How To Make The Best Cranberry Orange Sauce From Scratch

This cranberry orange sauce simmers 12 oz of fresh or frozen cranberries with sugar, fresh orange juice, orange zest, and water for 15 minutes until the berries burst and the sauce turns thick and jammy. It thickens even more as it cools. It takes about 20 minutes, uses just 4 real ingredients, and can be made up to a week ahead and stored in the fridge for a stress free Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. If cranberry sauce is one of those must haves on your dinner table, then you need to try this fuss free version made from scratch.

We make this cranberry orange sauce using only 4 ingredients and only 20 minutes, so it is the perfect make ahead Thanksgiving recipe that you can prepare up to one week in advance. Skip the canned cranberry sauce and try this easy version that is made completely from scratch. You will absolutely love the zing from the fresh orange juice!

Why You Will Love This Cranberry Orange Sauce

• It Is Ridiculously Fuss Free: You literally just throw everything into a saucepan, wait for it to boil, and let it simmer. That is it!
• Made With Feel Good Ingredients: We are using only four real and simple ingredients. No mystery canned stuff here.
• It Is the Ultimate Make Ahead Dish: You can make this up to a week before Thanksgiving, and it keeps in the fridge for 10 to 14 days at most. Check one major thing off your cooking list early.
• Highly Customizable: This is a fantastic base recipe. You can easily tweak it with warm spices, different sweeteners, or even a spicy kick to make it completely your own.

Planning your whole holiday menu? This sauce is made to go with my Juicy Brined and Stuffed Turkey, a perfect pairing for your Thanksgiving table.

What You Will Need

Special Equipment

• Small or medium saucepan
• Microplane or zester
• Citrus juicer
• Heat safe glass jar or container (for cooling and storage)

The Ingredients

• 12 oz fresh cranberries (frozen works too!), rinsed and sorted
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup fresh orange juice (the juice of 1 orange)
• 1 teaspoon orange zest (use up to the zest of the whole orange for a bolder flavor)
• 1/2 cup water
• Fresh rosemary sprig (optional, for garnish)

Let Us Get Cooking

1. The 4 Simple Ingredients

You will need one standard 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries. This time of year, they are all over the stores and already come pre measured. You can also use frozen cranberries if that is all you can find! Rinse them and pick out any soft or shriveled berries. For sweetness, just half a cup of granulated sugar gives it the perfect healthy ish balance of sweet and tart. You are also going to use both the fresh juice (about a quarter cup) and the zest of one orange. Scrub the orange well before you zest it. Finally, just half a cup of water to help everything simmer down perfectly.

2. Combine the Ingredients

Place a small or medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the fresh cranberries, granulated sugar, fresh orange juice, orange zest, and water.

3. Bring to a Boil

Heat the mixture until it reaches a rolling boil.

4. Simmer and Pop

As soon as you see and hear some of the cranberries starting to burst and pop, reduce the heat to a simmer. Leave it alone to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally.

5. Cool and Thicken

After 15 minutes of simmering, you will notice that the cranberry sauce is reduced by half. It gets nice and thick with a gorgeous and jam like consistency. Once the sauce has reduced, remove it from the heat.

6. Store and Garnish

I highly recommend transferring the hot sauce right into an adorable little heat safe glass jar or container. The glass helps it cool down beautifully (instead of putting hot sauce in plastic!), and you can actually serve it right out of this container on Thanksgiving day. Just top it with a little bit of fresh rosemary garnish to make it look extra fancy and colorful! If you are making the sauce days ahead, add the rosemary the day you serve it so it stays fresh and green.

7. Chill

Leave the jar on the countertop until the sauce cools down to room temperature. And what is going to happen is, as it cools, it is going to continue to thicken and shrink up a little bit. Then cover it and refrigerate within 2 hours. Store it sealed in the fridge until turkey day and you are ready to serve!

Round out the holiday table with my Ultimate Baked Mac and Cheese, a creamy side that goes great with a tart pop of cranberry.

4 Fun Ways to Customize Your Sauce

This is a great base recipe, but you can customize it in so many different ways just to make it your own and have fun with it!

• Add warm spices: Think of nutmeg, cinnamon, or cardamom.
• Change up the sweetener: You can do honey or agave syrup. You can even sweeten it naturally with fruit. Think pineapples, apples, or even persimmons! Skip honey for babies under 1 year old.
• Make it spicy: Try adding jalapenos to it for a sweet and spicy kick.
• Add some crunch: Add chopped pecans or walnuts right towards the end when the cranberry sauce is completely cooked. Nuts are a tree nut allergen, so offer them on the side if serving a crowd.

What to Serve With This

• Turkey: the classic pairing, especially my Juicy Brined and Stuffed Turkey
• Stuffing, mashed potatoes, and gravy: a spoonful of tart sauce cuts through all that richness
• Baked mac and cheese: try it next to my Ultimate Baked Mac and Cheese
• Dessert: finish the meal with my Silky Sweet Potato Pie or Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites

What To Do With Leftover Cranberry Sauce

If you have any leftovers after Thanksgiving, you are in for a treat!

• Spread it on leftover turkey sandwiches
• Spoon it over your morning oatmeal or Greek yogurt, or try it with my Overnight Oats, 3 Easy Healthy Ways
• Serve it on top of some warm baked brie
• Spoon it over pancakes, like my Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes, for a sweet weekend breakfast

Storing Cranberry Orange Sauce

• Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate within 2 hours
• Store in an airtight, heat safe glass container for up to 10 to 14 days
• Freeze in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for up to 3 months for best quality
• Thaw frozen sauce overnight in the refrigerator
• Throw it out if you see mold, smell an off odor, or notice fizzing or bubbling

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FAQs

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Skip the Can! Easy 4-Ingredient Cranberry Orange Sauce

Recipe by Sana Rei

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Side DishCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

6-8

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calories

70-95

kcal

Total time plus cooling time

20

minutes

A fuss-free, healthy-ish cranberry orange sauce made from scratch in just 20 minutes with only 4 ingredients. The perfect make-ahead Thanksgiving side dish.

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• Small saucepan

• Microplane or zester

• Citrus juicer

• Heat safe glass jar for storage

• Ingredients:

• 12 oz (340g) fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed and sorted

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup (60ml) fresh orange juice (about 1 medium orange)

• 1 tsp (2g) fresh orange zest

• 1/2 cup (120ml) water

• Fresh rosemary (for garnish)

Directions

• In a small or medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, and water.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.
• Once the cranberries begin to burst, reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat. The sauce will have reduced by half and look jammy.
• Transfer to a heat safe glass jar or container.
• Allow the sauce to cool on the countertop (it will thicken further as it cools), then cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary the day you serve it.

Notes

• Sweetness Adjustments: Cranberries are naturally very tart, and my half-cup of sugar keeps this recipe healthy-ish. If you prefer a sweeter sauce, you can increase the sugar up to 3/4 or 1 cup, or stir in a little maple syrup while the sauce is still warm.
• Make-Ahead and Storage: Make it up to a week ahead for best flavor. Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to 10 to 14 days. The flavors actually meld together better when made a day or two early. Discard if you see mold, smell an off odor, or notice fizzing.
• Not for Canning: This recipe has not been tested for canning.
• Freezing: Freezes well in an airtight container for up to 3 months for best quality. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Custom Swaps: Swap the sugar for honey or agave (no honey for babies under 1). Add warm spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom), diced apples, jalapenos for heat, or stir in chopped pecans at the very end for crunch.
• Allergen Note: Naturally gluten free and dairy free as written. Nuts, if added, are a tree nut allergen.