingredients! It’s a great festive side dish.
As I was putting a few cranberries on a skewer for tomorrow’s recipe, a Mai Tai, an idea hit me. Moments of marinating grapes and making a strawberry Pinot reduction flashed through my head.
Replace the water used to make cranberry sauce with port! Wine / port always enhances the flavor and makes a dish stand out. Yes, this is not your Grandmother’s cranberry sauce and yes, you can make your own, in minutes!
It’s beautiful when served with something festive and special like a Beef Tenderloin.
I love using cranberries in our cooking and baking! Don’t skip Cranberry Salsa, Cranberry Quick Bread, this Cranberry Cheeseball, and Cranberry Orange Bread.
To Make Cranberry Sauce with Port, You Will Need:
Just 3 ingredients to make this tasty Christmas side dish!
- Fresh cranberries
- Sugar
- Wine or port
How to Make Cranberry Sauce with Port
It couldn’t be easier to make this Christmas side dish!
- Combine sugar and wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil.
- Add cranberries, return to boil until they start popping, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, place sauce in a serving bowl and allow to thicken as it cools.
What to Serve With Cranberry Sauce With Port
Serve this sauce alongside your other favorite holiday side dishes:
- Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
- Garlic Smashed Potatoes
- Green Beans Side Dish with Shallot Butter
- Candied Carrots
A Rich Cranberry Sauce Cooked With Wine
Sometimes, I cook with wine. Okay, I frequently cook with wine, sometimes it makes it into the dish. This cranberry sauce recipe is a result of one of those times when I was successful getting the wine into the dish. Who wants to water down your sauce? If your house is anything like ours, the latter two ingredients are easily accessible.
You can make this sauce with Port OR your favorite red wine – your pick!
Skip The Store Bought Cranberry Sauce This Year!
It’s simple and quick to make this recipe, so please, save yourself and Thanksgiving and whip this little side dish up. Cranberry sauce should never come in a log, sliced.
Can You Make This Cranberry Sauce Ahead Of Time?
You can serve this cranberry sauce with port chilled or at room temperature and you can make it weeks ahead of time thanks to that alcohol content! Once you have made the sauce, let it cool to room temperature and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Give your guests something to talk about this Thanksgiving and Christmas and indulge them in a little extra dose of wine / port. As the cranberries reduce {and pop}, the wine and sugar jelly to make them yummiest sauce ever.
Top Tips To Make This Recipe
- This sauce is quick to cook so keep an eye on it.
- Remove from the heat once the cranberries have popped and are soft, don’t let it get too mushy.
- The sauce will last in the fridge for weeks and is great to gift to friends and family.
More Side Dishes
- Caramelized Shallot Mashed Potatoes
- Green Beans with Bacon (Firehouse Green Beans)
- Christmas Salad
- The Best Crispy Brussel Sprouts Recipe
Cranberry Sauce with Port
Ingredients
- 12 ounce {1 bag} fresh cranberries
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 cup red wine
Instructions
- Combine sugar and wine in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to boil.
- Add cranberries, return to boil until they start popping, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from heat, place sauce in a serving bowl and allow to thicken as it cools.
Julie’s Tips
- This sauce is quick to cook so keep an eye on it.
- Remove from the heat once the cranberries have popped and are soft, don’t let it get too mushy.
- The sauce will last in the fridge for weeks and is great to gift to friends and family.
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
Thank you for your recipe. I’ve just made two small jars for Christmas dinner. I used Pinot Noir and freshly squeezed orange juice and the flavour is just right.
Yum! So glad you love it as well. Cheers!
Can you leave this out at room temp or fridge it then take it out to set?
It can thicken in or out of the refrigerator
sounds like a fun dish,thank you.
What kind of red wine did you add?Would you add something on the dry or sweet side?
Completely to taste, whatever you have on hand, but I prefer Zinfandel, Pinot, Cab or Merlot. Enjoy!
Try adding some orange zest and a drop of orange juice. Adds a lovely flavour!