10 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce

Pork Cutlets with Cranberry Wine Sauce
Photo: Baking Nana

Cranberry sauce — along with turkey, sweet potatoes, and pie of course — is a must on every Thanksgiving table. Sweet and tangy with a brilliant jewel tone, it's the perfect complement to the relatively mild-flavored turkey and turkey sandwiches.

Whether you make your own cranberry sauce from fresh or frozen cranberries or you use it straight from a can, there are plenty of ways to use it beyond the classic turkey dinner. Similar to a low-sugar jam or preserves, cranberry sauce is intensely flavored and delicious with meats, especially pork or pot roast. It also fares well with cheese, in desserts, and in quick breads. Cranberry sauce will last between 10 and 14 days in the refrigerator, but given the wide variety of delicious recipes that use it, you may want to double your amount so you can extend the flavor of Thanksgiving well beyond the four-day weekend.

If you have leftover cranberry sauce, don't just toss it. Get creative with these delicious ways to use the cranberry sauce you didn't eat at Thanksgiving.

01 of 10

Cranberry Meatballs

Cranberry Meatballs
Connie Molitor Bergeron

Slow cooker meatballs made with grape jelly and chili sauce are a classic appetizer, especially around the holidays. These meatballs call for a 16-ounce can of cranberry sauce, but you can use the leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving and add a bit more jelly if the recipe needs some sweetness to balance the tang of barbecue sauce.

02 of 10

Cranberry BBQ Chicken

Cranberry BBQ Chicken
Life Tastes Good

After seasoning and searing the chicken, it gets doused in a chunky sauce of onions, celery, cranberry, and barbecue sauce, then baked. Recipe creator Deirdre Dee says, "You can use a whole chicken cut up, or pieces." Recipe reviewer Joyce Litoff says the recipe can be adapted for the slow cooker.

03 of 10

Brie Cranberry and Chicken Pizza

Brie Cranberry and Chicken Pizza
climbntele

An intriguing combination of sweet and tangy cranberry sauce, creamy Brie, and tender chunks of chicken make this unusual pizza. Recipe reviewers suggest sautéing the chicken with a combination of thyme and rosemary to add even more flavor and complexity and serving bite-sized pieces as a party appetizer.

04 of 10

Cranberry Crumb Pie

Cranberry Crumb Pie
Coty Bare

This stunning pie has a cheesecake-like layer of cream cheese mixed with sweetened condensed milk, a layer of cranberry sauce, and a walnut crumb topping. It can be served at room temperature or chilled. Recipe reviewer CJAC57 suggests making it with a graham cracker crust and serving it for Thanksgiving.

05 of 10

Best Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins

Best Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins
Marie Wishart

Oatmeal and pecans lend texture to these terrifically soft and fluffy muffins. Recipe creator Marie Wishart says the amount of sugar needed depends on how sweet your cranberry sauce is. She says you can go up to 1/2 cup of sugar if the leftover cranberry sauce is on the tart side.

06 of 10

Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork

Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork
palmet01

This dump dinner recipe uses a can of cranberry sauce, a bottle of French dressing, and one sliced onion as the cooking sauce for a pork loin. Many recipe reviewers suggest seasoning the pork heavily with salt, pepper, and garlic, and some suggest adding a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.

07 of 10

Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake
meryl

This easy Bundt-style coffee cake gets a sweet swirl of bright cranberry sauce in the middle. Recipe creator Laura Owen says plain yogurt can be substituted for sour cream and recommends serving it over the holidays for breakfast. Several recipe reviewers suggest adding a crumb topping or a powdered sugar glaze.

08 of 10

Cranberry Pot Roast by Michelle

Cranberry Pot Roast by Michelle
Baking Nana

Recipe creator The Ethical Cook prepares this recipe for most of the Jewish holidays but says it can work for any occasion, noting that it can be frozen and reheated and tastes even better the second day. Recipe reviewer Janet7th recommends browning the beef, then cooking it in the slow cooker along with 1/2 of an onion.

09 of 10

Apple Crisp with Cranberry Sauce

Apple Crisp with Cranberry Sauce
Emily

A combination of sweet cranberry and fresh sliced Granny Smith apples forms the base of this crisp. Recipe creator Michelle Ramey uses leftover homemade cranberry sauce but says you can use a can of whole cranberry sauce for the recipe if you prefer. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

10 of 10

Banana Cranberry Bread

Banana Cranberry Bread
CookinBug

Add some holiday flair to your banana bread with leftover cranberry sauce. A versatile and adaptable recipe, the batter can also be used to make muffins. One recipe reviewer used leftover candied sweet potatoes instead of bananas with great results. You can also halve the recipe for just one loaf.

Was this page helpful?