Valentina Ablaev
This homemade cranberry orange sauce is a fall favorite! Our cranberry orange sauce recipe uses fresh cranberries to make the most delicious homemade sauce. Add on top of your Thanksgiving turkey and enjoy this holiday favorite.
Whenever cranberries are in season we bake all things cranberries. This sauce along with our homemade cranberry muffins and our favorite white chocolate chip cookies are some of our favorites featuring the cranberries.
This homemade cranberry orange sauce is so easy to make! Though many love the canned jellied cranberry sauce, nothing beats fresh cranberry sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Holiday classic. Take your thanksgiving dinner to the next level with this cranberry sauce from scratch.
- Healthier alternative. The canned cranberry sauce is full of preservatives and crazy amounts of sugar. Homemade gives you a healthier alternative so you have one less thing to worry about this holiday season.
- Easy cooking. This easy cranberry sauce comes together in less than 20 minutes.
Ingredients for Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Cranberries – fresh cranberries are perfect for this homemade cranberry sauce.
- Sugar – sweetens and thickens the sauce.
- Fresh oranges – fresh orange juice brings a freshness to this sauce.
- Lemon zest – adds the perfect acidity to the cranberry sauce.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Sauce from Scratch
- In a medium saucepan heat the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, and lemon zest and cook on medium heat.
- Stir until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries begin to pop.
- Turn heat to med/low and simmer an additional 15 minute or until the sauce thickens. Serve warm or cooled.
Expert Tip for Perfect Cranberry Sauce
Don’t skip the sugar. It may seem like this recipe calls for a lot of sugar but, with the tarte cranberries, orange, and lemon, the sauce has a lot of tarte components. The sugar balances all that tangy flavor and also acts as a thickening agent!
Serving Suggestions
- Classic combo: Cranberry sauce is a must with classic thanksgiving roast turkey or a baked honey ham, and of course, you can’t forget easy creamy mashed potatoes.
- Christmas dinner: Cranberry sauce doesn’t have to only be featured at thanksgiving. Include the cranberry sauce alongside all your favorite side dishes.
- Sandwiches: A combination you wouldn’t expect would be so delicious! Recreate our turkey bacon tomato sandwich and elevate it with a schmear of cranberry sauce!
- As dessert: Leftover cranberry sauce can be used in so many ways! Add to a stack of soft homemade pancakes for a delicious flavor combination.
Recipe FAQs
Frozen cranberries can be used for this recipe. We recommend to let them thaw overnight so that the cranberries cook evenly.
You can take out the sugar and substitute it with honey or maple syrup.
Cranberry sauce can be enjoyed warm or cold!
This cranberry sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and zesty!
Store & Reheat
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge.
- Reheat. You can enjoy the cranberry sauce cold or warm it up in the microwave.
- Freeze. Store the cranberry orange sauce for longer by freezing it! Place the cooled sauce in a freezer-safe bag and store for up to 3 months. Reheat: Thaw the cranberry sauce overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in the microwave or the stovetop.
More Recipes
If you enjoyed this cranberry orange recipe, be sure to try our other popular holiday recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this cranberry orange sauce recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Easy Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh cranberries
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup orange juice
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 tsp lemon zest
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan heat cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, and zest.
- Stirring frequently so sugar dissolves, cook until the cranberries begin to burst open.
- Turn heat to med/low and cook an additional 15 minute or until the sauce thickens up.
- Enjoy the cranberry sauce warm or keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
-
- Don’t skip the sugar. It may seem like this recipe calls for a lot of sugar but, with the tarte cranberries, orange, and lemon, the sauce has a lot of tarte components. The sugar balances all that tangy flavor and also acts as a thickening agent.
- Storage. Store leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge.
- Reheat. You can enjoy the cranberry sauce cold or warm it up in the microwave.
