This Cranberry Orange Sauce uses just 5 simple ingredients and puts any store-bought canned sauce to shame. It’s sweet and tangy, flavored with orange juice and orange zest, and makes a delicious quick and easy side for any classic holiday dinner.
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Homemade Cranberry Sauce Recipe
If you have never made homemade cranberry sauce, we highly recommend you give it a try. It’s a breeze to make and oh-so-delicious. We make this cranberry sauce recipe with orange zest to give it a bright flavor and make it a little more special for the holidays, but you can feel free to nix the orange if you would rather have plain cranberry sauce. Below, we have also listed a variety of flavors to try if you would like.
You can even use fresh or frozen cranberries and make this Cranberry Orange Sauce ahead of time - it is destined to become one of your new holiday staples!
What To Do With Leftover Cranberry Sauce
If you find yourself with leftover Cranberry Orange Sauce, consider yourself lucky! At our house, it doesn’t usually last long - even if we have doubled the recipe.
Other than serving alongside a protein for dinner, here are a few of our favorite uses for leftover cranberry sauce:
- Spooned over waffles, Classic French Toast or Buttermilk Pancakes.
- Swirled into ice cream.
- Used to top No-Bake Cheesecake or this Orange Cheesecake.
- Eaten as a parfait with yogurt and our Easy Homemade Granola.
- Spread over a toasted bagel or slice of toasted Homemade White Bread.
- Blended into a fruit smoothie.
- Mixed into Cream Cheese Caramel Apple Dip.
Ingredients in Cranberry Orange Sauce
- Cranberries - you can use fresh cranberries or frozen. We prefer fresh, but frozen will work great too.
- Sugar - regular granulated sugar works best.
- Orange Juice - we used fresh since you will also need orange zest. If you would rather make this sauce plain cranberry, you can omit the orange juice and substitute more water.
- Water
- Orange Zest - use an orange zester, making sure to get only the zest and none of the white pith which is bitter.
How to Make Homemade Cranberry Sauce With Orange Juice
- In a medium saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 8 minutes or the cranberries have burst.
- Remove from the heat and let the Cranberry Orange Sauce cool for about an hour before serving.
- You can also make this ahead of time, keep in the refrigerator and then warm slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Yes! To freeze, make sure to cool completely and then transfer to freezer bags or another type of airtight container. You can store frozen for up to 2 months.
To reheat, all you need to do is transfer to a pot or skillet and reheat over medium low. Once completely thawed, you may want to simmer for a few minutes to evaporate a bit of the extra water that comes from freezing.
We love the simplicity of this 5 ingredient recipe, but sometimes it’s nice to spice things up (literally!). Some ideas for variations would be:
-Cinnamon Sticks
-Crystallized Ginger (minced)
-Apples (peeled and diced)
-Nuts (walnuts and pecans)
-Bourbon or Red Wine
-Dried Fruit (cherries and cranberries would taste great)
Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 oz Cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 Cup Sugar
- ⅓ Cup Orange Juice
- ⅓ Cup Water
- 1 Tablespoon Orange zest
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, water, and orange zest. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 8 minutes or the cranberries have burst.
- Remove from the heat and let the Cranberry Orange Sauce cool for about an hour before serving.
- You can also make this ahead of time, keep in the refrigerator and then warm slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are some other delicious Thanksgiving recipes that we love!
- Crockpot Turkey Breast with 3 Citrus Marinade
- Herb-Crusted Top Round Roast
- Crockpot Mashed Potatoes
- Oven-Roasted Green Beans
- Ham and Cheddar Cheese Ball
- Zucchini Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting
- No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!
This Cranberry Orange Sauce is sweet and tangy, quick and easy, and makes a delicious side at any holiday dinner. It uses just 5 simple ingredients and puts any store bought canned sauce to shame.
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