Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice is a quick and simple sauce that adds delicious cranberry flavor to your holiday meal and comes together in just 15 minutes. This recipe only requires cranberries, orange juice, water, sugar, and cinnamon sticks.
While cranberry sauce is not necessarily the star of the Thanksgiving spread, it definitely plays an important role. Not only does it add a festive color to the plate, but it also adds sweetness to a very savory meal.
This homemade cranberry sauce with orange is also easy to make, so there's no need to purchase pre-made or canned cranberry sauce with additives. This homemade citrusy cranberry sauce will brighten up your Thanksgiving meal!
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About Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
- Taste - Its sweet and tart flavor pairs perfectly with the Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing, making for an umami-packed bite.
- Texture - The sauce is thick but spreadable with chunks of tender cranberries.
- Effort - This easy sauce has just a few steps. Just dissolve the sugar, cook the cranberries, let it cool, then enjoy!
- Time - It takes under 20 minutes to make this delicious sauce.
Ingredients
- Fresh Cranberries - The perfect berry for Thanksgiving sauce because they are the perfect balance of tart and sweet.
- Sugar - Adds the signature sweetness of the cranberries and gives the cranberry sauce its signature sweet taste.
- Fresh Orange Juice - Provides the hint of orange flavor to the sauce and dissipates any bitterness from the cranberries.
- Orange Peel - Adds an extra kick of orange flavor.
- Cinnamon sticks - Cinnamon adds a warm, fall flavor to the sweet and tart flavors in the cranberry sauce.
Substitutions
- Lemon zest or peel - Replace orange peel with lemon zest or peel if you want the cranberry sauce to be more citrusy and tart.
- Water - Replace orange juice with equal cups water if you want the orange flavor to be more mild.
- Brown Sugar - Replace ½ cup sugar with ½ cup brown sugar to add the rich, caramel signature flavor of brown sugar to the sauce.
Variations
- Reduced Sugar - use less sugar than called for, then taste to add more as needed.
- Cinnamon Sticks - If you want to add more cinnamon to the dish, add one more cinnamon stick before you begin cooking the orange cranberry sauce.
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar on low heat - Add sugar, orange juice, and water to a saucepan on medium heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.
- Cook cranberries - Add the cranberries and cinnamon sticks to the sauce pan and stir the ingredients until coated with the sugar mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. The cranberries will burst and will form a sauce.
- Remove sauce from heat to thicken - Remove cranberry sauce from heat and stir, allowing the sauce to thicken. The sauce will thicken as it cools down.
- Refrigerate then serve - Once the cranberry sauce cools, refrigerate then place in a serving bowl when ready. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, an orange peel, or orange zest.
What to serve with Cranberry Sauce
If you want to make this orange cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving or just a family meal, check out these classic Thanksgiving recipes: Rolled Turkey Roulade, Turkey Au Jus Gravy, Maple Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta, and Herb and Mushroom Dressing.
If you want a California Thanksgiving meal check out these recipes: Dutch Oven Whole Roasted Chicken, Miso Mashed Potatoes with Miso Butter, Harvest Quinoa Salad with Arugula, Maple Roasted Kabocha, Sautéed Green Beans with Furikake, and Sautéed Mushrooms with White Wine.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Cranberry and orange is a surprisingly tasty combination. The tartness of the cranberries and sweetness of the orange juice create a uniquely rich and bright flavor.
Besides a richer and fresher flavor, this homemade cranberry sauce is healthier than most store-bought cranberry sauce.
If you are concerned about the thickness of your sauce, try adding a little more sugar or add a little pectin (naturally thickener already found in cranberries).
After you cook the cranberries and stir it, it will thicken into a thick and jammy sauce. Don't forget it will also get thicker as it cools!
Yes, leftover cranberry sauce tastes delicious cold in a thanksgiving leftover sandwich or with vanilla bean ice cream.
Equipment
This cranberry sauce recipe requires common kitchen essentials. You need a measuring cup, orange juicer, skillet or non-stick pan, a wooden spoon; and a serving bowl.
Storage
Store leftover cranberry sauce in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the sauce for up to 2 months. Enjoy leftover cranberry sauce cold or reheat it in a pan on the stove or microwave it in a microwave safe container until warm.
Top Tip
To garnish cranberry sauce, take strip of orange peel and wrap it around chopstick or skewer. Let it sit and form a curl while you prepare the cranberry sauce. Once cranberry sauce is ready to serve, garnish the sauce with the curled peel.
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Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
Ingredients
Cranberry Sauce with Orange
- 3 cups Fresh cranberries or 1 12oz bag of fresh cranberries
- 1 cup Sugar
- ¾ cup Water
- ¼ cup Fresh orange juice
- 2 Cinnamon sticks or ½ teaspoon cinnamon
For serving
- Strip of orange peel optional
- Orange zest optional
- Cinnamon sticks optional
Instructions
- Dissolve sugar on low heat - Add sugar, orange juice, and water to a saucepan on medium heat. Cook until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.1 cup Sugar, ¼ cup Fresh orange juice, ¾ cup Water
- Cook cranberries - Add the cranberries and cinnamon sticks to the sauce pan and stir the ingredients until coated with the sugar mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. The cranberries will burst and will form a sauce.3 cups Fresh cranberries, 2 Cinnamon sticks
- Remove sauce from heat to thicken - Remove cranberry sauce from heat and stir, allowing the sauce to thicken. The sauce will thicken as it cools down.
- Refrigerate then serve - Once the cranberry sauce cools, refrigerate then place in a serving bowl when ready. Garnish with cinnamon sticks, an orange peel, or orange zest.2 Cinnamon sticks, Strip of orange peel, Orange zest
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