Homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce
This homemade cranberry orange sauce is an easy holiday side dish made with fresh cranberries, orange juice, sugar and orange zest. It cooks in minutes, thickens as it cools, and has the perfect tart-sweet flavour for Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas dinner, baked ham, roast chicken, and holiday leftovers.
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Microplane or zester for the orange zest
- Citrus juicer, optional
- Small bowl for rinsed cranberries
- Airtight container for storing the cranberry sauce
Ingredients
- 12 oz cranberries fresh and rinsed
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup orange juice
- ¼ cup water
- 1 tsp orange zest
- ¼ tsp cinnamon optional
- 1 Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Add the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, orange zest, cinnamon and salt to a medium saucepan.
- Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring often.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cranberries start to pop and the sauce thickens.
- Mash a few cranberries with the back of a spoon if you want a thicker, jammy cranberry sauce.
- Remove from the heat and let it cool. The sauce will thicken more as it sits.
- Serve chilled, room temperature or slightly warm.
For the best homemade cranberry orange sauce, let it cool completely before serving. The sauce may look a little thin when it first comes off the stove, but as it chills, the cranberries release their natural pectin and the sauce becomes thicker, glossier and more spoonable. This makes it a perfect make-ahead Thanksgiving side dish or Christmas cranberry sauce for turkey, ham, roast chicken and holiday leftovers.
Notes
- This homemade cranberry orange sauce thickens as it cools, so do not worry if it looks a little loose when it first comes off the stove. After chilling, it becomes glossy, spoonable and more jammy.
- Fresh cranberries are best for this easy cranberry sauce recipe. Rinse them first and remove any berries that look soft, wrinkled or bruised.
- The cranberries will pop as they cook. That is exactly what you want. Once most of the berries have burst, the sauce will start to thicken naturally.
- Orange juice and orange zest give this cranberry orange sauce a bright, fresh flavour that balances the tart cranberries. It makes the sauce taste homemade without needing many ingredients.
- For a thicker whole berry cranberry sauce, simmer a few minutes longer and gently mash some of the cranberries with the back of a spoon.
- For a chunkier sauce, stop cooking once most of the cranberries have popped but some berries are still holding their shape. I like that texture because it looks more rustic and homemade.
- This is a great make-ahead Thanksgiving side dish because the flavour improves after a few hours in the fridge. Overnight is even better.
- Serve this holiday cranberry sauce with more than just turkey. It goes beautifully with Thanksgiving turkey, Christmas ham, roast chicken, pork tenderloin, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cheese boards and leftover sandwiches.
- If the sauce tastes too tart, stir in an extra tablespoon or two of sugar while it is still warm. Cranberries can vary, so a little tasting near the end helps.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and use them through the week for holiday leftovers, turkey sandwiches, toast, biscuits or a quick festive cheese board.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 99kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.03gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 66mgFiber: 2gSugar: 22gVitamin A: 58IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 7mgIron: 0.1mg
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