Cranberry Orange Sauce

Name: Cranberry Orange Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 205 min
Ingredients: 1 large orange, zested (about 2 teaspoons) (($0.86)); 1/4 cup orange juice (($0.14)); 12 oz whole fresh cranberries (($0.99)); 1/8 tsp cinnamon (($0.02)); 1/4 cup brown sugar (($0.09))

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This cranberry orange sauce is a combination of tangy, sweet, fresh, and delicious. Serve it warm or cold. Perfect for holiday gatherings!

cranberry orange sauce with orange half and berries to the side

We love adding fresh cranberry sauce to our holiday dinners. It adds a burst of bright color to the table and gives us something traditional to look forward to.

I like eating this cranberry sauce both warm and cold, but I have to say warm is my favorite of the two. Something about it being served warm next to some turkey or ham just feels right.

Of course using leftovers of this cranberry sauce with orange juice for recipes like sandwiches, casseroles, or cheesecake filling are also great ideas.

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🥘 Ingredients
🍽 Equipment Needed
🍴 Recipe Tips
💭 FAQs
🔪 Instructions
📖 Recipe

🥘 Ingredients

Whole Orange
Cranberries
Brown Sugar
Cinnamon

🍽 Equipment Needed

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Saucepan
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups

up close view of cranebrry orange sauce with an orange swirl

🍴 Recipe Tips

I love my cranberries to be whole in sauce, but others enjoy it mashed. While some berries will naturally burst throughout the cooking process and become mashed, others will be pretty whole in shape.

You can mash yours using the backside of a fork or a potato masher if desired. This depends on how you want the texture in this cranberry sauce recipe with orange juice to become. Less mashing means more whole berries and vice versa.

Also, cranberries naturally thicken liquids so if your cranberry sauce feels runny for whatever reason, continue cooking, and mash a few berries down. That should solve any of those issues.

a bowl of cranberry orange sauce with scattered berries and orange slices around it

💭 FAQs

What's the difference between cranberry sauce and cranberry relish?

Cranberry sauce is a sweetened and cooked mixture of cranberries served whole or smashed. Cranberry relish is a fresh (usually uncooked) mixture of cranberries and ingredients that have been pulverized in a blender or food processor and is more tart in flavor.

Can I use white sugar for cranberry sauce?

Absolutely! I like the molasses in brown sugar and how it rounds out the tartness from the berries, but white sugar works great too!

How long is cranberry sauce good for?

Homemade cranberry sauce can actually be held in the fridge for up to 2 weeks! Just keep stored in an airtight container in the fridge and use it whenever the mood strikes. This is also good news if you planned on making this cranberry orange sauce recipe in advance of a dinner party.

ornage sauce ingredients in saucepan with whole cranberries scattered around

cranberries added to saucepan with orange sauce

🔪 Instructions

Check out how to make cranberry orange sauce with these simple step-by-step instructions:

Zest about 2 teaspoons of orange zest off of your fresh orange and then squeeze out ¼ cup of fresh orange juice.
Over medium heat, combine your orange zest, juice, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a saucepan until dissolved.
Add in the fresh cranberries and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
Let cool completely and serve warm or chill for 3 hours before serving.

cranberry orange sauce on a spoon with a bowl with more inside right behind it

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5 from 1 vote