Cranberry Orange Sauce

Made with only 5 ingredients and in less than 30 minutes, Cranberry Orange Sauce is the best recipe for homemade cranberry sauce! Sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with bright citrus notes, this easy recipe will add the perfect zing to your Holiday meal, without being cloyingly sweet.

Cranberry Sauce is a must for Thanksgiving Dinner! Pair with Turkey Breast, Old Fashioned Stuffing, and Creamy Mashed Potatoes for a complete feast your entire family will devour.

Call me crazy, but one of my favorite sides at Thanksgiving is the cranberry sauce. Not the jiggly stuff from a jar, but homemade cranberry sauce made with fresh cranberries. To me, the tartness of this dish is the perfect balance to all the rich dishes served at Thanksgiving.

When fresh cranberries are paired with oranges--PERFECTION.

This recipe for Cranberry Orange Sauce is made with just 5 ingredients. It is simple, wholesome, and creates the perfect balance of flavors. The tart cranberries are mellowed out by sweet maple syrup and citrus adds a zing of bright flavor.

This recipe is not only a must for the holiday meal, it also makes the perfect condiment to leftover turkey sandwiches or is great served over pancakes or waffles. You better believe I make a HUGE batch just to guarantee leftovers!

Ingredients Needed

• Cranberries: Use fresh or frozen cranberries. During the holidays, fresh cranberries are much less expensive than frozen cranberries.
• Orange Zest: The zest of fresh oranges adds such a concentration of orange flavor. Be sure to wash and dry your oranges well and remove only the bright orange rind--stop zesting when you see white--that part of the orange is bitter.
• Orange juice Concentrate: I opt to use orange juice concentrate instead of fresh orange juice because it is concentrated the sweetness and flavor are very intense. This natural sweetness and orange flavor pair beautifully with the cranberries and makes a delicious, perfectly sweetened sauce without the need for adding as much sugar. You can use the juice from the fresh oranges
• Maple syrup: Maple syrup is not only a natural sweetener, but the smokey, rich flavor of the maple syrup goes a long way to sweeten and add flavor to the cranberry sauce. Feel free to use granulated sugar or honey in place of the maple syrup.
• Cinnamon: Cinnamon is optional, but adds warmth and flavor to the final result.

How to Make Cranberry Sauce

The real beauty in this recipe is that it only takes 2 minutes of prep work to have homemade cranberry sauce--which is JUST about as easy as opening a can, but tastes a whole lot better!

It is as easy as dumping the ingredients into a stock pan and stirring every little bit while it simmers--super simple! Just be sure to simmer on low heat and stir occasionally to prevent the cranberry sauce from burning.

Preparing in Advance

Cranberry Sauce is a great dish to prep in advance. And if you are like me, prepping as many dishes in advance helps make pulling off Thanksgiving dinner much less stressful.

Prepare the cranberry sauce as the recipe states and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 2 months. Serve cold or warmed slightly.

Recipe Tips and FAQs

• If you would like to replace the orange juice concentrate with the juice of fresh oranges, simply zest the oranges and then cut the orange open to squeeze the juice out. You will need at least ¼ cup of fresh orange juice. You will also need to add ¼ cup of additional water and an additional 2-4 tablespoons of sweetener, depending on how sweet you like your cranberry sauce.
• If you would like a thicker sauce, simply simmer a bit longer. For a thinner sauce, simmer for less time, or add in up to ¼ cup of water when simmering.
• If you prefer a smooth cranberry sauce, blend the sauce after simmering. Just be sure to open the lid on the blender to allow steam to escape.

More Thanksgiving Side Dishes

• Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
• Homemade Applesauce
• Harvest Quinoa Salad
• Twice Baked Butternut Squash
• Green Bean Casserole
• Stuffed Acorn Squash

Cranberry Orange Sauce is one of my family's favorite Thanksgiving recipes. I hope you enjoy as much and would love for you to leave a review below. 

Cranberry Orange Sauce

An easy homemade cranberry sauce made with maple syrup and oranges. 

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 68kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pound fresh cranberries
• ▢ ½ cup orange juice concentrate defrosted
• ▢ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 2 tablespoons maple syrup see notes
• ▢ 1 teaspoon orange zest optional

Instructions

• 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, watching to be sure liquid does not evaporate. (If it does, add in ¼ cup water at a time.) 
• Stir in orange zest if using. 
• Cool and store in fridge for up to 5 days or freeze in air tight container for up to 2 months ahead of use. Thaw in refrigerator the night before using.

Notes

• This is a thick style cranberry sauce, if you would like a thinner sauce, add in ½ cup water. 
• Feel free to use an additional 2 tablespoon of maple syrup for a sweeter cranberry sauce. 
• You can substitute honey or granulated sugar for the maple syrup if desired. 
• Be sure to watch your cranberry sauce closely as it comes to a boil, because of the natural sugars in the orange juice concentrate and maple syrup, it can burn quickly. Turn to a low simmer IMMEDIATELY once sauce comes to a boil.
• If you would like to replace the orange juice concentrate with the juice of fresh oranges, simply zest the oranges and then cut the orange open to squeeze the juice out. You will need at least ¼ cup of fresh orange juice. You will also need to add ¼ cup of additional water and an additional 2-4 tablespoons of sweetener, depending on how sweet you like your cranberry sauce. 
•  

Nutrition

Calories: 68kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 0.2mg

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