Name: Orange Cranberry Sauce
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 3 cups cranberries (rinsed); 1 cup orange juice; 1/2 cup sugar (granulated); 1 cinnamon stick; the zest of one orange

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Our orange cranberry sauce recipe combines the tart, sweetness with the citrus freshness of orange juice. It is the perfect complement to any Thanksgiving, turkey, or chicken dinner and an easy way to jazz up ho hum cranberry sauce.

Orange cranberry sauce with a spoon and orange slice. — Ready to eat orange cranberry sauce.

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Look, I know there are people out there that absolutely love the can.

The can of cranberry sauce, that is.

I’m not one.

It jiggles and therefore it weirds me out.

I do, however, love the tart flavor and less jiggly texture of whole cranberry sauce.

Especially when it’s orange cranberry sauce.

That combination of bright citrus and tart cranberries cuts through the richness of a holiday meal and offers a little bit of a palate cleanser.

Which, of course, means more room for the almighty mashed potatoes and stuffing, am I right?

And when it’s as easy as boiling water to take those berries to the next level, why not give it a go?

Ingredients and Kitchen Supplies

Ingredients for orange cranberry sauce recipe: CInnamon stick, orange juice, orange zest, granulated sugar, and cranberries.

Here’s what you need to make orange & cranberry sauce:

Fresh Cranberries – The good folks at Ocean Spray sell cranberries every year from about October to December in our grocery store. You may be able to use frozen, but this may change the consistency of the finished orange cranberry sauce.
Orange Juice – You can use your favorite brand and pulp. We used a “normal” orange juice variety. If you want the smoothest cranberry sauce, you may want to get pulp free orange juice.
Granulated Sugar – You need about half the amount of sugar using orange juice compared to making the cranberry sauce with water.
Cinnamon Stick – This is optional and gives the orange cranberry sauce some added flavor. You can skip it altogether.
Orange Zest – Another optional ingredient, this can add a bit of extra freshness to the cranberry sauce.

You do not need any fancy equipment, just get out your:

How to Make Our Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe

1. Measure and dump.

Orange & cranberry sauce is about as easy as measure out the ingredients and dump it into a small pot.

Cranberries, sugar, and a cinnamon stick used to make orange cranberry sauce. — Add all the ingredients to a pot.

Add your cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and cinnamon stick to your pot.

2. Cook the cranberry sauce.

Cranberries, cinnamon stick, and sugar in a pot.

Heat the pot over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissovles.

Zesting an orange into orange cranberry sauce. — Zest the orange directly into the

Cranberries, sugar, orange juice, cinnamon sticks, and orange zest added to a pot. — Zest the orange directly into the

Add in the orange zest.

Allow the cranberries to cook, stirring occassionally.

Boiling orange cranberry sauce. — Bring to a fast simmer.

As they cook, they will start to burst and releae their juices.

Hot orange cranberry sauce shown in a pot and how it slowly refills an opening. — Its ready when the sauce slowly fills a hole.

Keep cooking for about 10 minutes or until the sauce does not immediately fill a line left by scraping a spatula across the bottom.

3. Chill and serve.

Orange cranberry sauce in a clear bowl with orange slices, cinnamon sticks, and cranberries. — Orange & cranberry sauce ready to serve

Remove the sauce from heat when the cranberries have all burst and the sauce has begun to thicken some.

The sauce will thicken as it cools.

Serve it warm or cooled.

Serving

Orange cranberry sauce compliments turkey and chicken with all the other fixings you’d associate with a big Thanksgiving meal.

If you are building out a Thanksgiving dinner, you can pair this cranberry sauce with:

If you want to save some space on your stove but still want to make a homemade cranberry sauce recipe, check out this Instant Pot cranberry sauce recipe.

Storing

Orange cranberry sauce lends itself well to making ahead, so it is one less thing you have to worry about on the big day.

To store, cover tightly and place in the fridge for up to about 3 to 4 days.

Keep in mind, if you make it too far ahead, it may not last as long as your other leftovers made the day of your meal.

We have not tried to freeze this specific recipe, but you can freeze it in an air tight container for up to 6 months.

To serve, allow it to thaw and then either served chilled or warmed in the microwave.

Tips and Tricks

When the cranberries are cooking, they will pop. As they pop, they will splatter so be aware. The splatters will be hot and you want to try to avoid getting hit by them.
This orange cranberry sauce recipe uses less sugar than the classic recipe because the orange juice already is sweeter than water, which would be the traditional liquid. If you want the sauce to be sweeter, add more sugar. You can add up to a cup of sugar total in this.
The cinnamon stick is optional but does add a nice warm background of cinnamon flavor without it being overpowering.
You’ll know the sauce is done when it thickens to the point where when you run your spoon through it, the sauce will hold its form to make a little path through it in the pot.
The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.

Other Recipes with Cranberries

Have some leftover cranberries? Try these recipes:

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