Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice

Homemade Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice is a quick sauce that adds delicious cranberry flavor to your holiday meal. Make in just 15 minutes with 5 ingredients. Enjoy with your holiday dinner and use the leftovers as a spread for Thanksgiving sandwiches!

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!

Jump to:

• About Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
• Ingredients
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Instructions
• What to serve with Cranberry Sauce
• Recipe FAQs
• Storage
• Top Tip
• Related Recipes
• Did You Like This Recipe?
• 📖 Recipe

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.
• Tangerine juice - Use tangerine juice instead of orange juice for a tangy delicious twist.

Variations

• Reduced Sugar - use less sugar than called for and reduce the sauce longer so the mixture becomes saucy.
• 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.
• Pumpkin spice - Use a teaspoon of homemade pumpkin spice or homemade chai spice mix for a warm and aromatic flavor.

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, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Oven Baked Kabocha, Sautéed Green Beans, and Sautéed Crimini Mushrooms.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

Store leftover cranberry sauce with orange juice 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.

Related Recipes

Did You Like This Recipe?

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