Homemade Citrus Spiked Cranberry Sauce (Naturally Sweetened): Less than 5 minute prep, this easy dish will add the perfect zing to your Holiday meal. Plus it makes amazing leftover syrup and a great condiment for your turkey sandwiches.
Naturally Sweetened Citrus Spiked Cranberry Sauce
Call me crazy, but one of my favorite sides at Thanksgiving is the cranberry sauce.
Not the jiggly stuff from a jar, but sauce made with fresh cranberries.
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To me the tartness of this dish is the perfect balance to all the rich dishes served at Thanksgiving.
And it makes the perfect condiment to lefotver turkey sandwiches. Plus it is crazy good served over pancakes or waffles or stirred into Greek yogurt—-I always make a HUGE batch in order to guarantee leftovers!
And by making it myself, I can assure the quality of ingredients–no high fructose corn syrup here. Just pure maple syrup and orange juice concentrate to sweeten this baby naturally.
I love using 100% juice concentrate in recipes as sweeteners–it is 100% fruit and the flavors pair beautifully with so many dishes.
Did I mention this dish was easy?!
Cause you really don’t need to do anything involved on Thanksgiving day, right? There is already enough chaos in the kitchen.
Or maybe you were told to bring a dish to share and you are praying that running to the store and grabbing a can of cranberry sauce and a package of rolls will be enough to slide by. YOU CAN MAKE THIS DISH, in oh you know 2 minutes prep–uh, yeah, that is quicker than grabbing your keys to go to the store. And you will impress even your Great Aunt who likes to mumble about your lack of cooking skills.
So come on, impress the naysayers with this dish. You really can’t mess it up!
In fact, you can whip this up TODAY and put in your freezer to have one thing done for Thanksgiving. Gotta love checking off dishes in advance for less stress on the big day!
Homemade Citrus Spiked Cranberry Sauce (Naturally Sweetened)
An easy homemade cranberry sauce made with maple syrup and oranges.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate melted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup add additional syrup if you like things on the sweet side--I live for the tartness this dish provides!
Instructions
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Place all ingredients in saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes until berries have burst and juices are becoming thick.
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To Store: Cool and freeze in air tight container for up to 1 month ahead of use. Thaw in refrigerator the night before using.
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Sylvie | Gourmande in the Kitchen says
Love that this sauce goes easy on the sweetener and uses maple syrup instead of sugar!
Kristen Chidsey says
Sylvie, With all the Holiday goodies–we need to have a few dishes that are lighter in sugars! Plus, the tartness of this dish compliments the heavier meal perfectly. But still sweet enough my kids eat it plain 🙂
lindsay Cotter says
okay, so clever! and i love spiking food! haha. but the citrus sounds more friendly. 😉
Kristen Chidsey says
Maybe more kid friendly, but orange liquor would be fun too 😉
Christin@SpicySouthernKitchen says
Love that this recipe can be made so far in advance!
Kristen Chidsey says
It really does make Thanksgiving Day prep much easier!
Marye says
Oh yum! This sounds really good. I love the idea of using maple as a sweetener!
Kristen Chidsey says
It pairs perfectly with the fall flavors!
Cynthia | What A Girl Eats says
I love cranberry sauce! We usually have two or three different types at thanksgiving!
Kristen Chidsey says
Well, Thanksgiving is about having an overload of food, right?! 😉
Rachel @LittleChefBigAppetite says
This sounds AMAZING!
Kristen Chidsey says
Thanks Rachel, it is REALLY good!
rachel @ athletic avocado says
i love that this is easy-to-make and healthy! This would be amazing on some turkey 🙂
Kristen Chidsey says
Rachel, this is SO easy and tastes AMAZING on turkey sandwiches!
Claire says
This is just the best recipe for cranberry sauce.
My kids love it and I love it because it isn’t packed full of HFCS!!!
Plus soooooo simple to make and so much better than the canned stuff.
I am making a batch tomorrow ready for the freezer….anything to make the holiday season a bit easier 😀
Kristen Chidsey says
YAY!! I am SO glad you love this recipe. And way to get a jump on the Holiday seasons.
Trang says
Oh this will be so perfect for Thanksgiving. Love the addition of citrus, it gives it a little refreshing zing!
Kristen Chidsey says
The citrus is key!