We Tried 15 Store-Bought Cranberry Sauces—Here Are the Winners That Took Down Ocean Spray

Cranberry sauce is an essential part of Thanksgiving dinner: It delivers a much-needed hit of acid that cuts through the richness of the gravy, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. While homemade cranberry sauce is easy to make, it's hard to beat the convenience of the store-bought stuff. But which brands are worth buying and serving as a part of your Thanksgiving meal?

To find the best cranberry sauces, our editors taste-tested 15 widely available brands, sampling both whole-berry sauces and jellied ones. We sampled contenders in both categories plain and in random order, without knowing which was which. We then tabulated the results and crowned two overall winners—one whole cranberry sauce and one jellied—along with two worthy runners-up.

The Criteria

Cranberry sauce should be pleasantly tart, with just enough acidity to balance its sweetness. It should be balanced: not cloyingly sweet nor aggressively tangy. It should taste like real cranberries, and though certain spices and flavorings—such as cinnamon and orange juice and/or zest—are welcome, they should not be dominant. Whole cranberry sauce should be thick and jammy, with visible bits of fruit, and should not be gluey, runny, or fibrous. Jellied cranberry sauce should be smooth, nicely wobbly, and firm enough to slice into.

Overall Winner

Best Jellied Cranberry Sauce: Cadia

"If you enjoy this style of cranberry sauce, [this] feels like the Platonic ideal of it," our associate culinary editor, Laila, wrote. "It's not too sweet, and has a very cranberry-forward flavor." Similarly, our associate editorial director, Megan, found it "pleasantly tart," and our visuals editor, Jessie, praised it for being flavorful. This jellied cranberry sauce was softer than the others we tried, and our associate visuals director, Amanda found it too mushy. On the other hand, our editorial director, Daniel, appreciated that it didn't have a mealy, grainy texture he noted in some of the other sauces we tried.

Best Whole Cranberry Sauce: Wilkin & Sons

With the exception of Daniel, who found this offering much too sweet, all our tasters thought this was a solid whole cranberry sauce. Megan liked that it wasn't too sweet, describing it as "pretty OK!"" Jessie thought it was "tangy, sweet, very cranberry." Like Jessie, Amanda noted that this sauce had "a real cranberry flavor" and a "nice pucker," though she didn't especially care for the texture of the fruit's skins in the sauce. "You can really taste the cranberries," Laila commented, noting that it was bright and punchy, with a jam-like consistency. "I'd eat this. I like the texture and the flavor overall," she concluded.

Runners-Up

Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

"I think this has the best texture of the bunch," Daniel noted. "Solidly set, neither too firm nor too soft, and not mealy or grainy in an unpleasant way." Amanda agreed, commenting that this sauce had the "perfect canned texture." Flavor-wise, Laila wished it had a brighter, more cranberry-forward flavor. She did, however, appreciate that it was "not horribly sweet."

Taste of Inspirations Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce

With the exception of Amanda, who thought the sauce was both too sweet and too acidic, most of our tasters enjoyed the pucker of this cranberry sauce. "Very tart, but I don't mind that," Megan noted. Laila thought it was "bright and sour, with clear cranberry flavor," and Daniel declared it was the closest in flavor and texture to homemade sauce, writing, "I can live with this as a whole-style cranberry sauce substitute for homemade."

The Contenders

Jellied Cranberry Sauce

• 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce
• Bowl & Basket Jellied Cranberry Sauce
• Cadia Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce
• Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce
• Stop & Shop

Whole Cranberry Sauce

• 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
• Backyard Food Co.
• Bowl & Basket Whole Cranberry Sauce
• Cadia Organic Cranberry Sauce With Whole Berries
• Heyday
• Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
• Stop & Shop Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
• Taste of Inspirations Cape Cod Cranberry Sauce
• Trader Joe's Cranberry Sauce
• Wilkin & Sons Wild Cranberry Sauce

Key Takeaways and Conclusion

Most cranberry sauces contain just a few core ingredients: cranberries, sugar, water, and pectin. Some sauces are sweetened with a combination of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and/or corn syrup, and maple syrup and apple juice make an appearance occassionally. Other common additions include warm spices and other flavorings, such as lemon juice concentrate, as well as citric acid, a preservative that can also enhance tartness.

Generally, our editors preferred simple, balanced sauces over spiced versions. Though one of our runners-up—Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce—contains both high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup, our top picks stick to cranberries, water, sugar, and pectin. Of our favorites, only Cadia Organic Jellied Cranberry Sauce contains citric acid.

Though we'd all prefer to make our own cranberry sauce, we'd be happy to reach for any of our top picks in a pinch. If you're going the store-bought route, we recommend avoiding spiced versions, as those flavors may clash with other dishes on your Thanksgiving table. Instead, we recommend picking a standard, versatile option made with just cranberries, sugar, and water, with or without pectin.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill out tasting sheets, ranking the samples according to various criteria. All data is tabulated, and results are calculated with no editorial input to provide the most impartial representation of actual results possible.