Cranberry sauce often gets neglected, but no holiday table is complete without it. This homemade cranberry-orange sauce is perfectly sweet and tangy, easy to customize, and only takes 15 minutes to make.
It’s safe to say that I like a quick and simple recipe. And I think everyone agrees. So, when it comes to cranberry sauce, you can’t beat this homemade cranberry-orange sauce. It’s super easy with a simple formula and can be done within minutes! That means you have plenty of time to prepare Peking-style turkey and stuffed pumpkin dinner rolls.
The ingredients
Like any cranberry-orange sauce recipes you’ve seen out there, the basic ingredients to make this sauce are
- Cranberry. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries and they both work well for this recipe
- Liquid. You will need fresh-squeezed orange juice or water
- Sugar to add sweetness
That’s it! Easy peasy but the result is superb! It has a sweet-tart flavor with a jelly-ish texture that goes well with the Thanksgiving dish.
Secret formula to make homemade cranberry sauce
Uhm okay. By the time this post hit publish, it’s no longer a secret to make the best sauce. So, here you go!
4:1:1
4 cups of cranberries
1 cup of liquid
1 cup of sugar
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The variations
There are a lot of variations out there, so feel free to modify/add in as you please and here’s my trick. If you add water as your liquid, then add the zest from 1 orange to add more flavors to this sauce. And if you want to upgrade this cranberry-orange sauce recipe, add a pinch of cinnamon to the mix. Or sprinkle some chopped nuts or pomegranate seeds for extra crunch.
And if you prefer a spicy kick, add chopped jalapenos to this sauce! Yum!
How to sweeten cranberry sauce without sugar
If you want to keep this homemade sauce refined sugar-free, you can substitute sugar with honey or maple syrup to have a naturally sweetened sauce. Another option is date syrup. However, the formula will slightly change to 2:1:1/2 which means 2 cups of cranberries : 1 cup of orange juice : 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
But, lemme tell you…cranberry sauce with honey and orange tastes so good!
Working with fresh cranberries
When using fresh cranberries, be sure to rinse the cranberries well and drain off excess water. Then, pick through the cranberries and discard any squishy ones.
How to enjoy cranberry-orange sauce
- Swirl the sauce with yogurt
- Spread it onto toast or toasted english muffin
- Over cheesecake
- With turkey, for sure!
This homemade cranberry-orange sauce couldn’t be easier to make. And if you need a quick and easy Friendsgiving option, be sure to sign up for this sauce!
Homemade Cranberry-Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 cups cranberries fresh or frozen
- 1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Keep stirring the mixture frequently to ensure nothing burns or sticks to the pan. as it gets thicken
- Use a potato masher to pop the remainder of the cranberries. Let cool completely before serving
Cindy says
This was absolutely delicious and will be. New addition on our holiday table.
Meg says
I think you’ve convinced me to ditch the canned stuff!
Kim says
I love a homemade cranberry sauce! This one is just amazing – such classic flavors!
Mandy Applegate says
I’d not tried cranberry sauce with orange before and it didn’t disappoint – delicious!
Lynn Polito says
Delicious and so easy!
Anne says
I love the combination of cranberry and orange, so fresh and tasty!
Jennifer says
I love the addition of orange in this classic. It’s the only way I make it!
Sherry Ronning says
This recipe is going to be on our Thanksgiving table this year. Thank you for the recipe, my dad is going to be so happy!!
Dennis K Littley says
I made a test batch of your cranberry sauce to go with roast chicken last night and it was ah-mazingly delicious!