12 Easy Recipes That Make the Most of Leftover Cranberry Sauce

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 Jalapeño Meatballs

“So easy and so delicious! I used prepared meatballs and added the meatball spices and jalapeño to the sauce and put it all in a crockpot.” —skrautpa

Cranberry-Barbecue Cocktail Sausages

Cocktail sausages are slow cooked with barbecue and cranberry sauce, lending seasonal sweetness to this two-bite crowd-pleaser.

Baked Turkey and Cranberry Sliders

These are a take on the popular baked ham and Swiss sliders with a holiday twist. They also taste great with leftover roasted turkey and French fried onions.

“These were SO good! Great way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.” — fabeveryday.

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.

Cranberry-Cheesecake Bars

These lemon cheesecake bars topped with sweetened cranberry sauce are perfect for using leftover cranberry sauce—and keeping the holiday flavors going.

“I took these to dinner and everyone loved them!! The recipe was very easy and simple to make.” —kristelite76

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.