This cranberry orange sauce is a combination of tangy, sweet, fresh, and delicious. Serve it warm or cold. Perfect for holiday gatherings!
Recipe: $3.26 | Per Serving: $0.54 | Servings: 6
Cranberry sauce is a cherished holiday staple, bringing vibrant color and nostalgic tradition to the table. Our recipe balances the sweetness of fresh orange with the tartness of cranberries, creating a delightful burst of flavor that surpasses canned varieties.
It serves as a refreshing complement to rich holiday dishes, adding both visual bright colors and tangy flavors. If you love cranberry orange together, then you'll also love our Cranberry Orange Sourdough Bread and Cranberry Orange Bagels!
Crafting this sauce is effortless, making it accessible to all cooks. Prepare it in advance and refrigerate until serving time for added convenience.
Pair it with our Juicy Oven Roasted Dry Brined Turkey and other Thanksgiving classics like No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake and Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Carrots for a memorable holiday feast.
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- It's great hot or cold. 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.
- Leftover sauce is okay! You can use leftovers of this cranberry sauce with orange juice for recipes like sandwiches, casseroles, or cheesecake filling are also great ideas.
- Minimal ingredients. You only need 4 ingredients to make this homemade cranberry sauce. From the fresh cranberries to the fresh orange, this recipe is simple, basic, and truly delicious.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Whole Orange- For added freshness, you'll need an orange. This will give us some zest and some juice.
Cranberries- Use fresh cranberries (frozen ones are okay too!) If you have more cranberries try making some Cranberry Pecan Shortbread Cookies and Cranberry White Chocolate Cheesecake!
Brown Sugar- Sweeten up the cranberry sauce and give it a nice depth of flavor with some brown sugar.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Cranberry Orange Sauce
Step 1: Zest about 2 teaspoons of orange zest off of your fresh orange and then squeeze out ¼ cup of fresh orange juice.
Step 2: Over medium heat, combine your orange zest, juice, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a saucepan until dissolved.
Step 3: Add in the fresh cranberries and bring to a boil.
Step 4: Reduce the heat and let them simmer for 15 minutes until thickened.
Step 5: Let cool completely and serve warm or chill for 3 hours before serving.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Texture Preferences- Some people like their cranberry sauce with whole berries, while others prefer it mashed.
- Mashing Options- You can use a fork or a potato masher to change the texture. If you mash it less, you'll have more whole berries. If you mash it more, it will be smoother.
- Thickening Naturally- Cranberries naturally make liquids thicker. If your sauce is too runny, keep cooking it and mash some berries to make it thicker.
💭 Recipe FAQs
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 are more tart in flavor.
Absolutely! I like the molasses in brown sugar and how it rounds out the tartness from the berries, but white sugar works great too!
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 plan on making this cranberry orange sauce recipe in advance of a dinner party.
❤️ More Delicious Side Dish Recipes
If you tried this Cranberry Orange Sauce, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons orange zest ($0.88)
- ¼ cup orange juice ($0.02)
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon ($0.01)
- ¼ cup brown sugar ($0.11)
- 12 ounces whole fresh cranberries ($2.24)
Instructions
- Zest orange and squeeze juice.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, combine orange zest, orange juice, cinnamon, and brown sugar until dissolved.
- Add in cranberries and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes or until thickened.
- Let cool completely and serve warm, or chill in the fridge for 3 hours before serving.
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