10 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce (2024)

Cranberry Meatballs

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.

Cranberry BBQ Chicken

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.

Brie Cranberry and Chicken Pizza

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.

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Cranberry Crumb Pie

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.

Best Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins

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.

Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork

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.

Cranberry Swirl Coffee Cake

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.

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Cranberry Pot Roast by Michelle

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.

Apple Crisp with Cranberry Sauce

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.

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Banana Cranberry Bread

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.

• See more ideas for using cranberry leftovers.