Orange Cranberry Sauce is always on my Thanksgiving table. I love how the tart cranberries and bright citrus come together with just a few simple ingredients. It’s sweet, tangy, and full of fresh flavor. Whether you’re serving it with turkey or layering it into leftover sandwiches, this sauce adds a pop of color and a burst of brightness that makes the whole meal feel complete.
Tart cranberries are so refreshing. Here are two recipes that I love to incorporate cranberries into: Cranberry Apple Salad and my Ocean Spray Relish.
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Why this Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe is a Keeper
This easy, cranberry orange peel sauce is as delicious as it is simple to make. Plus, it’s packed with way more flavor than the canned stuff brings.
- Freshness Over Canned: Homemade sauce, even the simplest three-ingredient version, provides a vibrant, bright, and genuinely fresh flavor that canned cranberry sauce simply cannot match.
- Perfect Balance: The natural pectin in the cranberries ensures a beautiful, thick, yet pourable sauce without the need for additional starches.
- Adjustable Flavor: Unlike the canned variety, you have complete control over the sweetness, tartness, and spice level, allowing you to perfect the balance for your family’s taste.
How Do I Keep the Bitterness Out of the Cranberry Sauce?
To reduce bitterness, adjust the sugar content to your liking. Adding more sugar can help balance the tartness. Or add a splash of orange juice to the sauce..
What Reader’s Are Saying…
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“This cranberry sauce tastes so much better than the canned version and it’s so easy to make too! Love the hint of orange.”
~ Joanie
Ingredient Notes for Cranberry Orange Sauce Recipe
This fresh cranberry sauce recipe uses only a few simple ingredients you might already have, or can grab in one quick trip to the store.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Cranberries: Fresh cranberries are best for this cranberry-orange sauce.
- Orange Zest: Fresh orange zest will bring the best orange flavor to this easy cranberry sauce. Zest the orange and add lots of citrus flavor.
- Sugar: Include some granulated sugar to enhance the sweetness.
Variations for Cranberry Sauce with Orange Juice
Cranberry sauce recipes are super customizable. Take this Thanksgiving cranberry sauce to the next level by adding different liquids, sugars or spices.
- Water: Fresh orange juice, apple cider, or pomegranate juice. Replacing water with juice adds another layer of fruity flavor, but may require slightly less sugar.
- Granulated Sugar: Brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, or a keto/sugar-free alternative (like Monkfruit or Stevia). Brown sugar adds a deeper, molasses flavor. When substituting liquid sweeteners (honey/syrup), you may need to reduce the water slightly.
- Spice & Citrus: Zest of one whole orange, cinnamon sticks (remove before serving), ground ginger, star anise (use sparingly), or a pinch of salt (to enhance all flavors). The most popular variation is to add orange zest for an intense orange flavor.
- Alcohol: A splash of Grand Marnier, Cointreau, or Bourbon (add after cooking) will add a sophisticated, warm note.
- Top: I love to top with 1 cinnamon stick. Cinnamon and orange go well together.
Special Equipment Needed for this Thanksgiving Side
For this recipe, you’ll need just one thing to make this cranberry sauce.
- Sauce Pan: The only thing you’ll need to make this recipe is a saucepan big enough to fit all the ingredients. Serve at room temperature.
How to Make Cranberry Orange Sauce
This recipe comes together in just 2 quick and easy steps. It is the perfect thanksgiving side. This recipe is so good, it’s a great one to have on deck for your holiday table. It is so much better than canned jellied cranberry sauce.
Get the full printable recipe with specific measurements and directions in the recipe card below.
- Cook the Sauce: In a medium saucepan over low heat, mix some of the cranberries, sugar, orange zest and water. Cook for 10 minutes. Then turn to medium heat and cook until the berries start to burst.
- Add More Berries: Turn the heat back to low, and stir in the rest of the berries. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Remove from heat and cool cranberry sauce to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Prep Ahead Suggestions for Homemade Cranberry Sauce
Since this recipe is already super easy, there are only a couple things you can do ahead of time when you make this for your Thanksgiving menu.
- Make-Ahead (Refrigeration): Homemade cranberry sauce is an ideal make-ahead dish. The flavor improves as it sits. It can be prepared, cooled, and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 weeks.
- Make-Ahead (Freezing): Cranberry sauce freezes beautifully for up to 2-3 months. Freeze in an airtight, freezer-safe container, leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Alternate Cooking Methods for Healthy Cranberry Sauce
If your stove is full of other Thanksgiving recipes, you can also make this recipe in the Instant Pot or slow cooker.
- Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker: Place all ingredients in the pot. Cook on Manual/High Pressure for 1 minute, followed by a Natural Pressure Release (NPR) for 10 minutes. If it needs to thicken, use the Sauté function after opening the lid to simmer for a few minutes.
- Slow Cooker/Crock-Pot: Combine ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the sauce thickens.
Store, Reheat and Use Leftover Cranberry Sauc
- Store: The Orange Cranberry Sauce in a clean, airtight container in the fridge for 7 to 14 days.
- Reheat: Most people serve it chilled. If you must reheat a small portion, use a microwave on low power for 30-second bursts, or warm gently in a small saucepan over low heat. Be aware that overheating can make it runny.
- Use Leftovers: Swirl into yogurt, oatmeal, or spread on toast, bagels, or muffins.
- Baking: Use as a filling for hand pies, thumbprint cookies, or add a spoonful to waffle or pancake batter.
- Savory: Mix with mayonnaise or sour cream to create a creamy spread for leftover turkey or ham sandwiches.
- Cocktails: Mix with vodka or gin, and top with sparkling water or prosecco.
Common Questions About This Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe
You can use either fresh or frozen berries. If you use frozen cranberries, you can either let them come to room temperature, or add a couple extra minutes to the cook time for the Orange Cranberry Sauce .
If your sauce is too thin, add some more cooked down cranberries. If it’s too thick, add a splash more of water or juice.
Expert Tips for Homemade Orange Cranberry Sauce
- The “Pop” Test: The Orange Cranberry Sauce is done cooking when most of the cranberries have burst (the “pop”). If you want a chunkier sauce, stop cooking when about two-thirds have burst. If you want it smoother, gently mash the remaining whole berries against the side of the pot.
- Cooling is Key: Do not panic if the sauce seems watery on the stove. It will thicken considerably as it cools, thanks to the high pectin content in cranberries.
- Final Salt: A tiny pinch of salt (about 1/4 teaspoon per 12-oz bag of cranberries) added right at the end won’t make it taste salty, but it will work like a flavor magnifying glass, enhancing the sweet and tart notes.
- Serve With: Serve this great recipe with Slow Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey or Christmas Ham, Maple Glazed Carrots or Sourdough Stuffing.
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Orange Cranberry Sauce
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Ingredients
- 12 ounces Fresh cranberries, divided
- 1 cup Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Orange zest
- 2 Tablespoons Water
Instructions
- Reserve ½ cup of the cranberries and set aside.
- Add remaining ingredients to a sauce pan.
- Cook on low for 10 minutes.
- Turn up the heat to medium and cook for 12 minutes longer, or until the berries start to burst.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in remaining berries.
- Taste and add more sugar if needed.
- Remove from heat and cool completely.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.
Christina’s Notes
- Add Nuts: A little crunch can really enhance the flavor of you sauce. So try pecans or walnuts.
- Variation Tip: You can try tangerines, mandarin oranges, blueberries or cherries, even pears.
- Alternate Ingredient: Sugar substitute can be used to reduce the calories.
- Liquor: A splash of you favorite orange liquor will really work well in this too.
- Scale the recipe: Simply adjust the serving size in the recipe card and the ingredients will update automatically.
- Make your own All Purpose Seasoning: When a recipe calls for All Purpose Seasoning, you can use my homemade All Purpose Seasoning recipe or substitute salt and pepper to taste.
- Meat doneness: I always use a meat thermometer to test for doneness when cooking meat.
- Use unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter so I can control the salt level in the recipe.
- Preheat the oven: Unless otherwise noted, always preheat your oven before baking.
For more helpful information about this recipe, such as variations, substitutions and other pro-tips, check out the blog post.
This is my new go-to cranberry sauce recipe!
Only 2 tablespoons of water, correct? Other recipes use 1 cup of water, so I wanted to make sure. Thanks.
2 tablespoons is correct.
SO much better than the canned stuff — and really easy, too!
This cranberry sauce tastes so much better than the canned version and it’s so easy to make too! Love the hint of orange.
This looks so good for Thanksgiving. I like that it can be made ahead to save time later!
Love this recipe! The thought of Cranberry sauce makes me so excited for Thanksgiving!