Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce

An extra fruity sauce that keeps the focus on tangy cranberries.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated April 08, 2025
Cranberry-pomegranate sauce, served in a white bowl.

Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Why It Works

  • Cooking cranberries in pomegranate juice adds extra fruit flavor to the sauce without distracting from the bracing tang of the cranberries.
  • A handful of fresh pomegranate arils add texture and extra pomegranate flavor.

Last year I did a spiced cranberry sauce at my Thanksgiving dinner. The family was excited to try something different, but when it came down to it, I think most would have preferred something more traditional. So, in an attempt to scale back while remaining inventive, I decided to test out a cranberry-pomegranate sauce—adding just one complementary fruity flavor rather than a plethora of holiday spices.

Essentially this is the same as any normal cranberry sauce, with the exception of substituting pomegranate juice for the water when boiling the cranberries until they burst.

The overall flavor was definitely more in line with a common cranberry sauce—an uncomplicated balance between sweet and tart. The fruit component was pushed further, but not as much as I expected, so I threw some pomegranate arils into the mix to give it a little extra touch of pomegranate.

Come Thanksgiving, I think this incarnation of cranberry sauce will fare much better with the family unit than my previous attempt. If not, you can be sure I'll be back next year with yet another attempt to please.

November 2012

Recipe Details

Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce Recipe

Cook 15 mins
Active 15 mins
Cooling Time 30 mins
Total 45 mins
Serves 6 to 8 servings
Keep Screen Awake

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries

  • 1 cup pomegranate juice

  • 1 cup white sugar

  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar

  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup pomegranate arils

Directions

  1. Place cranberries, pomegranate juice, white sugar, brown sugar, orange zest, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until berries start to pop, about 10 minutes.

    The cranberries are stirred in the pot.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

  2. Remove from heat, stir in pomegranate arils, and let cool for 30 minutes. Adjust consistency with water, if needed. Serve immediately or place in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, reheating prior to serving.

    Pomegranate arils are stirred into the sauce.

    Serious Eats / Joshua Bousel

Make-Ahead and Storage

Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two weeks,

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
158 Calories
0g Fat
40g Carbs
0g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories 158
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 84mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 40g 15%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 36g
Protein 0g
Vitamin C 7mg 37%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 133mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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