Orange Cranberry Sauce Recipe (2024)

The best homemade cranberry sauce with freshly squeezed orange juice, zest and a little kiss of vanilla.

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Cranberry Sauce

Skip the canned stuff this Thanksgiving and make this exquisite fresh cranberry orange sauce instead. Only 5 ingredients, the perfect balance between sweet and tart, this is the easiest and quickest side dish ever and can be made ahead of time.

Ingredient notes

• Cranberries – you’ll need 12 oz of fresh cranberries which are only available between Thanksgiving and Christmas just in time for the holiday season. Dry cranberries will not work in this recipe at all so please only use fresh or frozen.
• Orange juice – freshly squeezed from a couple of juicy Valencia or Navel oranges is fine, but if you happen to find any blood oranges it’s even better.
• Orange zest – make sure to reserve the zest from one orange before juicing. It brightens up the sauce by infusing new life into it.
• Sugar – plain granulated sugar works just fine here, however I’ve made this with maple syrup, honey and coconut nectar and they were equally delicious.
• Vanilla – totally optional but a little drop of it will make the sauce truly stand out in my opinion.

How to Make Orange Cranberry Sauce

1. Add the cranberries, orange juice, zest and sugar to a sauce pan and cover with a lid.
2. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until all the cranberries have burst. Add vanilla if desired and allow the sauce to cool and thicken. refrigerate or freeze for later use.

Recipe Tips

• Variations – instead of vanilla you could add about two teaspoons of finely chopped crystalized ginger or 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Serving suggestions – this sauce pairs well with the usual holiday suspects like mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and biscuits. Leftovers are delicious on your morning toast or spooned on top of a granola bowl, pancakes or to fill some crepes.
• Storage – the sauce keeps well in the fridge up to a week and can be frozen for up to 4 months. Just thaw it out in the fridge the night before you plan using it.

Thanksgiving Recipes

• Biscuits
• Italian Roasted Potatoes
• Cranberry Wild Rice Pilaf
• Baked Sweet Potato Rounds
• Roasted Spaghetti Squash
• Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
• Best Pumpkin Bread
• Italian Roasted Potatoes.

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