Fresh homemade orange cranberry sauce is a simple and delicious addition to your holiday table as It requires few ingredients and cooks quickly. Skip the canned version and try a healthier version by making your own cranberry sauce. The hint of orange is an essential part of this recipe and pairs perfectly with the tartness of the cranberries. Adjust your cooking time based on sauce texture preference, lightly cook for a chunky sauce or cook longer for a smooth cranberry sauce.

Make the perfect side dish this holiday season for the cranberry sauce fan in your family. It works great to make ahead, as it is kept well in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, or placed in the freezer, as it is easy to thaw and enjoy.

Ingredients

Filtered water
Organic cane sugar, pure maple syrup, or honey
Organic fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries
Fresh orange juice or mandarine juice
Fresh orange zest or mandarine zest

Equipment Needed

Small saucepan
Wooden spoon
Serving dish

What sets this recipe apart?

This healthy cranberry sauce recipe uses simple fresh ingredients for added flavor. No-fuss recipe for a delicious sauce that thickens naturally with no thickening agent needed. Cook it up on a stovetop in minutes for a great holiday side dish. This recipe is versatile you can choose between organic cane sugar to sweeten or maple syrup and honey. Making your sauce at home also allows you the ability to choose your sauce texture. I enjoy a thicker sauce with some whole berries or you can cook longer for a smoother sauce. The orange flavor is my favorite way to add flavor to fresh cranberry sauce. It is also easy to achieve during the holiday season with fresh oranges and mandarins coming into their season as well.

Why make your cranberry sauce?

Honestly, cranberry sauce is very easy to make and can be made to your liking. Sweeten it your way, add in zest and juice from fresh oranges or mandarines, and cook to your liking for a chunky or smooth sauce. Skip the canned cranberry sauce and make a delicious healthy sauce without unnecessary ingredients sweetened your way.

Why use fresh orange juice and zest?

A fresh bit of orange zest and juice is the secret ingredient that makes this recipe so delicious! The citrus pairs so well with the tart cranberries and adds flavor and sweetness. I love using fresh juice and zest from the local citrus available to me. Whether that is in my backyard from a friend or at the farmers market. Here are some great citrus options for your easy homemade cranberry sauce:

Orange
Mandarin
Tangerine
Clementine
Kumquat
Grapefruit

Sweetener Options

In this recipe, I have included some alternatives to cane sugar such as honey and maple syrup. Choose the sweetener option that works best for you. Feel free to adjust the sweetener to your personal preference you can add more or less and it does not affect the recipe other than the sweetness. If trying to use less sugar you can reduce the sweetener and add more sweetener later on if you find that you did not add enough. Just try the sauce while it is still warm to make sure it is sweetened to your liking.

Do you need to thicken the cranberry sauce?

You do not need to thicken this cranberry orange sauce as it naturally thickens on its own because cranberries contain a natural pectin. You can also make a chunky cranberry sauce by making sure to leave some of the berries whole and removing them from the heat before all of the berries pop.

Step-By-Step Instruction

Place cranberries into a colander rinse the cranberries and remove any rotten cranberries.
Zest oranges by grating on the small grater side, and juice oranges using a manual or electric citrus juicer until the desired amount is produced.
Place the water and sugar into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Once the water/sugar mixture comes to a boil, add all the remaining ingredients; cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest.
Reduce to medium heat and cook stirring occasionally, cranberries will begin to pop as they cook.
The cranberry sauce is done cooking when there is a good mix of whole berries and cooked-down cranberries. Remove from heat and let cool on the stovetop until room temperature. Then, place the cooled sauce in an airtight container or serving dish with a cover and refrigerate until serving.
Serve chilled cranberry sauce with your holiday meal or use it as a glaze, or add it to pastries, as a sandwich spread, use it as jelly for thumbprint cookies, as a syrup for pancakes or waffles, or it can be added to your yogurt.
Leftover cranberry sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in a freezer-safe container for up to 1 year.

Check out the full recipe and ingredient list below, and connect with me in the comment section. What are some creative ways that you have used cranberry sauce?