10 Ways To Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce

There are so many reasons to love Thanksgiving: dancing red and orange autumn leaves, spending time with friends and family, the incredible smells wafting from the kitchen. And hopefully, at the very least, a day off from work. For many, the best part of Thanksgiving is the food. And the fun doesn't end there, because after Thanksgiving, you get to enjoy leftovers. Some families enjoy the same platter over and over again on repeat. Others transform their Thanksgiving leftover components into sandwiches or casseroles. Cranberry sauce is an essential part of dinner, but using it up afterwards takes some creativity. As a recipe designer and chef, I've gathered up 10 ways to use leftover cranberry sauce, so not a single aspect of your Thanksgiving dinner ends up in the compost.

Typically, "cranberry sauce" can mean a variety of things. There are endless additions you can add to cranberry sauce, making it sweet, savory, chunky, smooth, or even spicy. Because there is so much variance in the cranberry sauce world, it's important to recognize which style can be used, and in what capacity, for your post-Thanksgiving leftover creations. Avoid using savory cranberry sauces in ultra-sweet desserts and chunky sauces in beverages. Go with your gut, flex your culinary creativity, and let no drop of that tangy cranberry sauce go to waste.

When considering different ways to use leftover cranberry sauce in your cooking, breakfast may not be the first meal to come to mind. However, because breakfast can be either savory or sweet, there are plenty of ways to incorporate just about any style of cranberry sauce into the most important meal of the day. I like to focus here on a sweeter cranberry sauce. Perhaps the majority of the effort you put into cranberry sauce was squeezing it out of the can and slicing it. No shade, canned cranberry sauce is a classic. This ultra-sweet version makes for a fantastic pancake or waffle topping. Stick with the fall theme and enjoy cranberry sauce over pumpkin pancakes alongside whipped cinnamon butter and maple syrup. It's essentially jelly, and can even be paired with peanut butter.

Leftover cranberry sauce is a breakfast game-changer. Even a homemade sweet cranberry sauce with oranges and walnuts can be spread on sweet breads like banana or pumpkin bread. It can be added to peanut butter toast, dolloped on oatmeal, or even blended into your smoothie. Avoid any cranberry sauces made with strong umami broths or garlic. Focus instead on fruit and nut bases, tangy and sweet notes, and texture. For savory cranberry sauce, consider serving it alongside sausage and eggs. It's a wonderful palate cleanser that can add some pop to your standard, heavy, and salty breakfast platter.

Now, let's talk beverages. If you love a chunky, raw, or savory cranberry sauce, then this recipe might not be for you. In addition, texture is key here, and you'll want to avoid raw, coarsely chopped, or chewy ingredients. Target, instead, silky, jelly-like sauces that play up the sweet and tart notes. Perhaps a maple cranberry sauce, or one with orange juice or apple cider as the liquid. Warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom are welcome, and an old-fashioned can of pre-made cranberry sauce hits the nail on the head. This is because it needs to melt into a drink instead of holding its form.

Leftover cranberry sauce can be made into a cosmopolitan or a variety of fruity cocktails or mocktails. There are a few ways you can do this, but with a super silky cranberry sauce, you'll just need a drink shaker, but it's more likely you'll use a blender. Toss all of your cosmopolitan ingredients into the blender, including the sauce, vodka, lime juice, and orange liqueur. You can also use frozen leftover cranberry sauce for a frozen cosmo. Enjoy this festive drink over Thanksgiving weekend, or freeze some to enjoy on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, or any other winter holiday. Heck, save some for Valentine's Day (it's pink, why not?). Just because Thanksgiving is over doesn't mean the fun has to end. Keep things flavorful and festive all winter long.

My family is all about Thanksgiving leftovers in the form of a sandwich. Ever since Ross from the show "Friends" discussed the "moist-maker," I've been hooked. For those of you who haven't seen the episode, he describes a slice of gravy-soaked bread that goes in the middle of a Thanksgiving leftovers sandwich to keep it from drying out. And there is no reason that we can't all adopt this brilliant sandwich hack. You can also keep your Thanksgiving sandwich from getting dry by making a gravy and onion-based dipping sauce. Anyhow, with all of this fear of dry sandwiches, it's also important to remember that every sandwich should have a sauce. Perhaps even drip when picked up. And for your Thanksgiving sandwich, consider a cranberry-based mayonnaise.

Making your own cranberry mayonnaise is quick and simple. Just about any form of cranberry sauce can be used, whether you've opted for garlic, broth, celery, or even chipotle as a star ingredient. Simply mix one part cranberry sauce with two parts mayonnaise. Stir until it's completely combined, and spread it onto your sandwich bread. It adds the perfect hint of sweetness to balance the savory meat and helps to bring moisture to the sandwich, even if you're using a "moist-maker" layer of gravy-soaked bread. A sandwich can never be too flavorful or too saucy.

There are endless delicious fall ice cream flavors to choose from, ranging from pumpkin spice to toasted hazelnut. Many of these flavors include warming spices, reserving fruit-flavored ice cream for the warmer months. However, there are a few fall and winter fruits that tend to make an appearance in later-month ice cream flavors, including pears, apples, and cranberries. If you make your own no-churn ice cream at home, then consider using up your leftover cranberry sauce as a flavoring ingredient. Chunky cranberry sauce is fine, and even encouraged. Walnuts and other nuts are okay, but avoid a cranberry sauce with too many salty or umami flavors like celery or garlic.

If you don't make your own ice cream at home, then consider making a cranberry milkshake with vanilla ice cream and leftover cranberry sauce. You could even dollop cranberry sauce on your ice cream sundae, topped with candied nuts and cinnamon. Cranberry sauce can top chocolate, vanilla, sweet potato, cinnamon, and cardamom ice cream beautifully. Not only is it brilliantly bright and beautiful, but the sauce will offer ultra-tangy notes that can provide contrast with the silky smooth and fatty frozen dessert. That extra punch of flavor will go a long way, so a small amount should do the trick.

At its most basic, cranberry sauce is a palate cleanser. It's used like a chutney, to reset your palate after consuming the rich, fatty, and salty foods often associated with Thanksgiving dinner. Although we love eating 13 dishes all containing onions, butter, and starches galore, a little break is in order. That's why cranberry sauce is a must, but it can carry out its duty beyond Thanksgiving. There are plenty of heavy foods that could use a sidekick, so consider freezing your cranberry sauce for later use. Because you'll only need a small amount at a time, freeze it in muffin tins. Once frozen, crack them free and store them in a freezer bag with a label describing the contents and the date it was frozen. If you live alone or prefer a single-serve option, freeze your cranberry sauce in an ice cube tray.

Defrost your leftover cranberry sauce when you're about to enjoy a gamey meat. Gamey fowl, lamb, rabbit, elk, and duck all pair nicely with cranberry sauce. However, one of the best uses for a palate cleanser is with curry. Curry is sometimes served with a fruit chutney, similar to cranberry sauce, to help break up the monotonous and sometimes spicy flavoring. If you haven't explored the world of Indian curries, then it's time you have (with cranberry sauce by your side). Both meat and vegetarian curries could use a fruity, tangy, and refreshingly sweet sidekick, so don't even think about tossing out those leftovers.

In my humble opinion, there are a few things that we as a society need to stop wasting money on at the grocery store. So many foods can be made at home with little effort, and one of those is salad dressings. I've never found one that quite compares to the homemade version, even at its most basic. And if you've been relying on Hidden Valley to make your veggies sing, then it's time you started experimenting with your own concoctions. Vinaigrettes are a safe place to start, and there are countless ways to make your salad dressing pop. I like to blend fruits into my vinaigrettes to give them sweetness and fruity undertones, and cranberry sauce is a must-add ingredient over the holidays.

This is one of those rare opportunities where you can use practically any version of cranberry sauce you'd like. In fact, the more garlic and maple syrup, the better. Salads love the salty, savory, sweet combination, so there are no holds here. However, you'll want to be sure that the intensity of the dressing matches the ingredients you've selected for your salad. Typically, a rougher, darker leafy green like massaged kale can hold its own with a cranberry vinaigrette, along with roasted nuts, grilled squash, chopped apples, and other fall-time goodies. If you've made a raw cranberry sauce, feel free to mix it right into your salad and top with a different dressing altogether.

While topping pumpkin pie with whipped cream is classic, there are so many other festive toppings that go overlooked each Thanksgiving. Why serve up something typical when you can wow your guests with something a bit more creative? One of my favorite pumpkin pie toppings (besides whipped cream) is a small dollop of cranberry sauce. This fruity side gets used all Thanksgiving dinner and then goes ignored during dessert? Not on my watch!

You'll want to focus on a sweet and tangy sauce, omitting any savory flavors. However, a sweet and spicy combination works well, but may overpower the mellow pie. In fact, no matter what type of cranberry sauce you use, you'll want to use a small amount. It provides a great deal of contrast to the pumpkin filling, and can easily take over the dish with its dominating flavors. Then why use it at all? You may ask. Well, after filling up on potatoes, sweet potatoes, and roasted squash dishes, you may be seeking some variety. Cranberry sauce provides that while sticking to the sweet themes of dessert. Think of it like a mini palate cleanser for your dessert. Oh, so fancy.

It's a shame that cranberries seem to make a rare appearance only once a year. They are versatile, flavorful, unique, and beautifully bright, so why are we reserving them for Thanksgiving alone? There are endless marinades and glazes that could use a boost from a fruit like cranberry. Use any version of cranberry sauce you have, chunky, smooth, savory, spicy, or sweet. In fact, the more layers of flavor, the better. Just be sure the sauce doesn't overpower the meat.

Cranberry sauce will cover the sugars that typically find their way into marinades. You can certainly add more if you desire, but you'll want to include other components for balance. Choose a fat, like olive oil, an umami like miso or tamari, and herbs and spices. I like warming spices like garlic, cinnamon, allspice, or chili. Lastly, it's time to focus on acidity. Use apple cider vinegar, orange juice, or lime juice to help add a tang and tenderize the meat. Pair your marinade with poultry. If you'd prefer a glaze, consider using your cranberry sauce alongside pomegranate balsamic and enjoy it on salmon. This will be smoother, stickier, and read sweeter. Cranberries may overpower white fish, but they could be used on pork as well. You could even use the glaze or marinade on meaty vegetables like eggplant.

Many cranberry sauces are essentially jam. It may be chunkier and less sweet, but the basic texture is fairly similar in most cases. In fact, the two can be used in the same capacities. If you have leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving, and it's clean of any savory ingredients, consider using it to make a super seedy jam, using chia seeds. For this way of using leftover cranberry sauce, I like to get spicy. In particular, cinnamon is a wonderful warming spice to give this jam its own unique flair. You can also use orange zest and juice to create an even more dynamic flavor.

If you're using a canned cranberry sauce or a fairly gooey and reduced homemade sauce, there is not much more that needs to be done. I like to add a little extra sugar, preferably maple syrup, and then comes the star ingredient that literally holds it all together: chia seeds. Chia seeds will absorb all the liquid, creating a crunchy, seedy jelly, almost reminiscent of a raspberry jam. If you find the mixer becoming stiff, add more liquid, like orange juice, to thin it out. Those seeds will just keep on absorbing, even after the mixture is done cooking. You can toss the jam in the refrigerator when it's still fairly loose. This cranberry chia jam can be used on toast, oatmeal, in turnovers, or really any other place you'd enjoy jam.

There is something so relaxing about apple picking. It must be the smell of the orchard, the flannels, the fall breeze, and, of course, the mandatory apple cider donuts at the farm stand afterward. What seems like an all-afternoon-long activity often ends up taking just a few minutes to fill your bag. And then you're sitting at home with 25 apples to deal with. Hopefully, you like to bake. There's a reason everyone brings apple crisp to autumn potlucks. Instead of letting your apple crisp blend in with everyone else's, make it unique by mixing in your leftover cranberry sauce.

Only use an ultra-sweet sauce, but large chunks, raw chunks, and even walnuts are okay. The tartness and added sugars will be a welcome addition, and if added in moderation, won't garner too much competition with the apples. Use a few spoonfuls and let the sauce settle in between those layers of baked apples. Luckily, cranberries pair well with cinnamon, butter, maple syrup, oats, and any other classic apple crisp ingredients you might add. I like to glob the cranberry sauce in after the apples have been set, to add variety in each bite instead of mixing it in and creating consistency. However, follow your gut, measure with your heart, and enjoy a tangy-sweet apple and cranberry crisp.