If you haven’t sampled our leftover cranberry sauce muffins before then you’re in for a treat! This delectable mashup of croissant-meets-muffin is so delicious.

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This delectable mashup of croissant-meets-muffin will both use up your leftovers and offer a tasty treat your whole family will love.

These may be called “cruffins” in some circles. You can call them that if you want, as long as you promise to try whole berry cranberry sauce muffins at least once in your life.

You won’t be sorry.

Bake cranberry muffins with leftover cranberry sauce

There’s really no wrong or right way to use your leftover cranberry sauce when adding it to your baking recipes. Some recipes will call for up to a cup of whole berry cranberry sauce but you can use as much or little as you like.

In these leftover cranberry sauce muffins you’ll use it more as a thin filling since we’re baking with prepared crescent roll dough.

You’ve probably tried other fillings like apple or cherry and cranberry will have a similar sweet-yet-tart appeal.

These leftover cranberry sauce muffins are truly quick and easy to make and you may find yourself finding excuses to have leftover cranberry sauce in your home, even without a holiday nearby!

Or maybe you’ll end up making fresh cranberry sauce just so you can have these awesome cranberry sauce muffins again. No judgment at all from here. I have even done that myself.

I have also been known to add in some extra orange zest on top of the cranberry sauce, inside the dough, before baked. Just because I always love a little extra orange flavor.

We make a homemade whole berry cranberry sauce with a hint or orange and cinnamon that is to die for. For years, I made it on the stove top and were always totally happy with the results.

Recently, we started making it inside our instant pot and I have to tell you I wish I did it so much sooner. Check out our great recipe right here, Easy Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce.

There’s nothing better than making these easy muffins using leftover cranberry orange sauce!

Ingredients for Leftover Cranberry Sauce Muffins

2 tubes of refrigerated crescent rolls
¼ cup leftover cranberry sauce, use extra cranberry sauce if desired
2-3 tablespoons flour - for rolling
powdered sugar for dusting, if desired

Leftover cranberry sauce muffins instructions

There is honestly no more satisfying way to deal with Thanksgiving leftovers than to bake something like these cranberry muffins with leftover cranberry sauce.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Open both cans of croissants and roll them out on a floured surface. Make sure the perforations are no longer there as best you can
Spread the cranberry sauce on 1 layer of dough
Top with the second layer of crescent roll dough
Starting at one end, firmly roll up dough
Make 5 slices into your log so you end up with 6 cruffins
Place each roll in a prepared muffin tray or tin with cooking spray
Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown
Remove the cruffins from the oven and let cool. Top with powdered sugar, if desired
ENJOY!

Tips for muffins using leftover cranberry sauce

This is a straightforward recipe but there are a few things to keep in mind.

When spreading the leftover cranberry sauce on the crescent roll dough, stay away from the edges so the filling doesn’t spill out
Use whatever you have on hand for your leftover cranberry sauce but if you’re baking whole berry cranberry sauce muffins, try and mash the berries a bit
Want to add extra flavor to your leftover cranberry sauce muffins? Mix in some of your other favorite preserves
Looking for something completely different? Try our Coffee Doughnut Muffins, perfect for coffee drinkers!

Leftover cranberry sauce is versatile

Cranberry sauce is traditionally found on our North American Thanksgiving table spreads but what do you do with the leftovers?

The great thing about this sweet and sour sauce is it is so versatile. Don’t limit your cranberry sauce to turkey!

There are so many different leftover cranberry sauce recipes, muffins are only the beginning! It can be used in a wide variety of baked goods and recipes.

Here are some of my favorites. Hopefully you enjoy them as much as we do!

The Best Oven Roasted Turkey

Chicken and Stuffing Oven Bake

Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Beef Roast

Easy ways to use leftover sauce

You could just use it as a jam on your pancakes, bread and other pastries—and you may as well, it keeps for weeks and tastes great with peanut butter or cream cheese
You can also try heating it up and using it as a warm sauce on ice cream or cake. This is also delicious!
Try adding your leftover cranberry sauce to barbeque sauce or whipped cream. Sounds a bit weird, I know, but trust me when I say, it works!
And, of course, use leftover cranberry sauce in recipes

How long can you store leftover cranberry sauce?

If you store your leftover cranberry sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to three weeks. If you store it in an airtight container in the freezer it will keep longer—up to three months.

Homemade cranberry sauce makes great leftovers and freezes beautifully. When you’re ready to use it for your leftover cranberry sauce muffins, or whatever else strikes your fancy, just defrost the frozen leftover cranberry sauce overnight in the refrigerator.

Looking for whole fresh berries? Here’s what you need to know

There are four varieties of cranberries, although American is the most common in North America. You’ll know it by its bright red color and it’s most often used for juice.

Highbush cranberries are most often used in jams and sauces. This species is found all over North America, although you may be interested to learn this is not a “true” cranberry even though it both looks and tastes like one!

The other two varieties of cranberries are less common—European and Mountain.

Cranberries are almost 90 percent water and make great toppings, sauces and relishes. And, of course, they are most excellent when used in leftover cranberry sauce muffins.

Learn more about cranberries here.