Made with only five simple ingredients, this homemade Cranberry Orange Sauce is a must for your holiday menu. Bursting with flavour from the fresh juicy cranberries and orange juice, this sauce is the perfect balance of sweet and tart.
Olivia’s Personal Note
I’m here to settle the argument between using canned cranberry jelly sauce or making your own for the holidays.
Yes, canned cranberry sauce is convenient but this homemade cranberry orange sauce is going to impress your guests. Even better, it comes together so quickly and easily. It only takes a few minutes longer than searching for the can opener to open a can!
The flavours from the cranberry and orange juice are so bright and fresh, it’s the perfect accompaniment to any holiday meal you’re planning from roasted turkey breast recipe, roast turkey, chicken or pork, ham to reverse sear prime rib.
Also, this fresh cranberry sauce goes really well with other side dishes as well such as Potatoes au Gratin, gravy without drippings or my creamy mashed potatoes.
And if you have leftovers of this fresh cranberry orange sauce recipe, you can spread it on some bread with some sliced turkey or slice and it makes for an amazing Thanksgiving leftover sandwich! Trust me, this cranberry orange sauce recipe takes 15 minutes to cook on the stove and it’s worth the “effort.”
Key Ingredients You’ll Need:
All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Fresh Cranberries: Always rinse your cranberries under cold water before using. After testing this recipe with both fresh and frozen cranberries, I’ve found fresh berries cook down into a brighter, more vibrant sauce. Frozen works in a pinch, but fresh gives the best texture and color.
Orange Juice: I love using freshly squeezed orange juice here. I’ve tried bottled juice before, but fresh juice gives a cleaner, brighter citrus flavor. Since we need orange zest for garnish anyway, buying whole oranges and juicing them makes everything taste fresher and more aromatic.
Pure Maple Syrup: It’s so important to use pure maple syrup because it adds depth, warmth, and that cozy fall sweetness that pairs perfectly with tart cranberries. You can also use honey, if you prefer.
Instructions to Make Orange Cranberry Sauce
- In a medium saucepan, combine the orange juice, maple and vanilla extract and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the cranberries and orange zest. Make sure the cranberries have been washed beforehand and try to pat them dry. Stir well with a spoon.
- Bring the saucepan of sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce gets thick. You may notice a popping sound. This means that the berries start to pop. So, it’s totally normal.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and let cool down for 5 minutes to get even more the thick consistency we are looking for.
- Transfer the cranberry orange sauce to a bowl and place it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. When it’s time to serve, garnish with orange zest.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can definitely make this homemade cranberry sauce ahead of time to be ready for Thanksgiving dinner. Cook the sauce as directed.
After your cranberry orange sauce has cooled, store it in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 5 days. When ready to serve, reheat on the stove if you’d like for it to be warmed up or serve it chilled.
Olivia’s Recipe Tips
1. When you zest your orange, don’t dig too far down into the skin. You just want the outer orange portion, as the white part can be bitter.
2. This homemade cranberry sauce recipe is very traditional and straightforward! If you’re in the mood to mix things up, feel free to add a pinch of salt, ground ginger, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg or cloves for extra fun flavor.
3. When your sauce is simmering on the stovetop, don’t be too alarmed if you hear a popping noise. Sometimes fresh cranberries burst when they’re cooking!
4. You can serve your sauce hot or chilled. This is really convenient for Christmas dinner when you’re trying to coordinate everything. If you need to make your cranberry sauce recipe ahead of time you can simply place it in the refrigerator and pull it out when it’s time to dish up.
Cranberry Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound fresh cranberries rinsed with cold water
- Orange zest for garnish*
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the orange juice, maple and vanilla extract and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Then, add cranberries and orange zest. Mix all well.
- Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the sauce gets thick. You may notice a popping sound. This is just the cranberries popping and it’s totally normal.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and let cool down for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a bowl and place it in the refrigerator.
- When it’s time to serve, garnish with orange zest.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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I would need to use frozen cranberries but i t looks such a delicious sauce.
Yes you can use frozen cranberries.
It is so much better than the canned ridged sauce. My husband actually agreed to
try this for thanksgiving dinner. Ty
That’s awesome! You’ll love it!
Absolutely the best 💯
Awesome!!
Hi, Olivia. This looks amazing and I’m going to try it this year. Do you know about how many oranges I’ll need for one cup of juice? I know they vary, but just a ballpark? Thanks!
On average, you would need approximately 3 to 4 medium-sized oranges to produce 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of fresh orange juice. However, the number of oranges required can vary depending on the size and juiciness of the oranges, as well as the efficiency of your juicing method.
This may be a naive or dumb question, but how do you eat this, or what do you eat this with? Is it a topping or a side? We normally don’t eat this for Thanksgiving, but it sounds delicious!
Sure thing! Cranberry orange sauce can be both a topping and a side. It goes great with turkey or ham as a side dish and works well as a topping for sandwiches, meats, or even desserts like cheesecake or ice cream. It’s versatile and delicious!
Kathy Kloepfer Can I use orange juice from the bottle for this recipe or does it have to be fresh squeezed?
You can absolutely use orange juice from the bottle! Fresh-squeezed has a brighter flavor, but bottled works perfectly. Just choose one without added sugar if possible. 😊