Best Cranberry Orange Sauce

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This cranberry orange sauce is an absolute must have on your Thanksgiving dinner table.

It makes for the perfect side or accompaniment to your Thanksgiving turkey, and tastes so much better than canned sauce does!

If your family loves cranberry sauce, you definitely need to give this recipe a try. It smells amazing, is packed with nutrients, and is super easy to put together too!

Why I Love this Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe

I’m a big fan of homemade cranberry sauce, and this recipe brings all those delicious flavors of the Thanksgiving essential, but with a bit of a twist.

What’s best is the fact that this sauce comes together with just a few minutes of kitchen time and 4 simple ingredients to name.

Quite frankly, this has become my go to recipe, and I always make it in a double batch to store for later, and put to use in so many different ways.

Ingredients For the Cranberry Orange Sauce

You’ll need just 4 simple ingredients to make this fresh cranberry sauce.

• Orange juice 1\3 cup
• Orange zest
• Sugar or sugar powder  1/2 cup + 1 TBSP
• 4 1\2 cups fresh cranberries

How to Make the Cranberry Orange Sauce

Once you have all the ingredients ready, here’s what you’ll need to do to make this easy cranberry sauce.

Step 1: Prep the Ingredients

Prepare all ingredients. Extract the orange juice and zest.

Step 2: Combine the Sugar, Zest and Orange Juice

Mix juice, zest and sugar or powder in a medium saucepan.

Step 3: Cook Until the Sugar Dissolves

Boil until sugar or sugar powder dissolves. About 1-2 min

Step 4: Add the Cranberries

Add all the fresh whole cranberries.

Step 5: Cook Until the Sauce Thickens

Cook until the cranberries burst and the sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.

Step 6: Serve and Enjoy

Transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks to Make the Cranberry Orange Sauce

Before you jump right into the recipe, here are a few tips and tricks you might want to take note of.

• While it is best to let the original sweetness of the fresh cranberries shine though, if you really feel you need to bring some more sweetness into this cranberry sauce, you can add some granulated sugar or brown sugar into the sauce, and let it simmer for a few extra minutes on medium heat.
• If you want to use a healthier sweetener, you can use some more fresh orange juice or some maple syrup.
• You can also add some warm spices into the mix to elevate the flavors of this sauce. I love adding a couple of cinnamon sticks and some grated ginger into it. If you don’t have the cinnamon stick, you can use some ground cinnamon too!
• I love some texture to my cranberry sauce, so I’ve let the the cranberries stay chunky- more like a cranberry relish. If you want a smoother consistency, you can mash the cranberries using a potato masher.
• You can also blend the fresh cranberries in a food processor and then combining it with the orange juice and zest, stirring occasionally until it all comes together.
• If, during the cooking process, you find that your sauce isn’t as thick as you would want to it to be, you can turn down the heat and let it simmer for a few more minutes until the cranberries start to bread down. Remember that the mixture will thicken even more once the sauce cools down.
• When you’re adding orange zest into the sauce mixture, make sure you stick to adding only orange portion, and stop grating when you hit the white portion of the orange peel. This is the portion that is usually very bitter.

Can I Use Frozen Cranberries Instead of Fresh Cranberries?

Yes! You can use either fresh or frozen cranberries for this recipe- it really doesn’t matter.

Just remember to use fresh squeezed orange juice to make your homemade cranberry orange sauce. It is not only good for you in terms of nutritional value, but also lends the sauce that amazing orange flavor you’re looking for.

Dried cranberries, however, are not a great choice for this recipe, simply because they lack all the moisture and texture you’re looking for in this sauce.

Can I Use Leftover Cranberry Sauce For this Recipe?

You can! Start off with some canned cranberry sauce for this great recipe, and add sugar, orange juice and some orange zest and let it simmer on low heat for a few minutes.

Can I Freeze Cranberry Sauce?

If you have some leftovers after making this delicious sauce a part of your Thanksgiving feast, you can actually store it for later too.

You can transfer the sauce in an airtight container and refrigerate it for weeks, or in a freezer safe container and freeze it if you want it to last longer.

How Do I Serve the Cranberry Orange Sauce?

You can serve the cranberry orange sauce the classic way- on your Thanksgiving table with some roasted turkey and other sides.

This vibrant sauce can be used as a condiment for your turkey sandwiches or burgers. After a good old fashioned holiday meal, I always find myself utilizing the leftover turkey and turning it into a delicious turkey sandwich, which I can then pair with this delicious cranberry sauce.

You can also use this sauce as a spread on your morning toast with some cream cheese- the flavors blend together so beautifully!

More Sauce and Condiment Recipes

Go beyond trying your first homemade cranberry sauce, and give some more of these delicious sauces and condiments a shot!

• Hoisin Sauce Vs Oyster Sauce: A Detailed Guide
• CopyCat Chick Fil A Sauce: Secret Recipe
• Instant Pot Dulce De Leche: Caramel Sauce
• Instant Pot Meat Sauce
• Instant Pot Cranberry Sauce